TWO friends have fulfilled a long-time fantasy by starting a business together.

Boom! Bird in Brighton’s St James’s Street promises to deliver fresh and fiery food with plenty of personality.

Mohammad Enam and his friend of 14 years Sayeed Rahman opened the doors to their new venture last Wednesday and have already won customers over with their home-made sauces and unique approach.

The 30-year-old said they had been helped by their prime location, just metres from Old Steine.

He said: “We have not advertised much since we opened but because St James’s Street is always busy we have had a lot of customers come in and a lot of repeat customers too, which is a really good thing.

“We chose this street because of the footfall, you have got a supermarket and a bus stop nearby, there are a lot of people here and we get noticed.

“This feels like the heart of the city.

“There is a great mix of people and, if you can offer them something different and quirky, you can be a success.”

But opening in the busy street does pose its challenges.

Mohammad said: “There is a lot of competition in Brighton, especially in this area, so we chose a colour scheme which is vibrant and popping, something unique which stands out.”

This is not the only way he hopes the takeaway will stand out from others in the city.

Fresh food is delivered each day and cooked to order, while the business make their own sauces and toss wings in these after cooking them.

After all “you can really tell the difference between biting into a fresh chicken burger and biting into one that has been cooked from frozen”, Mohammad said.

“There are a lot of basic chicken shops out there. We are offering fresh food and a different style of menu.

“We want to bring our customers into the store by giving them something that is not being done by others.

“We take what is out there already and put our own twist on it.”

The heralded home-made sauces include sriracha, ghost chilli, traditional barbecue and lemon garlic parmesan – “something for everyone”.

Mohammad said: “At most other shops, the wings are a side, we are taking a different approach, for us they are a main.”

But the store’s menu does not end there.

It also includes a range of chicken, beef and meatless burgers, topped fries, halloumi sticks and more.

This is not Mohammad’s first time working in the catering industry and by opening up this takeaway he is following in his father’s footsteps.

As a youngster, he would work alongside his dad at his Indian takeaway, Raja’s Tandoori, in Elm Grove, Brighton, in the 1990s.

Since then he has gone on to work in and manage a range of restaurants for the last decade, but knew he wanted more from the industry.

He said: “My dad taught me some of the tricks of the trade and so I knew that owning a takeaway was something I wanted to do.”

The venue’s opening also marks the shared realisation of him and his friend Sayeed.

Mohammad said: “We have been friends for 14 years and there have always been discussions about starting our own business together.

“But obviously you need time and money to do it.

“So we worked hard and saved up to get the money we needed.”

The pair now hope to develop the business further, launching on Just Eat and Deliveroo on Tuesday.