Indian Ocean scores hat-trick at curry 'Oscars'

A TAMESIDE restaurant scored a hat-trick after being named the best curry house in the north west for the third time at a glittering ceremony celebrating the best in the spice industry.

The Indian Ocean Restaurant based in Ashton-under-Lyne has proved that good things come in threes, by being named best restaurant for the third year in a row at the prestigious British Curry Awards.

The honour recognises 'the continued excellence of the Indian Ocean experience, including its food, service and public profile.'

The British Curry Awards are amongst the highest honours available in the spice industry, often being referred to as the Oscars of Asian cuisine.

The glittering ceremony was held at the Battersea Evolution Centre in London last week and was attended by top industry figures and celebrities including host Sir Trevor McDonald, Conservative party leader David Cameron and TV celebrity Chris Tarrant.

David Cameron highlighted the importance of the curry industry in Britain, which is worth £3.5 billion per year, and said that it is important that immigration policy allows the top chefs from the Indian subcontinent to enter Britain and further enhance the quality of Indian food.

The awards are judged on a regional basis and the Indian Ocean beat off stiff competition from across the north west, one of the biggest markets for Asian cuisine in the country.

Indian Ocean Owner Nahim Aslam said: "It is a great honour to be given such a prestigious award any year, but to get it for a third year in a row is particularly special.

"We work hard to produce the best and most authentic food possible, celebrating tradition as well as innovation. I am doubly pleased that a regional award such as this recognises our contribution to the local community. The pressure is on to win again next year!"

Founder of the curry awqards, Enam Ali MBE added: "Our winners represent the cream of the industry and have to achieve something truly memorable to win. We are delighted to see restaurants like the Indian Ocean come back with new ideas year after year and they and their colleagues are driving this industry forward."

Source: Tameside Advertiser

Birmingham restaurant Lasan on The F Word with Gordon Ramsay

A BIRMINGHAM restauranteur hits our TV screens tomorrow as celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay searches for the UK’s best eatery.

Aktar Islam, head chef at Lasan in the Jewellery Quarter, and his assistant Aysan Shaikh, will cook-off against culinary experts from another Indian diner on the new Channel 4 show The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant.

On previous series’ of the aptly-titled The F Word, foul-mouthed Ramsay has invited celebrity families to compete against each other.

But in this new series Gordon is on the hunt for unsung local champions and from thousands of entries has hand-picked two establishments in nine food categories with Lasan winning through in the Indian section.

Birmingham-born Aktar, aged 29, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be the only restaurant in Birmingham selected.

“We’ve always known people in Birmingham have been supportive of what we do but this is a good opportunity to show the rest of the country the good food coming out of Birmingham.”

Both teams will cook three courses for 50 diners and the pair who get the most customers to pay for their dishes will be crowned champions of the Indian restaurant category.

The four highest scoring section champions throughout the series will be invited to partake in the show’s semi-finals early next year and vie for a place in the grand final.

Each week the starter and desert are chosen by Ramsay but the mains are selected by the contestant chefs, with Aktar opting for a pan fried fillet of seabass on wilted spinach with new potatoes and Bengali fish broth and rice.

Source: Birmingham Mail

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address
3-4 Dakota Buildings
James Street
St Paul's Square
BIRMINGHAM
B3 1SD

web www.lasangroup.com/restaurant
email info@lasan.co.uk

tel 0121 212 3664 and 0121 247 8570
fax 0121 212 3665

Tory leader praises UK’s Indian restaurants at British Curry Awards

Tory party leader David Cameron praised Britain’s £3.5b curry restaurant industry for its promotion of community cohesion at the British Curry Awards, now into its fifth year.

Speaking at the event on 3 November at London’s Battersea Evolution venue, the politician said: “The British curry industry is a great success story. It’s shown how people from all backgrounds, with different creeds and cultures, can come together as one.”

Around 3,000 restaurants were nominated for the awards by 43,000 public nominations. An initial judging process then produced a list of 100 finalists. This year’s winners included London’s Bombay Brasserie restaurant, which was voted Best Indian Restaurant in the awards back in 2005.

Source: caterersearch.com