Lankan chef in London brings his own brand of steak back home
Azam Riyard, at the London Grill, Cinnamon Grand. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe
“It’s good to be back home,” says Chef Azam Riyard, the ‘Dry-Aged Steak Guy’ and founder of The Clubhouse Steakhouse in London. He’s returning to his Sri Lankan roots to bring his skills and unique approach to Colombo’s carnivores at the London Grill restaurant at Cinnamon Grand Colombo.
An old Trinitian and cricket coach by profession, Chef Azam gained experience – albeit not of the culi-nary kind – with stints at Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo before moving to Europe. Once in the UK, he noticed a gap in the market for halal, dry-aged steaks and began his quest to master the art of ageing beef. The self-taught chef started by transforming the clubhouse of the cricket club with which he was associated into an eatery where people could grab a burger and a drink after practice. In 2016 he established The Clubhouse Steakhouse, a restaurant based in Crawley that has gained a reputation for premium dry-aged steak and gourmet burgers as well as being the only steak restaurant in Europe that dry-ages halal beef in-house.
Dry-ageing is a technique where the meat is hung or placed on a rack to dry for several weeks in a humidity-controlled environment such as in a specialised refrigerator. The purpose of this method is to concentrate and saturate the flavour of the meat while making it more tender.
Guests at the London Grill will have the opportunity to savour the nuanced flavours of these dry-aged meats and seafood from an exclusive à la carte menu curated by Chef Azam that will marry Western and Eastern flavours. “It’s not something usual that you normally try, it’s something very unique so that uniqueness is what I’m targeting – trying to infuse Sri Lankan flavours as well as a bit of Mediterranean to it,” says Chef Azam.
With expansions in the pipeline such as restaurants in Mykonos, Marrakech and possibly Colombo, Chef Azam is working towards the goal of achieving a Michelin star, an accomplishment that is not an easy feat. His take-over of the London Grill from January 10 to 21 promises to captivate and delight even the most discerning of palates.
For reservations and enquiries, please contact +94 112 497272 or +9476 560 4972.
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