IN 1977 the Belash Tandoori Restaurant became the first Indian restaurant to open it doors and introduce Indian cuisine to the residents of Harlow.

Forty five years later the restaurant, situated in The Stow, is as popular as ever serving both in-house, take away and home deliveries.Now owned and run by the Miah family it was originally started by Ayub Miah and three business partners with Mr Miah taking sole control a few years later.

The restaurant is now managed by his son Shah who is supported by his brothers Sunny and Shafy with a loyal team of chefs and waiters. Hospitality is at the core of what they do, every visitor is greeted with a warm welcome and leaves feeling like a family friend.

Last Thursday they celebrated the 45 year milestone in style with a fabulous party.

A fantastic four course meal of delicious traditional dishes was specially prepared under the supervision of Rehana, the wife of Mr Miah Snr, and was enjoyed by a packed house of invited guests.

It wasn’t long before a celebratory chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ rang out from the guests, not only for the Belash but also for Rehana whose birthday was on the same day.

The meal was followed with entertainment provided by a Michael Jackson Tribute artiste who soon had everyone on their feet dancing the night away.

As the music died down and the guests started leaving, everyone agreed it had been a marvellous evening celebrating the success of the Belash with the Miah family and their wonderful restaurant team.

Congratulations to the Belash on serving the community for 45 years, here’s to many, many more!