A recent report in the Gazette about further restaurants being opened in Colchester offering cuisine from overseas countries caused me to recall the opening of the first such establishment in the town.

Today there are more than 100 places across the town which offer a menu from around the world.

There has been a huge change in the food offering at restaurants and takeaways, the latter concept in my schooldays being only provided by fish and chip shops.

I am relieved to say these continue to give a choice of traditional British fare in the face of competition from dishes from North and South America, Asia, Africa and continental Europe.

Clearly there is a huge demand for overseas cuisine otherwise businesses which provide them would not have been started and would not have been the success they are.

Market forces and customer choice have led to this cuisine revolution. Cuisine, by the way, is a French word!

When did Colchester get its first overseas restaurant with a menu from another country?

Where was it? And what was it called?

These questions I can answer. The first one was in 1961-62. It was in St John’s Street and it was called The Rice Bowl.

Benham’s 1961 street directory says at 48 St John’s Street was St John’s Hotel but the following year’s directory states that this address was now The Rice Bowl Chinese restaurant which offered more than 100 Chinese and English dishes.

This building is no longer there. It was demolished to make way for the entrance to the underground service area beneath Culver Square shopping precinct.

Research uncovered that Colchester’s second Chinese restaurant was also in St John’s Street with the Sun Kwong listed in the 1963 street directory.

I am not sure how long it was in existence but it was not in the 1966-68 Regency Directory of Colchester.

Chinese food was becoming popular as two other Chinese restaurants were listed in addition to the Rice Bowl – the others being Lotus House at the then newly-built Centurion House in St John’s Street, and Roses Chinese at 51 High Street.

None of these Chinese restaurants now exist but there is one which has certainly stood the test of time.

The longest-established foreign cuisine restaurant opened in 1964, and two years ago I had the honour to be invited to the 50th anniversary commemorative meal.

This is Curry India at 122 Crouch Street, near the Hospital Arms pub. It took over premises previously occupied by the Star Café.

Records indicate that Colchester’s second Indian restaurant was Indus Curry which opened about five years later, at 70a High Street - previously Pandora Restaurant - and before that Holly Trees Café. It is now a residence with its Georgian frontage restored.

Kemp’s Directory for 1969-70 lists Indus Curry along with other newcomers Isola Bella – Colchester’s first Italian restaurant – at 13 Queen Street, and a second location for Lotus House at 18 Osborne Street in addition to its restaurant in St John’s Street.

Am I right in thinking that this address in Osborne Street was Colchester’s first foreign cuisine takeaway? Which takeaway started home deliveries?

I would welcome comments from those whose memory goes back to this period.

The founder of Curry India told me before takeaways became popular, with foil containers to retain the heat, he had customers who would bring their own saucepans to the restaurant and buy meals which they would then take home.

Kismet Balti House in North Station Road, established in 1988, has a notice saying First Indian takeaway in Colchester.

Inside a one-mile radius of the town hall the following overseas cuisine is available, either in a restaurant or as a takeaway - Italian, Chinese, Indian, American, Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese, Portugese, Malaysian, Nepalese, Asian, Caribbean, Greek, Lebanese, Japanese, Singaporean, African, Turkish, Middle Eastern, French, Brazilian, Mediterranean, Spanish and Bangladeshi.

North Station Road has more hot food premises than any other street in Colchester, with 14 establishments offering either meals to eat on the premises or as takeaways or both.

Food for thought - a different place to buy a hot meal every day of the week for a fortnight.

Social historians will no doubt have opinions as to why there has been such a huge transformation in eating habits.

But one thing is clear - Colchester residents are spoilt for choice.