Innovative dishes and healthy ingredients are the order of the day at Olive Naturally Indian.
Street food done healthily is the concept behind Olive Naturally Indian and it’s one that seems to be working well. First opened in 2014 in Hemel Hempstead, there are now two other branches (the biggest, in Flitwick and another one in St Neot’s) and there are plans afoot for a fourth one in Hitchin that will seat around 60 people.
Owner Suhel Ahmed, who came to the UK from Bangladesh in 2009, runs the business alongside two business partners, Abul Choudhury and Mohammed Suleman Miah. He is more than up for a challenge, given that the second branch was opened just before Covid and the third one just after.
“I was interested in cooking and I used to visit many restaurants, working for different suppliers; this gave me the idea – I realised there were hardly any restaurants at that time offering Indian street food,” explains Ahmed. “We want to showcase food from different parts of India, cooked by expert chefs, all of whom come from India.”
As Ahmed explains, it seemed a good idea to open just after Covid – few other businesses besides food ones were open as everyone had to eat, and Ahmed wanted to help people too. He admits that it was a struggle at times but the three existing restaurants are testament to his resilience.
“After Covid, prices for our utilities were sky high and have remained so,” says Ahmed. “We have increased our prices a little to balance out our bills but trading times continue to be tough.”
Point of difference
With profit margins markedly different from those of previous years, it’s imperative to deliver good food and excellent service at all times. It’s also about being different. One of the reasons why Hitchin has been earmarked as a potential location is that at present, says Ahmed, there are only a few Indian restaurants there, all offering traditional dishes. This makes Olive Naturally Indian‘s street food twist all the more appealing.
“Our customers aren’t just attracted by the high quality, fine-dining style of the meals – they also really like the design of our restaurants and the customer service,” says Ahmed.
The ‘healthy’ nature of the restaurants’ cuisine is another point of difference. Part of the name – Olive Naturally, is a nod to this, bringing to mind healthy food that is not greasy or processed, with the idea that it is close to the Mediterranean style of cooking.
“There is less oil in our dishes and we use natural ingredients – no colouring or artificial flavours,” says Ahmed. “Our products are premium quality too – we use tender lamb rather than mutton which can be tough. Chicken tikka masala can often be made with cream but we prepare it without, in the traditional Indian way.”
Some of the popular items on the menu are the restaurant’s Puri selection, including Pani Puree – a savoury sphere stuffed with spicy potatoes served with tamarind water, dosas filled with a choice of spiced potato, shredded chicken and paneer cheese and Papri Chaat, served chilled and featuring crispy pastries, chickpeas and potatoes, served with sweet yoghurt and chutney.
Dishes that showcase different flavours from across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh include Kolkatan Sweet Chili Chicken, Goan Khumbi Chicken and Coorgi Coconut Lamb, with the meat cooked in coconut milk flavoured with cardamom and saffron.
Full on flavour
Customers are also spoilt for choice when it comes to the restaurant’s rice selection, with ten types to choose from, with additions including lemon and cashew nut, lime and coconut, keema mushroom and spring onion, garlic and caramalised butter.
Olive Naturally Indian also has a selection of wines from India, including Chenin Blanc, Rose and Shiraz, alongside French and Spanish ones. Ahmed says people really enjoy the choice of drinks available, particularly as more and more customers seem to enjoy drinking wine rather than beer with their curries.
“Customers love this, it adds another premium feel to our offering. The Indian wines are light and sweet so they accompany curry dishes well,” he says.
Attention to detail is all important too, so Olive Naturally Indian only offers takeaways during the week, enabling the restaurants to focus on their customers, ensuring they have an enjoyable experience every time they dine.
Attracting skilled workers for the restaurant remains one of Ahmed’s biggest challenges.
Olive Naturally Indian trains its own chefs across its restaurants, but with the cost of living still continuing to bite and staff expecting higher wages, running the business is still a challenging balancing act. Despite this, Ahmed wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I like to serve customers and see them enjoying our food. We have a five-star hygiene rating, and with our Flitwick branch, we are the number one out of 14 restaurants in Flitwick on TripAdvisor, and we achieved this in just two months. That’s down to how much our customers have supported us and that is why we are still here and motivated.”
Olive Naturally Indian
8 High St
Flitwick
Bedford MK45 1DS
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