Bangla Spice
Restaurant brings new taste of spice to town
A new family-owned restaurant is now open in Church Street with stylish modern décor and Bangladeshi food. It is the brainchild of Mohammed Ahmed and his brother Sayheed and aims to bring a new taste to the ever-growing restaurant culture of Stornoway.
Bangla Spice has taken four years to come to fruition from when the building, on the corner of Church Street and Keith Street, was bought and a vast amount of building work had to be done within the existing walls to create the new restaurant with its purpose-built kitchen, bar/reception area and restfully decorated eating area. Designed with wide, deep windows on to the street, allowing the maximum amount of natural light to flood in, the restaurant can seat 44 people at once.
Bangla Spice opened without a major fanfare on Monday March 22, allowing the staff to get used to the new equipment and layout without too great a pressure from the public.
Nonetheless, the restaurant, which also operates a takeaway service, has already seen people flooding in from the very first minutes it was officially open. Its location with easy nearby parking in Keith Street means it is easy to get to and well-located to pick up passing trade.
Mohammed is well-known as he has managed the Stornoway Balti House for several years. He has been involved in catering and cooking for more than a decade after originally doing accountancy training. But the new venture is entirely separate from the Balti House with a cuisine centred on the flavours and spices of Bangladesh which Mohammed has been studying over the years.
At present there are six people working in Bangla Spice, which is open for lunches as well as evening meals. However, they may soon be looking for an additional part-time worker as a waiter/waitress or barperson.
Last orders for takeaways are at 10.45pm, but the last orders for sit-down meals must be taken by 10.15pm. The restaurant is adhering to traditional Stornoway hours, being open on six days and closed on Sunday.
Mohammed himself is the main chef at Bangla Spice at the moment with brother Sayheed dealing with the front-of-house and administration issues.
The brothers are looking forward to the summer and the chance to show off their new restaurant which, although it is built within an older building, is a rarity in Stornoway – a restaurant planned and built from the outset to work effectively as a place for people to eat in comfort and with enjoyment. “We want to bring a new taste and a new style to eating out in Stornoway,” Mohammed says.
Contact
Tel: 01851 700418 / 701118
