Oudh 1722 sees two-Michelin-starred Opheem chef Atkar Islam opening his first London restaurant

8/4/26 - updated with menu details and an opening date.

In 2024, Opheem became the first Indian restaurant in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars (followed only a few minutes later by Gymkhana). The restaurant is one of Birmingham's best and is its only two-starred venue. Now the man behind it, chef Aktar Islam (who you may have recently seen on Great British Menu), is opening his first London restaurant. 

Aktar is opening Oudh 1722 in Borough in a three-storey listed Victorian building (taking over from Lupins). It's named after the Awadhi region, and that year refers to the roots of the local cuisine there, which originated in Lucknow, one of the rare cities to be listed by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy. The restaurant will focus on Awadhi cooking, which starts with a warm shorba broth, then moves through naashta snacks, kebabs and sharing curries. There's also a specific focus on slow cooking methods like dum pukht, where dishes are "slow-cooked over a low flame to gently build depth and flavour".

Newly revealed dishes on the menu include:

• Nargisi Kofta - soft golden egg yolk and spiced venison
• Kakori kebab of finely minced lamb shoulder with chilli and rose;
• Raan-e-dum pukht - smoked Wiltshire lamb shoulder baked in a lamb-fat crust
• Zameen Doz Machli - whole turbot slow-cooked in spiced ghee with brown shrimp and saalan.
• Tandoori poussin with smoked tomato and cream
• Gobhi mussalam – roasted cauliflower in toasted poppy seed korma with seasonal truffle

As for desserts, influenced by Lucknow, they include Awadhi nimish (aerated saffron soft serve enriched with almonds) and Shahi Tukda, which is a take on bread pudding.

Opheem is a very big deal, so Islam opening in Borough is 100% one to watch.