Shahbhag has been delivering traditional and appetising food for over half a century in Hampstead.

Opened in 1954, the tandoori restaurant in Rosslyn Hill is the oldest established restaurant both in Hampstead and north west London.

Its age is not obvious from either the exterior or interior but its food reeks of experience.

Shahbhag means The Royal Garden and the restaurant tries to keep up the good name by serving food fit for a king's table.

The menu is reasonably priced and with a vast selection of Indian and Bangladeshi dishes, there is something for every palate. The usual offerings of korma, jalfrezi and balti are matched by a range of house specialities, including Bengal king prawn, recommended for its health properties, and Shatkora chicken or lamb, cooked with special Bengali lemon, herbs and spices.

To whet the appetite, starters including samosas, tandoori chicken and prawn puree, a well spiced prawn with deep fried puree bread. Multi-flavoured Indian ice cream is the main feature of the dessert menu, along with yoghurt drinks and liqueurs.

While customers are not left hanging around, mouths-a-watering, Shahbhag doesn't do fast food. The bow-tied waiters are efficient and courteous without being intrusive. They will willingly help the indecisive or confused, and intrepid customers can also veer off the beaten track and ask for something a little more experimental.

So whether it's mild or spicy, fish or meat, you can be assured of a delicious meal, lovingly created by an expert chef in the traditional style. And after 50 years in the business, Shahbhag must be doing something right.

Caroline McClatchey, Ham & High
2004

....It's the simple things that Shahbhag, meaning 'the Emperor's Garden', does well, catering for all those little joys you look for when visiting an Indian restaurant.....

....For the mains it's worth checking out the Shahbhag Special dishes. There's the Achar, a traditional dish originating from Bangladesh, in which you can have chicken, lamb or prawns cooked in an unripe mango sauce for a unique sour flavour....

Steve Barnett, Camden New Journal
October 2004

Hampstead is full of coffee shops and bars, but what if you want something more substantial - and exotic? Indian restaurant Shahbhag is just a stone's throw away from Hobbs and Monsoon, for those who are well acquainted with Hampstead's retail outlets. With its unobtrusive shopfront, it's easy to miss - but it's well worth searching out.

The atmosphere at Shahbhag is calm and relaxing - no flock wallpaper here. Instead, there's plenty of floor space, neatly laid-out tables, a neutral colour scheme and air-conditioning, which was welcome on a hot August evening.....

....Keen to try something different, I ordered Mushrrom Pakora for my starter - mushrooms stuffed with minced meat, then coated and deep fried - they were delicious and much tastier than plain mushroom bhajees. Meanwhile, my companion tucked into a generous portion of King Prawn Puree. This proved to be a delicate blend of flavours, with prawns and coriander presented on deep-fried puree bread.

Then we indulged in a Tandoori Mixed Kebab - tender pieces of chicken, lamb and sheesh kebab served with salad.....

....For the main courses, we chose Lamb Hyderabadi, which is cooked with tamarind sauce and has a distinctly tangy flavour.

We also sampled one of the house specialities - the Tandoori Chicken Morrisa is a sizzling combination of onions, spring onions, and chick peas, which give it a Mediterranean feel. We also enjoyed one of our favourite Indian dishes - Chicken Shaslik with capsicum, onions and tomatoes.

We didn't stint on the vegetables and bread either - we had no trouble polishing off a generous portion of Sag Aloo - spinach and potatoes - Vegetable Bhajees and a Peshwari Nan - sweet coconut and almond oozed out of the warm bread.....

....Although we arrived quite early on a Saturday night, it didn't take long for the restaurant to fill up with a mixture of passers-by and regulars, who clearly love Shahbhag's Bengali cuisine and are keen to come back for more.

Isabella Goodwin, Exclusive magazine
October 2004