My Nawaab in Levenshulme. Image by Six57

Restaurant offers free meal to diners with same name as ‘icons’

An acclaimed restaurant has promised free meals to people sharing their first name with people it considers to be ‘Real Manchester Icons’. 

My Nawaab in Levenshulme will celebrate the achievements of non-celebrity Mancunians this week, including an NHS worker, an anti-knife crime campaigner and university lecturer. 

Bosses at the restaurant chose five unsung Mancunian heroes to honour: 

Anjum Malik is a TV and radio scriptwriter, author and poet, who teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

Binita Kane works as an NHS respiratory consultant and heads South Asian Heritage Month in the UK. 

Jeannine Burke runs schemes to help prevent youth crime in the city after her son Ty’rellé died from stab wounds in 2019. 

Lubna Tahir from Harpurhey is a community art tutor and cultural events organiser, following in the footsteps of her dad and grandad. 

Shakar Hussain founded Homeless Aid Manchester UK after his experience of sleeping rough in Piccadilly Gardens as a young man. 

Anjum, who is no stranger to ruffling traditional feathers with her food poetry, told Six57: “To be called an icon is super special because I’ve caused loads of trouble and upset lots of people. 

“Anjum will be an interesting one because it can be a boys’ name or a girls’ name. When I was younger it was mostly a man’s name and people often thought I’d be a man when I showed up to do a reading. 

“I’ve met a few women called Anjum now, but I never met any back then, and I don’t know if my mum and dad were expecting a boy when I turned up and went ‘surprise!’. 

“I’m from a northern Pakistani background, so we eat loads of meat. We love lamb, chicken and fish and my food tastes are probably just like my ancestors: anything lamb, slowly cooked or tandooried is wonderful. 

“I did some work at school in Levenshume for a few weeks. I’d wander down to the High Street for lunch, but it didn’t matter where you’d go because the food was amazing everywhere.” 

“It’s very sweet of them [at My Nawaab], and I’m looking forward to going around for dinner.” 

Anjum Malik. Image: MMU
Anjum Malik. Image: MMU

The head chef of My Nawaab, Shama Rahman, said: “Manchester has always been about more than music or football – it’s about people.  

“This city is built on everyday heroes, people who campaign, care, create and support others. We recognise the Gallagher brothers are iconic, but Real Manchester Icons Week is about turning the spotlight on the unsung stars who truly make the city special. 

“The real icons of this city are those who serve their communities, lift others up and fight for change.  

“And if you happen to share their name? Well, dinner is on us!” 

The offer runs from Monday July 14 to Thursday July 17 and is redeemable by emailing PR@mynawaab.com. It is only valid to the first three people claiming each name. 

The Royal Nawaab first took over the former Regal Cinema building in 2002, with a short stint as Merzee between 2022 and 2024 before becoming My Nawaab. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top