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The 14th Annual Seahaven Business Awards was a very special night for the Bengal Palace Restaurant in Seaford. We had been overwhelmed with our customers support and 200 testimonials which spoke so highly about our Bengali and Indian cuisine and our personal service.

I arrived, with my wife Rheea, and we were warmly welcomed by the President of Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, Annie Lorys and their committee members. We joined dozens of other local businesses for reception drinks and mingled with VIPs from Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven, MP Maria Caulfield, Presidents of the towns’ Chambers of Commerce and the local Mayors. We were both quite nervous as we had not attended the awards evening before but everyone was so kind and friendly, we relaxed and joined other nominated businesses at our table before the arrival of the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex was announced.

Following a delicious three course meal the ceremony got under way with speeches, nominations and prize-giving. As the nominations were called out for the Best Eatery, we really didn’t have any idea that we might be the winners. I couldn’t believe the applause when they called out our name as winners and proudly walked up to accept the trophy from sponsors Fundraising Auctions.

What an evening. It was fantastic and we shared our good fortune with other prize-winning businesses on the table.

We are delighted to have won the award and are very proud of our hard-working staff and family members who have all contributed to us winning this trophy. I thank them all whole-heartedly and know that we are very lucky to have so many customers and regular dinners who enjoy our innovative dishes, support our business and also recommend us. Without our fantastic customers, this would not have been possible. Thank you all so very much.

Award winners from the night are pictured below with the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Peter Field and His Excellence the Ambassador of Vietnam and his wife.

‘Serving up exquisite culinary delights is one of life’s great pleasures,’ said Eleas Hussain, owner of the Bengal Palace restaurant in Seaford. The Hussain family have been part of the community since 1987 and Eleas and his wife Reea, have brought up their children as part of the local community. Their grandchildren, in particular, are very excited about the Bengal Palace’s big birthday.

Eleas said, ‘My father and uncle first introduced the exciting tastes of our traditional Bengali cuisine to Manchester in a restaurant called Chittagong in 1958. In 1970, the family moved from Salford to Belsize Park, Hampstead and opened Curry Manzil. I was always inspired by the exciting and traditional dishes that were conjured up in our family kitchens and I was determined to open my own restaurant one day.’

Aged 19, and with his father and brother,  Eleas opened his first eatery, Jamuna, in Gravesend, Kent. ‘I think I was probably the youngest Indian restauranteur in the country at that time. I moved from Jamuna to the Swan Tandoori, in the Drive, Hove and later opened the Bengal Spice in Eastbourne. Our move to Seaford was a good choice as was the opening the Bengal Palace Restaurant in Church Street, which has always been our pride and joy.’

If you’ve dined there, you may have tasted some of the innovative regional recipes from their Adventure in Taste menu, which is truly food-inspired.

Refining traditional recipes and adapting them to contemporary Indian dishes has been one of the keys to the family’s success over the years with the other being their outstanding customer service. Their standards certainly came to light recently when they decided to enter the Seahaven Busines Awards for the Best Eatery and, in no time at all, they were overwhelmed with testimonials from their customers.

Traditional recipes from the Indian continent are varied and exciting and India offers familiar favourites such as rogan josh and chicken tikka masala, but at the Bengal Palace, you can find so much more to entice your palate. Not all Indian food is spicy. Fresh ground, roasted and whole spices are common and chilli, is not always needed. Taste buds frequently enjoy milder delights and diners are treated to cumin, ginger, fenugreek, coriander and other aromatic spices and herbs. The dishes are sometimes cooked in the tandoori or slow cooked but are always fresh and enticing with tastes that explode and delight.

‘We shall be celebrating our 30 years in Seaford from Wednesday 5 April, starting with a special evening event at the Bengal Palace with VIP guests including the Mayor of Seaford, Lindsay Freeman. The month of celebrations will also include special offers to customers who book tables in advance to celebrate the 30th anniversary. 

January is often a strange month in the restaurant business but we have been very fortunate in receiving some excellent comments on Trip Advisor this month. 

We are very lucky to have such a wonderful army of regular diners and we especially enjoy meeting new customers who drop by to sample our innovative Bangladeshi cuisine. We had a charming couple in last week who wrote ‘Went for dinner on Monday night, enjoyed it so we went back on Wednesday. Will return again – all good, service great.’ Written by a level 6 contributor, all the way from Maidenhead, we were delighted.

It is really good for all of us, at the Bengal Palace, to read the feedback as we continuously strive to offer an exceptional dining experience, superb food and a first class service. Three weeks ago, a review entitled ‘Brilliant flavours and inspiring menu, this is a real curry house’ warmed our hearts and inspires our chefs to conjure up the full flavours from our traditional menus and serve them with pride.

We offer two menus at the Bengal Palace, one is a classic Indian menu with kormas, masalas, balti and pathia dishes and the other is much more adventurous. Our Xacuti dishes enjoy roasted star aniseed, javitri and fenugreek seeds with special Goan red chillies, coconut and cinnamon; favourite starters such as the Malai Murgh Tikka, is specially selected char-grilled chicken and cottage cheese marinated in yoghurt and garlic, ginger paste and green cardamon javitri powder; for fish lovers, we offer a delicious Seafood Moilee which is a mild Keralan curry using fresh hand-picked white crab meat, king prawns, mussels, monkfish, squid and coconut milk or a Salmon Moilee.

If we have whetted your appetite do come and try some of our exclusive Adventure in Taste dishes and, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Colours of the world – spice up your life’, well known lyrics of the Spice Girls’ 1997 hit single sums up many a special celebration at the Bengal Palace in Seaford.

Beautifully prepared exotic and fragrant dishes, in all the colours of the world, are just the perfect answer to a special anniversary or birthday. Whether a small family party, an intimate dinner for two or a group of friends, there is something for everyone from the restaurant’s varied menus of over 100 different Indian dishes.

Let your imagination run wild and order a stunning selection of starters that would grace the tables of the rich and famous.

Spicy hot balls of white fish (Kola) deep fried in a delicate batter and served with a gorgeous chutney; strips of calamari (Balchao) stir fried with a sour Goan sauce; Mysore Chilli Prawns, lightly battered prawn pieces tossed with spring onions, tomatoes and green chilli.

Your main courses could comprise a meat or vegetarian Thali, served on Indian Silver; the sizzling Kadhai lamb with tenderised chops or Duck Xacuti, slices of duck in a classic full flavoured spicy curry with roasted star aniseed, javitri and fenugreek seeds with special Goan red chillies, coconut and cinnamon.

There are many more ideas on the Adventure in Taste menu or, book a table, and come and see for yourself.

Many of the dishes available on the special Adventure in Taste menu have been inspired by the produce and traditional cooking methods of Bangladesh, a country of around 700 rivers and great beauty. There is a fascinating history and every river has a story. Amongst the lush countryside and paddy fields the people and their traditions are as vibrant and colourful as their wildlife and countryside.

This land of water, rivers, sea and rain, is exceptionally green and very beautiful. It does however experience the problems of climate change with rising river levels from the melting glaciers of the Himalayas, monsoons and frequent floods. The agriculture is important and with the floods the mountains wash down the rich silt to replenish deposits for another round of crops.

Over the past few years the United Nations have been working with the government to manage natural resources with better water management and crops resistant to climate change. This had lead to increased fish stock, floating gardens, more abundant crops for local markets improving livelihoods and incomes so that children can go to school.

If we have tempted you with our tales of Bangladesh natural resources, please ask for the Adventure in Taste menu when you next visit.