Ruhul Amen, known as Roo, emigrated to Australia at the age of 20. He was a university student when he met Vanessa, who eventually became his wife. Their first venture into business was with Roo’s brother, buying a snack bar in Woolloongabba, supplemented by a little import-export handicrafts business based in the Brisbane Arcade.
“The snack bar was fairly standard fare – though we did have a regular Scottish customer who thrived on pineapple burgers,” Vanessa recalls.
“We decided to try selling curry and rice at $2.50 a serve. We were encouraged by customers to become a restaurant – there were only three Indian restaurants in Brisbane – and we went on to establish restaurants in several suburbs across Brisbane. We finally settled in Wynnum and established the Bengal Curry House, which is managed by our son Sharif. He’s actually a qualified lawyer, but the restaurant trade is where his heart is; it’s in his blood.”
Vanessa says that Bengali cuisine is subtle, not as overpoweringly strong as some styles of Indian cooking, and uses less oil.
“Some Indian restaurants use commercially produced pre-prepared Indian sauces,” says Vanessa. “Our meals are prepared from scratch, using Australian ingredients whenever we can. It’s very much a family and community-oriented restaurant.”
Roo is still an integral part of the Curry House, enjoying the customer contact as much as creating the meals. He has also turned his talents to writing and the result is a delightful book – a collection of recipes and anecdotes about the funny, scary and awkward moments he has encountered in his career as a restaurateur. The book tells stories of the loving husband and wife who turned up at the same lunch hour – each with someone else, the rescue of a drag queen, and the failed hold-up that ended with an injured mugger.
The book will be launched in early November, and a portion of each sale will go to the Bayside Community Fund. Next time you visit the Bengal Curry House at Wynnum, ask about the book.
