THE celebration of the 50th anniversary of Andersonstown News is every bit as much about the future as it is about the past. Though novel and nostalgic, reflections on our history not only show us how far we’ve come, but also where we’re headed. Our changing local night-time economy – driven by a small but significant number of new businesses – exemplifies that direction of travel. 1972 was the bloodiest year of our recent conflict, so a twilight stroll down any of our local thoroughfares might then have revealed the remnants of an earlier riot or fracas. What little establishments remained open were likely to have been pubs. But Troubles aside, the offering wasn’t much improved until quite recently. Just over a decade ago, I remember finishing a bar shift and going to pick-up some grub on a deserted Andersonstown Road one Sunday, when a drunkard aggressively demanded I hand over my Chow Mein. Having hardly eaten a morsel all day there was little chance of my compliance, but it was unnerving all the same. The point is that a similar encounter is virtually unimaginable on the same road nowadays. You might now find that same area thronged with young people, families, the elderly – a whole range of different people – enjoying an ice-cream, a coffee, a meal, or any number of great things from the great spots the vibrant Andersonstown Road now boasts. A stone’s throw from where our encounter took place is Bengal Spice, an Indian Restaurant offering sit-in and takeaway to an ever-changing West Belfast population. Owner Luthfer has form for breathing new life into overlooked locales. His Bengal Brasserie – opened on the Lower Ormeau at a time when few others would – has served the community for 30 years plus. It is one of the many jewels in the crown of a thriving Ormeau Road.
