Nigel Rahman of the Bengal Brasserie, appearing under his real name of Mizanur Rahman, was declared bankrupt on May 6 over an unpaid drinks bill.

Belfast restaurateur recently made bankrupt will face a fresh fight for the survival of his business later this week.

Nigel Rahman of the Bengal Brasserie, appearing under his real name of Mizanur Rahman, was declared bankrupt on May 6 over an unpaid drinks bill.

It is thought that he owed the petitioner, Drinks Incorporated Ltd, around £14,000.

Another creditor, thought to be Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, which sources say is also owed tens of thousands of pounds, is seeking a winding-up order for Bengal Brasserie (NI) Limited and the case has been listed for hearing tomorrow.

In a fresh twist, it has also emerged that a new company called Bengal Brasserie Belfast Ltd was registered with Companies House on April 4, 2011.

Last year the Bengal Brasserie II on the Lisburn Road in south Belfast was taken out of administration after it was acquired by Bengal Brasserie (NI) Limited, a sister company which runs another restaurant on the Ormeau Road.

Between them, the two restaurants currently employ around 70 people.

The opulent Lisburn Road eaterie was opened in November 2009 but went into administration just months later after one of Mr Rahman's business partners withdrew his backing for the new venture.

The business and certain assets were sold to Bengal Brasserie (NI) Limited in July 2010 and last August Mr Rahman entered into a CVA (Creditors' Voluntary Arrangement) agreeing to pay around £15,000 a month back to his creditors over a three-and-a-half year period.

However there are still a number of creditors waiting to be paid back.

One of the firms owed money was Abbey Upholsterers in Carrickfergus, which helped fit out the restaurant.

In 2009 an injunction was obtained prohibiting anyone in the business from entering the Lisburn Road restaurant to remove furniture.

Mr Rahman moved to Northern Ireland from Bangladesh in the early 1990s.

He was just a teenager when he started working at the Ormeau Road restaurant, but he eventually worked his way up from kitchen porter to front of house before eventually obtaining the business from a family member.

Around £2m was spent on the Lisburn Road branch, which includes a 200-seater restaurant, business rooms with plasma screens and WiFi, and tea rooms for private dining.

Items on the restaurant's wine list cost up to £1,800.

A Plymouth businessman has said he is interested in buying the DIY chain Focus.

The chain has gone into administration after being hit by the weak housing market and low consumer confidence.

Millionaire Chris Dawson - who owns The Range chain of homeware stores, which has 52 UK outlets - said he expressed his interest to administrators.

Focus DIY's almost 180 stores are to continue to trade as administrators try to find a buyer for the firm.

Mr Dawson said: "We've expressed an interest in purchasing the entire chain and its stock.

"We need to see where we go from here because it will be down to price, speed and the rules."

Administrators Ernst & Young said the problems with the weak housing market and low consumer confidence had put the Crewe-based chain under "considerable pressure".

Focus DIY was founded by Bill Archer in 1987, with six stores in the Midlands and the north of England.

The company has 178 stores in England, Scotland and Wales, and employs more than 3,900 staff.

It currently has annual sales of about £450m.

Mr Dawson's The Range brand is estimated to be worth about £300m.

Focus, the do-it-yourself and gardening retailer, has gone into administration putting 3,920 jobs at risk.

The 178-store chain has appointed Ernst & Young as administrator.
Simon Allport, one of the administrators, said: "Focus will continue to trade as we look for a buyer for the group and its stores. It is very much business as usual."
He said the company has struggled due to low consumer confidence and a very weak housing market.
"Despite management's actions to tightly control costs and restructure the operations, unfortunately it has not been possible for the business to continue to trade outside of insolvency," Mr Allport said.
The company, run by former Iceland boss Bill Grimsey, warned last night that it had defaulted on a loan and was preparing appoint an administrator.