Sheraz, Shrewsbury

helps Sheraz Tandoori and Balti restaurant in Shrewsbury celebrate its 50th anniversary.

If there's one thing that's hard to come by in the restaurant industry it's this: longevity. Most new restaurants go bust within their first year while those that survive face a long haul if they want to achieve prosperity.

When the economy waxes and wanes, eating places come and go faster than an F1 race car. Who can afford to dine out when we can't make ends meet?

And when chefs and waiters move on to bigger and better things – or get shown the door – restaurants often fail.

Two other factors make food industry long-service awards as rare as hen's teeth.

Ambitious restaurateurs who strike it lucky often look to move to larger premises where they can eke out a bigger profit while the faint-hearted face a simpler truth - there are easier ways of making a living than cooking for paying customers.

There are a few, however, that last the course. A small and elite breed with the endurance of marathon runners find themselves becoming part of the fabric of their local communities.

The Sheraz, in Shrewsbury's Wyle Cop, has succeeded where many others have failed. It is now celebrating its 50th year. Imagine that, 50 years.

When The Sheraz opened its doors, The Beatles had yet to be discovered by Brian Epstein and USA President Dwight Eisenhower was busy severing links with Cuba in a row over missiles – shortly before being replaced by JF Kennedy.

Panda crossings were being introduced to the UK, the Berlin Wall was dividing German's capital city, the Vietnam War was starting, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was becoming the first human in space and Elvis was top of the UK singles and album charts with It's Now Or Never and GI Blues.

Alongside the Sheraz, other new arrivals in 1961 were Boy George, Ricky Gervais and Diana Princess of Wales.

The secret of the Sheraz's success is simple: consistency. It's been serving better-than-average food at affordable prices for as long as Harry Enfield's been alive.

When the recession bites deep, people can still find £7 for a decent curry.

Friendly and efficient service, polite waiters and an organised maitre d make dining there a treat.

There are no fancy gimmicks and nothing particularly fashionable about it. It offers good honest food, delicately flavoured with Bangladeshi spices in convivial surrounds. There was a time, not so many years ago, when the Sheraz looked as though it was preserving the interior decor of the sixties, though more recently it's been smartened up and today it holds its own against any other curry house in Shrewsbury.

My friend and I enjoyed a simple weekend supper and came away replete, having spent around £20.

We started with delightfully crisp poppadoms – and they were crisp, not crunchy – with dips before our starters of onion bhaji and chicken chaat. The bhaji were light and flavoursome: the chef had avoided using too much flour and had fried the bronzed balls of flavoured onion until they were a deep caramel colour. The chaat, meanwhile, was similarly enjoyable and, unlike similar dishes at some other curry houses in Shrewsbury, it was not drowned in oil.

Our main courses comprised a chicken pathia and chicken tikka biryani, with pillau rice and naan.

The pathia was wonderfully piquant. A wedge of lemon had given it the requisite acidity, while warming spices fluttered across the tongue. It was hot and sour, a celebration of south east Asian flavour.

The chicken tikka biryani, meanwhile, was also quickly dispatched. Curried vegetables married well with the small pieces of reddish chicken tikka in a light and fluffy rice.

The chicken in both the pathia and biryani had been cooked for a little too long, but the blend of spices was a joy to behold.

I've eaten at the Sheraz on a number of occasions down the years - one of the greatest compliments to any restaurants is that its customers return and I count myself among a number who use the venue when the opportunity arises.

Their desserts have never impressed, in truth, and so none were ordered this time.

There are numerous Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants across Shropshire and the Sheraz is one of the better, without necessarily being the best.

Flavours are good, the food is dependable and the service assured. You're unlikely to get the best meal of your life – but you can pretty much guarantee that you won't be let down.

There's no reason to believe the Sheraz won't still be around 50 years from now.

ADDRESS

Sheraz Tandoori and Balti Restaurant, 79 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury SY1 1UT

Tel: 01743 351744