Restaurants and chefs honoured at Asian Curry Awards
Restaurants and chefs from across the country were honoured at the Asian Curry Awards, which took place earlier this week.
The awards, which are organised by the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers and the Asian Catering Federation, took place on Sunday 17 November at London's Grosvenor House hotel.
The winners were:
Chef of the Year: Shamim Syed of Durbar Tandoori in Bayswater
Best Innovative Chef: Sabbir Karim of Bloombury's Salaam Namaste, London
Young Chef of The Year: Jai V Kadam, the Cinnamon Club, London
Young Restaurateur of the Year: Hesan Choudhury of The Purple Rooms in Birmingham
Best Restaurant: Tops Buffet, Manchester (Chinese); Oishii Japanese Eatery, London (Japanese); Satay House London, (Malaysian); Everest Inn, Hythe, Kent (Nepalese); ‘Best Thai' was shared between Mai Thai in Peterborough and Thai Lounge, Lingfield in Surrey.
Best South Asian Restaurant and Takeaway:
London: Anokha, EC3 (Overall Winner); Salaam Namaste, WC2 (Newcomer of The Year); Dewaniam, SE23 (Best Take Away)
London Suburbs: Coriander, Hatch End, Stoneleigh Brassiere, Epsom (Newcomer of The Year); Mahan, Bexley (Best Take-Away); Swad, New Malden (Newcomer/Take Away of The Year)
South Coast: Memories of India, Bosham and Cosham Balti (Best Take Away);
South East: Shakil's, Bicester (Overall); Desi Indian Dining Club, Grays (Newcomer of The Year); and Mahan Indian Take Away, Bexley (Best Take Away)
South: Indi's, Bournemouth
Devon & Cornwall: Maha Bharat, Kingsbridge
East of England: Zafran, Westcliff-on-Sea and Riverside Spice, Earls Colne
East Midlands: Royal Tandoori, Corby
West Midlands: Agra Palace, Nuneaton
North East: Days Of the Raj, Gosforth (Overall); Jewel in the Crown, Birtley (Best Take Away)
Yorkshire & Humber: The Original Dil Raj, Barnsley
Wales: Sheesh Mahal, Llanelli
Scotland: Nawaabs Tandoori, Aberdeen
The Swedish city of Stockholm was chosen as the representative in the International category with accolades going to: Waipo Stockholm (Best Chinese Restaurant); Pong Buffet, (Buffet); and Shanti Touch of Bengal (Best Bangladeshi Restaurant).
Special Honorary awards were presented to : The Rt Hon Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington and deputy leader of the House of Commons, Neil Jameson, CEO of Citizens UK, John Walker, the immediate past national chairman, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Pat Chapman, editor of the Cobra Good Curry Guide chaired a team of judges, which included Dev Biswal, owner of Ambrette Restaurants, Geraldine Higgins, chef lecturer EWHL college and Annette Allmark, head of professional standards, People 1st.