A restaurant in Dagenham has been "overwhelmed" with the community's response to its reopening more than a year on from a devastating fire.
The Balti Cottage in Goresbrook Road was "ruined" in a blaze that broke out on March 19 last year.
The restaurant, a long-standing fixture in the community since 1995, closed for a year and three months whilst repair works were ongoing and it finally welcomed diners again on June 21.
Raju Aziz, son of owner Abdul, told this paper that the blaze began when his father was doing prep work before opening the restaurant.
"He was frying some things on the gas cooker and he then went to the wholesalers to buy some bits but he forgot to turn off the gas," Raju said.
“He then left and he started getting calls from his neighbours who told him the restaurant was on fire.
“The fire brigade got there before he did and that was it - the whole kitchen was damaged by the fire.
“And there was smoke damage and water damage – everything was ruined."
The blaze left the kitchen, storage room, and part of the restaurant and buffet seating area unusable.
“Honestly, my dad’s been in shock ever since," Raju said.
“He’s worked his whole life since 1995 to build a customer base and then once the restaurant was gone, people end up trying other places and preferring them and he might have lost customers.
“He probably did lose customers but we’re going to rebuild again.
“He’s so happy now that we’re finally open because it’s been such a long process."
Raju said the decision to reopen the restaurant on June 21 was a "last-minute" one but he identified the opportunity to reopen on Father's Day as the best possible gift for his dad.
"I wanted to make sure my dad was happy on Father’s Day so I did an all-nighter, got the staff in to help throughout the night and we managed to open for Father’s Day," he said.
“The smile on his face after a year and three months was amazing.
“He was suited and booted and so excited – you could see it in his face.
“We were all overwhelmed."
Raju was unsure how many customers would turn up on the reopening day, especially with it being late notice on Father's Day but he said it was a "good turnout" in the end.
He said: “We weren’t sure the customers would come back straight away but as soon as they heard, they probably cancelled other reservations and came to see dad.
“We’ve got a very close relationship with the community – everyone knows my dad and they’re always asking how he’s doing."
Raju and Abdul are particularly proud of the fact they have been able to retain "affordable" prices for their buffet, despite being out of business for more than a year.
“People were shocked when they came in to see that our prices were still so cheap," Raju said.
“Some restaurants have buffets for £25-£30 but we don’t want to do anything like that because we want to keep it as cheap as possible.
“With the current economy and everything going on, we don’t want to increase the price.
“The profit margin is small but dad wants to keep it affordable."
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