Whitechapel’s Tayyabs reopens after immigration raid

There were a few fraught days this week for fans of Whitechapel’s Tayyabs as the Pakistani restaurant was closed by immigration officials. “It’s a crime against chops”, the Twittersphere declared on 29 August when a closure notice was posted in the famous East End venue’s window.

But fear not! Tayyabs is open again and its head chef Wasim Tayyab has told Harden’s that they will be very careful about who they employ in the future. Five members of staff were detained by immigration officials this week and will be deported after it was discovered their student visas did not give them the right to work in the UK. A sixth worker must report regularly to Immigration Enforcement. The restaurant was slapped with a 48 hour closure, but was trading again on 31 August.

Tayyabs has been dishing up its “to-die-for”tandoori lamb chops, kebabs and curries since 1972, and although geographically close this restaurant is “a world apart from the sorry food culture of nearby Brick Lane”. So it’s good to see them open again. Tayyabs has also been nominated for London’s Top Cheap Eat at the forthcoming Harden’s London Restaurant Awards, which takes place on 11 September.

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