Chef Rick Takhar

 

Restaurant: Ashiana 

Address: 8072 - 120 Street, Surrey, BC.

Tel: 604-593-5458

 

Background:

Before moving to Canada, Chef Rick Takhar worked in his uncle’s famous Maharaja Tandoori restaurant in England. There he learned to cook and manage the restaurant before moving to Canada. He opened his own restaurant in 1980 on Victoria Drive where sizzling succulent meat and seafood, fresh baked Naans & Roties came hot from the clay oven. Within years, the establishment became too small to accommodate the many patrons. In 1992, he built the larger, more up-scale Ashiana with its tranquil environment, exotic carvings, and arts from India. 

 

Number of Years: 32

 

Philosophy:

Respect ethnic food culture with an open mind.  Always cook not just to feed the empty stomach, but for the goodness of a healthy body and mind too. 

 

Signature Dish: 

Shami (Spicy Chicken) Kebabs & Lamb Jalfrezi

 

Tip:

Learn more about herbs and spices. Get fresh ones and grind them yourself whenever possible.  Always cook with attentiveness and patience.

 

 

For more about Vancouver’s thriving Asian food scene pick up East Meets West: Traditional and Contemporary Asian Dishes from Acclaimed Vancouver Restaurants by Stephanie Yuen. Yuen was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Vancouver for more than thirty years. She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English and worked as a journalist for Sing Tao, and CBC Radio. She now writes for Edible Canada and What’s On magazine, contributes to the Vancouver Sun and appears frequently on radio and TV. You can also follow her blog about Asian food, www.

beyondchopsticks.com.