Heavenly fare at Bengal Paradise

 On the A1000 somewhere between Potters Bar and Hatfield, earth bound diners can find a taste of heaven. Bengal Paradise Indian restaurant is situated in the midst of sublime Herefordshire countryside with panoramic views over a pastoral idyll complete with grazing cattle, woods and greenery. The venue lives up to its name. With a cool, whitewashed exterior, the frontage looks almost tropical with exotic palm trees, lush plants and water features. Even the striking stainless steel sculpture: a bending coconut palm complete with coconut, suggests forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden.

Arriving on a quiet Sunday lunchtime, the atmosphere is so peaceful we instantly feel the outside world and all its pressures slip away.  We take a seat in the comfortable waiting area at the bar as members of staff go quietly about their business preparing for the evening onset of customers. Our sense of relaxation only increases as co-partner Shahin Ansar Ali arrives and tells us to chill out, take our time and … enjoy. Shahin should seriously consider another career as a hypnotherapist; by the end of our three hour gastronomic session, his calming influence leaves us so relaxed we’re almost sliding off our luxurious leather chairs like two blobs of mellifluous jelly.

But perhaps Shahin should hold off the second career as he is doing just fine in his current role of master chef extraordinaire. He and his business partner Shiraz Miah (Raj) took over the premises of former Italian restaurant, Villa Rosa, just eight years ago and business has, if you’ll pardon the pun, gone skywards. 

The 100-seat plus restaurant caters for a mature and affluent clientele. With customers numbering several directors of Arsenal football team and a sprinkling of stockbrokers, Hatfield could be described as a catchment area for the well heeled and famous and the interior of the restaurant reflects this. Light, bright and airy, witty touches lift the décor from blandness – pastel colours contrast with large, chocolate, shell-shaped booths, beige, tan and rust coloured seats. Sixties style bucket seats and cheeky pop art orange seating is counter balanced by classy and elegant table settings. A conservatory area with a circular table under the octagonal skylight is especially popular with customers who vie for a seat by the windows, overlooking the acres of surrounding land owned by the Royal Veterinary College.

Shahin who lives in Stratford, has been working in the restaurant trade since 1987. None of his close family was in the restaurant business, although he did have two cousins in the trade. After working in East London, Wembley and then Kent Shah’s entrepreneurial spirit took over. “I knew I had to open a restaurant,” he said. “It was something that automatically came into my mind because I knew I could do anything I wanted in my own kitchen and, once I had gained the experience, I was confident enough to make my own mark.” Hertfordshire was a very good area for Indian restaurants with several iconic establishments in the area breeding a higher standard of cuisine than elsewhere. Shah had already run two businesses when, out of the blue, he received a call from former colleague Raj, who suggested taking on the former Villa Rosa. “This was a big gamble,” says Shah. “After his call, I left my other business to open the restaurant. Many people said it was a ghost town and that we could only survive six months but now we’ve been here for eight years.”

It was true that in the early days, the restaurant posed a bit of a challenge. In the middle of nowhere, it was run down outside, although the on-site parking was a definite plus. However, the new venture had a considerable asset in the form of Raj, a popular local with a reputation for good cuisine that preceded him.  With Shahin’s unique culinary talent and some well placed marketing, things began to take off.

“The way we did food was different,” explained Shah. “We make our own spice blends; we use good quality produce and mix our own spices and herbs which creates our distinctive flavour. We get supplies locally and support the local farmers.”  The restaurant even has its own vegetable patch with fresh herbs and oregano and tomatoes are grown. 

Now, with a star studded clientele ranging from David and Victoria Beckham (Victoria’s family lives nearby) to SimonCowell, Simon Pegg and the entire ensemble of JLS, the considerate approach of staff and customers at Bengal Paradise has turned it into something of a refuge for celebrities.

Disappointingly, Beckham is in Paris at the moment so we can’t look forward to him making a sudden appearance. But, never mind - Shahin repairs to the kitchen to personally imagine, concoct and create our meal from what he calls his “brain menu” as opposed to the one printed out in front of us. Already familiar with Shah’s cooking from the Taste of Britain Festival in Slovenia, we know that he is one of the best chefs we have had the pleasure to meet, but we can’t wait to see what he has to offer.

True to form, our starters arrive with Michelin style presentation: Shahin’s special pickles of Mango, coriander and Tamarind are fresh and delicious. We have Monk fish on a pea puree with yoghurt lamb on the bone and steamed king prawn with a coriander and homemade yoghurt and garlic sauce, also a spiced potato cutlet and artily placed vegetable spring roll. Shahin believes that first impressions are important and the number one rule is that a dish has to look good. He certainly has an artistic flair but that comes second only to the quality of the food. 

Our main courses of Bengal Supreme piece of chicken stuffed with minced lamb, garlic, ginger and royal cumin on a bed of chick peas, plus Salmon Makhoni, marinated in yoghurt, served with melted cheese and cream and a special concoction of pilau rice.  Nan breads are delicately sized, light and fluffy, rather than the usual size 10 sandal shaped pancakes of bread which are usually left finished. A full range of freshly cooked, homemade desserts is available and the pistachio kulfi icecream was one of the best in Curry Life history.

If we hadn’t partaken of the food from Shahin’s “brain menu” the table menu for diners at Bengal Paradise offers an exciting mix of old favourites and specialities. Duck Shashlik with green and red peppers, tomatoes & onions barbequed in the tandoor sounded tempting as did the Shorisha mix of assorted seafood cooked with mustard seed, fresh garlic and ginger or the fresh Tandoori trout. With a well established Five Star status for food and hygiene, and a wall full of press recommendations, the quality cuisine speaks for itself.

Live entertainment takes place around once a month with Bollywood nights or Jazz music. Shah tells us that he doesn’t usually charge customers for the music as the event itself pulls in extra customers. One thing Shahin likes to do is communicate customers and if he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find him mingling with guests, listening to their feedback.  “If diners haven’t seen me for a while, they’ll sometimes start texting me to ask where I am,” he laughs.  In fact they’ve even been known to drag him on to the dance floor.

For us, the thought of energetic manoeuvres is vaguely disturbing. Because in the midst of green and pleasant land and after such a meal, we’re feeling distinctly mellow – in fact you could even say we’ve been transported to Paradise.

Bengal Paradise, 3 Great North Road, Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 6LB  Tel: 01707 651444

Shahin Ali (3rd left) with (from left to right) Mo Gherras and Dominic Chapman of Royal Oak Paley Street and Atul Kochhar of Benares