This month marks the second anniversary of Mehdi Indian restaurant in Camberley – and there is lots to celebrate.
Co-owner Rezaul Laskar had already done his homework before opening the restaurant in Heather-side’s Heather Ridge Arcade in February 2015, so he was confident it would be well received.
Mr Laskar has been in the restaurant business for 18 years and has already made a success of Ashuka Tandoori in Guildford with his business partner, Shah Mahmud.
However, he said he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from Heatherside residents since Mehdi’s opening night, so much so that repeat visitors make up around two-thirds of his custom.
“When this place came on the market, we did a survey asking local people whether they wanted an Indian restaurant here,” he said.
“We had a great response and I knew there was a lot of potential. People have been behind us from the beginning.
“They’ve always appreciated the effort we go to and we very much appreciate them. I like to chat to customers and I can name at least 300 of our regulars.
“I love Heatherside and the people here. It’s not like running a restaurant on a high street. Here, customers will come in twice each week and there’s more of a family feel.”
Mehdi has quickly become a part of the community, helped by its sponsorship of Deepcut Football Club’s senior and junior teams for the last two seasons.
The restaurant regularly contributes towards events at Heather Ridge Infant School and last year raised £1,600 for Cancer Research by hosting fundraising dinners.
Mr Laskar explained the menu at Mehdi has influe-nces from across the Indian sub-continent. For example, he buys a certain type of lemon only available in Bangladesh to create a dish from that region, Chicken Shatkori.
He also finds inspiration much closer to home and recently went on a research trip around the Indian restaurants of Manchester to perfect a recipe for Lahiri King Prawn.
Among the most popular dishes at Mehdi are the Goan Chilli King Prawn, Lamb Shank and Chicken Karahi.
Mr Laskar’s favourite meal is Chicken Mirchi Massala, although he admits to adding much more spice than most diners would ask for.
He has been experimenting in the kitchen to come up with some additions to the menu, which will be available in the next fortnight.
To gauge their appeal, he has asked several willing customers to act as taste-testers, including Deepcut FC chairman Nick Bate.
“I’m always looking for things that inspire me,” he said. “I think that if I like it, then my customers will like it too.
“We don’t have many vegetarian options at the moment, so my aim has been to include more vegetable and fish dishes in the new menu.
“It’s important to know your market and what they want. This new menu will give our regulars more to enjoy and hopefully attract new customers too.”
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