Authentic Bangladeshi Food in Richmond — What You Need to Know

The Difference Between Indian and Bangladeshi Cuisine

Most people in the UK use "Indian restaurant" as a catch-all term, but the reality is far more nuanced. Over 80% of "Indian" restaurants in Britain are actually run by Bangladeshi families — particularly from the Sylhet region. The cuisine they serve draws on a distinct culinary tradition that differs from North Indian, South Indian, or Punjabi cooking in significant ways.

Bangladeshi cuisine, especially Sylheti cooking, is characterised by bolder spice profiles, the use of dried fish as a flavouring agent, wild citrus fruits like shatkora, and slow-cooking techniques that extract maximum depth from simple ingredients. It's hearty, generous, and deeply flavourful — designed for communal family eating, not individual fine-dining portions.

Sylheti Cooking — The Tradition Behind Our Recipes

Jaflong's founder, Syed, grew up in Sylhet, Bangladesh — a region famous for its tea gardens, rolling hills, and intensely flavoured cuisine. The recipes used at Jaflong today are the same ones Syed learned in his grandmother's kitchen, where spices were ground fresh on a stone mortar every morning.

This isn't nostalgia. It's a practical cooking philosophy: fresh-ground spices produce oils and aromas that pre-ground supermarket spices simply cannot match. At Jaflong, this tradition continues daily — every spice blend is prepared in-house, every curry paste made from scratch.

Dishes You Can Only Find at an Authentic Bangladeshi Restaurant

Certain dishes are exclusive to restaurants with genuine Bangladeshi heritage. You won't find these at a generic "Indian" restaurant or a modern fusion establishment:

• Chicken Shatkora — Wild Sylheti citrus fruit in a medium-spiced curry. The shatkora fruit is imported specifically for this dish and has no Western substitute.
• Chot Poti — A Bengali street food of chickpeas and cubed potatoes with tamarind sauce. A vegetarian starter that showcases the vibrant flavours of Bangladeshi street cuisine.
• Sylheti Naga Curry — For adventurous palates, this uses the fiery Naga chilli from the Sylhet region, combined with slow-cooked tomato base and aromatic spices.

Chicken Achanak — Richmond's Most Exclusive Curry

Chicken Achanak is Jaflong's signature dish — developed by the head chef over 40 years of cooking and unavailable at any other restaurant in Richmond or London. It's a medium-spiced curry with a distinctive flavour profile that regular customers describe as "addictive."

The recipe is a closely guarded family secret. What we can say: it balances fresh mint, coriander, and cream in a light curry sauce that lets the quality of the chicken shine. It's the dish that turns first-time visitors into Friday regulars.

Why Bangladeshi Cuisine Has Been Richmond's Best-Kept Secret

Bangladeshi food doesn't have the marketing budget of Thai, Japanese, or modern Indian fusion. It doesn't photograph as dramatically on Instagram. But what it lacks in presentation, it more than makes up for in substance — deep, complex flavours built through generations of family cooking knowledge.

At Jaflong Tandoori, this tradition has been serving Richmond for 18 years. The 403 Google reviews (4.7★ average) speak for themselves: authentic Bangladeshi cuisine, cooked with integrity, served with warmth, and delivered to your door across 11 postcodes in South West London.