Insider Media Limited

The Birmingham restaurateur behind the city centre's Lasan eatery has revealed his growth strategy to Insider on the back of his latest TV appearance. Aktar Islam, who appeared on the BBC's Great British Menu series, said he was "looking at options" including expanding within Birmingham and branching out into alternative types of cuisine.

Islam made his second high-profile TV appearance on the BBC series last weekend (5 June) after winning Gordon Ramsay's Channel 4 series The F Word last year.

He said: "Naturally, that level of primetime exposure is going to create a lot of interest in the restaurant – after we won The F Word last year, we had customers on a three-month waiting list for a table. I've already seen a huge peak in interest after the BBC show."

Islam said the team behind the Birmingham city centre restaurant was "constantly looking at new ways to grow the business".

He said: "We are looking into developing the brand and expanding by opening other Indian restaurants in the region – but we're also looking into the possibility of exploring new cuisine options. Our team here has a lot of experience with many different foods and cultures, which we could definitely draw on."

However, he said the brand has no immediate plans to move away from the West Midlands.

"Birmingham is our home, so it is an ideal place to grow in," said Islam. "A lot is happening in the city at the moment – it's really thriving and an exciting time to be here."

Islam added that he was not worried by the surge of restaurant chains setting up in the city. Celebrity chef Glynn Purnell at The Cube and chain Goucho Grill both recently announced they would be coming to Birmingham.

"We have a very unique product on offer," said Islam, whose diners include Canadian crooner Michael Bublé. "Our customers come back to us because they know we offer something different. We are in a great position to rival new restaurants opening up."

Islam admits that his TV appearances led to "publicity money couldn't buy".

"An opportunity like Great British Menu doesn't come along every day – someone approached me as they thought I'd do a good job, and I was thrilled to take part."

In the final of the series, Islam – along with three other chefs from across the UK – was responsible for one course of the Great British Menu after the finalists had been chosen.

He said his fish course was "a tough brief".

"We were catering for 100 people under very stressful conditions – I took elements of dishes I had created in the past, but the fish course was created for the programme. It was a great challenge," he said.

Islam said that over the next 12 months, the company would continue to grow.

"I can't take my eye off the ball – it's a very exciting time for us and we'll have some developments regarding the company's growth soon. We still have to look after number one at the end of the day, and that's Lasan – but we're confident we can grow and expand over the coming year."

Photo: Aktar Islam (far right) and the three other finalists at the Great British Menu street party. Photo courtesy of BBC/Optomen/Andrew Hayes-Watkins.