The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Qismat is still a top curry house with its recipe for success
If you’re looking for a delicious Indian meal on Elgin High Street, chances are Qismat has been near the top of that list for nearly 40 years now.
Today the restaurant is firmly a town centre fixture and a go-to destination that diners travel hours especially for.
The Qismat experience in 2024 is very different from the one that first arrived on Elgin High Street in 1987 though.
Curry tastes have grown more adventurous and the trade they rely on has shifted almost beyond recognition.
The Press and Journal sat down with Qismat founder Liaqat Ali and son Atif Ali, who now manages the Elgin restaurant, about what has been its recipe for High Street success.
Including what Qismat’s initial success was based on. The ways Elgin High Street has changed since the late 1980s. Why diners will travel hours just for their Qismat fix. And how this Indian restaurant keeps changing to stay on top on Elgin High Street.
Qismat founder Liaqat Ali was born in Pakistan but moved to Scotland with his father in 1978 when he was still a teenager.
Originally working on Glasgow’s “Curry Mile”, he made his name working in the Shalimar restaurant where he was promoted to head chef just a year after joining as a trainee.
After running his own business in Saltcoats for two years, he sold up in 1986 and thought long and hard where to open his next business. Liaqat scoured the country for the perfect location, settling on Moray’s largest community.
But what was it that made the businessman take a punt on a town more than 200 miles away from where he had been.
Liaqat said: “I was looking around for where to open and I saw there were two RAF bases near Elgin and all the distilleries.
“So I thought we could do business here. There were two other Indian restaurants in Elgin at the time, both of those have disappeared now though.”
In the early days, Qismat’s peak hours came late in the night as punters spilled out of Elgin’s pubs and clubs. Although there was a steady stream of trade during the day, it was only when it got dark that the heat was turned up.
Liaqat said: “It was heaving in those days. During the day you’d be steady, but at midnight you’d suddenly be full.
“The pubs and Joanna’s nightclub closed at 11.30pm. By 11.45pm the restaurant was full and we’d have to lock the door.”
Like most towns, Elgin High Street has changed almost beyond recognition since those busy nights in Qismat in the 1980s.
The town centre has been pedestrianised, online shopping has become second nature and there is less of a drinking culture.
Liaqat added: “Town used to be very busy. There were big stores. The High Street would be mobbed.
“It’s very different now. Retail parks has been the big difference. We’re lucky though, we’ve been here a long time, still doing okay.”
Atif added: “People know where we are because we have been here so long, so the changes on the High Street affect us less.
“If a cafe or restaurant opened next door to us now they would struggle, but people know where we are and want to come to us.”
Since those early days, Qismat has always been working to stay on top on Elgin High Street.
Whether it’s introducing Monday buffet nights to turn quiet evenings into appointment dining, or innovating in the kitchen, the hard work never stops.
Buffet nights have been paused following a major refurbishment but will be back.
The latest project at the restaurant has pushed up the seating capacity in Qismat to 100, compared to 70 when it first opened.
Liaqat said: “We used to have a refurbishment every three years, just to freshen up the carpets and decorations. With Covid it’s been a bit longer, but it was the right time now.
“It’s important to give people something slightly different when they walk through the door. It keeps things fresh for them.”
The Press and Journal visited Qismat on a Friday lunchtime, arriving just before the doors opened.
Within minutes a steady stream of people started coming through the door. Liaqat and the customers greet each other with familiar smiles.
He tells The Press and Journal: “This couple travel from Aberdeen every two weeks on a Friday, they’ve been doing it for years.”
He adds that other regulars will travel from the Central Belt specifically for their Qismat fix.
Atif added: “We have customers that have become friends, just because they’ve been having lunch at the same time for years and keep seeing each other.”
Every community has its own top Indian restaurant, so what makes Qismat special enough for diners to make a long journey?
Liaqat said: “We make an effort to give them a nice welcome and to welcome them back every time.
“People like it. We have so many friends from regulars who have come in over the years.”
Atif agrees, adding: “It’s no secret. People come for good service and good food.”
Since Qismat opened in the 1980s, it has been very much a family affair.
It’s what Liaqat credits for delivering the consistent flavours Elgin diners have grown to love over the decades instead of relying on an ever-changing cast of third-party chefs.
Liaqat’s brother, Shaukat Ali, was head chef until he tragically died in a car accident while visiting family in Pakistan in 2004. The duo were also joined by a third brother, Mubarik.
Over the years the Qismat menu has changed considerably, a move Liaqat says is down to diners becoming more adventurous in their tastes.
Liaqat said: “In the ‘80s and ‘90s people wanted plain chicken curries, maybe with mushroom, maybe a chicken bhuna.
“We invented a few new curries and people really liked them. People used to come from Glasgow to get recipes from us.”