The Messy Chef in Southsea serves up handmade burgers and signature sauces in a welcoming environment

The Messy Chef, in Festing Road, first opened in 2022 and is the brainchild of Nur Ayman Aziz Fahad and Mine Sonam Rahman. The two friends did not have experience in the hospitality industry, but a passion for food saw them create their own signature homemade sauce that has kept Portsmouth diners coming back for more. The name of the restaurant is apt, with each dish given its helping of a molten cheese sauce that is sure to see you licking your fingers after each bite.

Alongside their signature homemade sauces, Sonam believes one of the crucial factors for repeat customers is the quality of their burgers. He said: "Our burgers are always made from fresh meat, a high standard 28 day matured halal beef which is 100% British. The meat is never frozen, the buns are never frozen. Our trick is we do not have a secret recipe, we just use the right amount of salt and pepper and very high quality British beef. All accompanied with our own recipes for sauces and our own recipe of molten cheese."

While good food is one key element to the restaurant, the environment is also important. When describing the culture of the restaurant Ayman is keen to emphasise that it is place for everyone to visit and to feel welcome. He said: "The vibe here is very casual, it's very friendly. Its not high dining, it's premium quality fast food where you get the highest quality fast food and the most friendly possible service. The staff will take care of you, every customer will be treated equally, everyone is welcome."

The restaurant is unique in a number of ways, its an American style restaurant with influences from around the world including Bangladesh. It also is unique in that it provides an option to have a pink bun with your burger which is used as a way to help support breast cancer research. Ayman said: "My grandmother passed away through breast cancer and its a cause I have always had a soft spot for. Sonam said why don't we do something about it. What about if we express it through our burgers and our food. We came up with the idea for the pink bun and £1 from every sale will go to Breast Cancer research and care. A lot of people have shown support for it and changed their buns to pink for any burger that they are having."

The large menu has a range of popular favourites for customers, but there some that stand out. Sonam said: "Our classic messy burger is one of the most popular at the moment, it has our signature classic sauce and comes with double patties. Our wings are also very popular, people love our wings, and they come in three different flavours, classic, hot and barbeque. Our loaded fries are also popular and quite different compared to how they're served elsewhere. What makes it different is our own homemade sauces and molten cheese, we do not use grated cheese we melt down the cheddar which is fresh and melted everyday."

Ayman and Sonam are still looking at new ways that they can share their passion for food with the people of Portsmouth. They have introduced a new breakfast menu for the weekends which you would struggle to find anywhere else in the area. Ayman said: "We have started serving a Messy breakfast, a Thali, the type of breakfast we had back home in Bangladesh, its very authentic and one of our national foods. Its a traditional Bengali breakfast."

While the Messy Chef continues to expand its menu, the popularity of its original dishes continue to draw in customers. As Ayman said, its not fine dining, but they know what they are and they are good at it.