1994 Shams got featured in a short animation film Sweet & Spicy made by motiroti for Carlton TV. The film exposed fictionalisation of ‘authentic Indian cuisine’, catering predominantly to office workers from the city who wanted to eat cheap, eat exotic and quench vindaloo fire with chilled beers. A year later, again with Ali Zaidi of motiroti, Shams took part in an arts project called The Seed The Root, in which he and his family, served home cooked food as opposed to the usual menu catering to the British taste. The Bangladeshi vegetables and fish were around in the local shops but not served to general public. Audiences debated questions of assimilation and authenticity, encouraging him to extend the menu. In 1996 he started The Famous Curry Bazar and soon set up Café Bangla. Thanks to the collaboration with Ali, and encouragement of audiences, he denounced ‘ authentic Indian', and was the first to proclaim Bangladeshi cuisine. Almost a decade later, in his footsteps most of the restaurants on Brick Lane now proudly declaim themselves to be serving Bangladeshi cuisine. In 2001 he moved to the present day premises and Monsoon was born. It has expanded vertically and continues to tickle tastebuds longitudinally and latitudinally