‘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.