A LONG search by a restaurateur to find premises closer to his home has led to the opening of a new Indian restaurant in Chobham.

The former Indo premises in Bagshot Road is now the latest branch of Blue India, owned by Faruk Ahmed.

Faruk has three other restaurants, including one in Kent, and was tired of the long journey from his home near Slough, Berkshire, and so started searching for premises in Surrey and Windsor.

“I found the one in Chobham, which is only 25 minutes from my house. It is a very good place to be,” Faruk said.

He handed the management of the Blue India in Kent to his business partner, so he could concentrate on the one in Chobham.

He brought in a chef and is in the kitchen himself two days a week, spending the rest of the time in the front of house.

Blue India opened on 19 June, Father’s Day, and is open seven days a week from 5pm to 10:30pm, as well as offering a takeaway service with a collection time of 30 minutes and 45 minutes for deliveries.

Alongside a wide variety of regular Indian cuisine, there are other recipes, including nazakat, which combines garlic and nutmeg; shashlik, with onions and capsicum; and naga, a sauce with naga moris, one of the hottest chillies in Bangladesh.

“As I’m a chef, I create my own things,” Faruk said.

“We’ve not been open long but business has already been very good.”