Born and raised in Birmingham by his Bangladeshi parents, Aktar was working in his father’s restaurant by thirteen and hasn’t left the kitchen since, cooking around the city and launching his first restaurant Karma at twenty-one. He doesn’t rose tint the early days, and initially found the industry difficult. ‘When I was starting out, because of the ethnic background I came from and lack of formal training opportunities in the better restaurants, those establishments often weren’t open to me,’ he says. It’s something he wants to make sure isn’t repeated; Opheem is known for having a young kitchen, welcoming new chefs without the experience that might be required elsewhere. ‘Opheem is about creating a space where young chefs and hospitality professionals can be the best they can be and have the support they need,’ he explains. ‘We are open to everyone, irrespective of their skill set and experience. We will take you in – there’s no prejudice here.’

That motivation is heightened by Aktar’s worries for the future of hospitality, and in particular whether there are enough keen young chefs coming up through the ranks. ‘It’s all about the legacy of the industry,’ he says. ‘We might have already had the golden years of hospitality in Britain – we need to ignite passion for the future.’ Opheem is, then, trying to be part of the solution. ‘That’s exactly what it is. I feel though I have invested in their lives, helped them out and been part of that legacy. I know there’s a problem and have been very vocal about it – problems are something we shouldn’t shy away from, but once you have identified them, you can change things. You can’t change the world, but you can change a little bit of it.’

The ultimate dream, of course, would be for those who train at Opheem to eventually settle and use their skills in Birmingham. Aktar is a keen advocate for the city (you can see his guide to his favourite spots here), its chefs and thriving food scene. Rather than finding a sense of identity as an Indian chef, Aktar is, he says, a Brummie chef who has put the work in to understand the Indian subcontinent's rich and varied cuisine, and how it has evolved over the last 2,000 years. That is what he feels sets Opheem apart. ‘My love of the food came from travel and research, I’ve had to research a lot more, it wasn’t given to me,’ he says. ‘It’s me doing it from an outsider’s perspective. That gives me a more holistic view, I don’t have any bias towards any region, just a love of flavours and an understanding and appreciation of what they do. The original flavours were handed down from my mum, but that’s a very small part of the food from that part of the world.’ 

The restaurant's progressive Indian food takes traditional recipes, gives them an entirely modern rethink and puts the British seasons at their centre. The menu tells diners both the original dish by which the course is inspired, as well as the region where it originates; a tandoori barbecue mutton rib pays homage to Kashmiri tabak maas, for example, while a monkfish dish with green bean compote, raw mango and coconut takes its cues from Kerala’s fish curries. Then there’s achaari Pink Fir potato with mango and tamarind, a unique, incredibly creative take on Delhi’s aloo tuk – there's sourness, heat and spice, and the contrasting textures of potatoes which have been water-bathed, grilled, deep-fried and turned into foam. It’s become Opheem’s signature ('we can't take it off the menu – people get really upset'), and sums up its ethos, 'We try to surprise people. We’ll build a dish around day-to-day ingredients that people probably wouldn’t celebrate in that way and make that the centrepiece.'

A lot has changed in the five years since Aktar's first star was awarded. Michelin inspectors described Opheem as ever-developing, and it has certainly been a period of change, most notably in the restaurant itself. ‘I look at how we were cooking five years ago and the experience then compared to today and it’s miles apart,’ Aktar says. A few years ago he ripped out the original kitchen, replacing it with a sleek, large open kitchen, and tore out the front of the building to create a new lounge for snacks and drinks before the main event. ‘I didn’t feel the bar we had represented the experience I wanted,’ he says. ‘The restaurant is my home and I wanted to reflect that experience; people having a few nibbles in the lounge before moving into the dining room. That hospitality is a big part of what we do. My mum is known for being a great, accommodating host and people come to her home to eat, and that’s always been a part of me.’

Aktar says there is a sense of poetry in Opheem becoming Birmingham’s first two-star restaurant. ‘It’s fitting that it comes from a restaurant that celebrates spice,’ he nods. ‘What is Birmingham known for? Our love of spice. People around the world will talk to you about Indian food because they know we are known for it.’ He’d love to bring a third star home one day, but says for the time being he's focused on the here and now. ‘The journey has always been to be the best we can be with the hope that we can be better tomorrow,’ he says. ‘It’s in our DNA to continue that journey. But I can tell you one thing for sure – we are nowhere near slowing down. We’re nowhere near finished.’