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Ireland's biggest restaurant opens in Belfast
Thursday, 5 November 2009
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Owner Nigel Rahman (pictured right) from the Bengal Brasserie in Belfast celebrating the opening of Ireland's largest restaurant on Belfast's Lisburn Road with dancer Laxshmi Kashyap.
The 2,000 square foot Bengal Brasserie on the Lisburn Road has created 60 full and part-time jobs.
Owner Nigel Rahman said the restaurant represented a £2m investment in the city.
Mr Rahman (33) moved to Belfast from Bangladesh around 15 years ago with the ability to speak little or no English. However he didn't let that hold him back.
He worked in the Ormeau Road Bengal Brasserie, then owned by his cousin, before taking it over for himself around seven years ago.
The Bengal Brasserie Group also operates Indian bistro Cafe Naz and takeaway Zeera, also on the Ormeau Road -- and there are also plans to open a business in Newcastle, Co Down.
Business partner Paul Blythe said he and Mr Rahman have been planning the Lisburn Road restaurant for 11 months. "It will be significantly different from the Ormeau Road Bengal Brasserie, with more space. We don't want to put people under table pressure and we never have two sittings.
"But Bengal Brasserie on Ormeau Road will always be number one in Nigel's heart because he worked so hard to achieve it. When he came over here his pockets were empty and he has worked extremely hard to make it what it is today."
Mr Rahman said: "We are committed to re-investing within the city to bring another imaginative cooking style to the Lisburn Road.
"The Bengal will offer a distinctive dining experience for food lovers as well as state-of-the-art business and conferencing facilities for more than 60 people."
He said the restaurant would be a venue for business meetings in impressive surroundings, as it is fitted with plasma screens and wi-fi facilities.
Mr Rahman, who has bought statues for the restaurant in Bangladesh, said the interiors combine "vibrant Indian street scenes with ultra modern design.
"Customers will experience a warm ambience that reflects the spices of Indian cooking and they can also expect a few surprises when they visit."
The restaurant features black tea houses for private dining, a balcony, fibre-optic lighting and a white bar.
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good luck with your new venture nigel,i have always loved your food and anyone who likes indian food should try the bengal,indian food at its best.
Posted by steve | 14.11.09, 09:00 GMT
Great article on Lisburn road Bengal Brasserie but not a phone number on this or any other site on the net. How can I book a table?
How can a tourist book a table?
Please - somebody sort it yesterday.
Ed
Posted by Ed Ewing | 12.11.09, 20:22 GMT
is it Ireland, Northern Ireland or Uk! who cares, move on u morons....
Posted by moron spotter | 11.11.09, 14:12 GMT
@ Sinead.
Ireland is the official name of the 26 counties. The Republic of Ireland is the description of it.
The soccer team is referred to as the Republic of Ireland due to a FIFA ruling that neither the FAI or IFA could call their team Ireland.
Ireland is both a country and an island, and yet according to international law, the two do not cover the same area.
@ True Blue
The clown that argues that Belfast is not in Ireland is not wise. He needs to get a map and look at the artificially added border. A line on a bit of paper does not divide an island and this island was referred to as Ireland long before Norman conquerors arrived here. Do you have a new name to refer to this island then? Or would you like to go back to it being called Hibernia?
Posted by Phil | 10.11.09, 12:01 GMT
To Patrick, one could hardly call McDonalds a restaurant. To True Blue, I thought Belfast was in Northern IRELAND or is your geography and bad as your bigotry.
Posted by dave | 10.11.09, 06:14 GMT
True Blue, why mention???
It is in Ireland, just the portion of Ireland that is part of the UK... Politics need not come into this...
Ireland is an Island, not a country!! Republic of Ireland is the country, however often shortened to just Ireland.
Posted by Sinead | 09.11.09, 17:16 GMT
So True Blue, do we live in Northern UK or Northern IRELAND
Posted by John | 09.11.09, 15:47 GMT
Gone are the days of "Greasy Martin's" chippie in Donnybrook Street, where the owner with his fag and 4" of hanging ash served you a tanners worth of chips and a rissole, wrapped in a wee piece of the "Tele" and you were a "Happy as Larry" with two "d" change from a "Bob"
Posted by Ulsterman | 07.11.09, 11:47 GMT
Big mistake, it's not in ireland it's in the UK!
Posted by True Blue | 06.11.09, 18:13 GMT
Sounds great, I will be a customer - I adore Indian cuisine! good luck to this man and his staff, it is fantastic to see such enterprise in Northern Ireland and may it continue.
Posted by Merry | 06.11.09, 08:00 GMT
Ireland's biggest restaurant opens in Belfast
The 2,000 square foot Bengal Brasserie
Some body better have a look at the sums here. The average Mc Donalds is 2000 sqft
Posted by Patrick | 05.11.09, 16:45 GMT
looks great!
Posted by Catherine | 05.11.09, 13:48 GMT
What is a 'white bar'? Just a bar painted white?
Posted by WH | 05.11.09, 13:44 GMT
An excellent bit of positive news amid the usual depressing stuff from NI. Well done, to the entrepreneurial Mr Rahman. I hope his new restaurant is a resounding success. He should be an inspiration to the rest of us to quit with the sectarianism and focus on rebuilding our private sector industries. He deserves to be on the board of the Chamber of Commerce etc.
Posted by Tom | 05.11.09, 13:41 GMT
wonderfull news and good luck to the owners - will the swish family robinson be regulars .... is it true they enjoy eating out?
Posted by michael donaldson | 05.11.09, 12:49 GMT