New restaurant wants to bring 'finest South Asian cuisine' to Kent while promoting diversity

Hedi Mehrez
·3-min read
Adeels wants his restaurant to be at the heart of the community
-Credit: (Image: Reach Plc)


A new South Asian restaurant has opened its doors in Herne Bay with the aim of providing the “finest Asian cuisine” while promoting diversity in the area. Located on the High Street, Ambee’s Kitchen is believed to be the only dine-in venue in the town bringing together the flavours from China, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh under one roof.

Owner Adeel Khan said the vision behind his new restaurant is to be inclusive by serving everybody. From offering food to disadvantaged people to searching for new partnerships in the area, Adeel wants his restaurant to be at the heart of the community.

The 41-year-old, who lives in East London but regularly travels to Kent, told KentLive: “I came to the UK [from Pakistan] in 2004. The best thing I like about being in the UK is the diversity and I’m very honoured and very thankful because this is one of those countries where we welcome you no matter where you come from, what you look like, what your religion is or your ethnicity.”

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When asked about the reason for opening a business in Kent, he added: “It’s very close to the beach, and that’s something I always wanted to do. I don’t think anybody’s doing fine dining like us, so I thought we should be doing something unique.”

The restaurant opened its doors in October
The restaurant opened its doors in October -Credit:Reach Plc

The restaurant serves halal food and while it does not offer alcoholic beverages for religious reasons, they allow customers to bring their own drinks. “I respect other people’s views,” Adeel said. “There are certain things that matter to me, for example having halal food, because there are people who want halal. There are some people who don’t and obviously we have other options for them.”

Adeel is already looking to expand, having identified three other locations across Kent. He said: “We want to create employment opportunities for people. It’s a hard time for everybody, so we would like to promote diversity.”

'The right place to start in Kent'

The owner said he was concerned about opening a business while the cost of living crisis is affecting shop owners and locals. But Adeel said: “There are certain advantages and disadvantages.

“It’s a risky business. As a matter of fact, any business is a risky business. But as an entrepreneur, I would say you have to be a little fearless. We had a budget which we can work from.

“So for that budget and by looking at the market, I thought that this was the right place to start with in Kent.”

The restaurant serves the infamous Samosa with either minced meat or spiced potatoes and peas. The menu also features chicken jalfrezi, butter chicken, chana masala, paneer tikka gravy and many more.

The main course prices range from £8 for the prawn garlic coriander to £14 for the lamb nihari. It also includes a kids menu, and desserts such as Gulab Jamun and Gjar Ka Halwa.

The venue is open from 11.30am until 2pm and from 5pm until 10pm between Tuesday and Thursday and Sunday. It is open from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm until 11pm on Friday and Saturday. It closed on Monday.

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