Anyone looking for somewhere to eat out could find plenty food for thought among the latest batch of award winning restaurants.
In the recent Asian Curry Awards 2024, five local Indian restaurants emerged as winners while a sixth scooped a special commendation. The annual awards, which recognise everything from food quality to dining experience, aim to reward excellence across the culinary industry and the region’s success is set to prove a boost to business.
In the North East category, My Delhi Indian Streetery and Wok India won – respectively – Street Food Restaurant of The Year and Takeaway of The Year while Babaji in Sunderland was named Asian Restaurant of The Year; Babul’s in Darlington was Casual Dining Restaurant of The Year and Raval, at the end of the Tyne Bridge in Gateshead, took the North of England title of Fine Dining Restaurant of The Year.
Also among the Newcastle eateries singled out at the London ceremony, which was attended inn November by around 1,000 guests from across the UK, was Kamal Indian Restaurant in Stanhope Street which was highly commended in the North East’s Asian Restaurant of The Year category. Run by Umayr Saleem, the popular restaurant focuses upon providing stand-out service and authentic flavours in its traditional dishes which range from biryanis to richly-spiced curries.
Its customers can also take along their own alcohol. Umayr and his family took over Kamal in 2011, renovating and modernising the restaurant which has been a city staple since 1992. The owner said: “My father runs Saleems Takeaway in Gateshead and I learned everything from him.
Umayr Saleem, of Kamal Indian Restaurant in Newcastle, with some of his team and the commendation from the Asian Curry Awards. Credit: The Bigger Picture Agency)
(Image: The Bigger Picture Agency)
“He has been instrumental in my business and has taught me the value of good quality food and excellent customer service. We have a lot of regulars who visit us every week and we even get pop stars in from time to time when playing at the nearby Arena.”
He called the commendation – a result of being judged by mystery diners and receiving customer votes – “an amazing thing” for both staff and diners, saying: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and passion we pour into our food every day.
“It’s a proud moment for us and for Newcastle’s vibrant food scene.” Among the other success stories, Wok India said receiving its first award was “a proud moment”, adding: “We hope we’ve made our Heaton community proud”, and My Delhi called its award an “incredible moment for us!”, saying: “My Delhi has always been about more than food – it’s about creating memories, sharing stories, and celebrating the vibrant culture of India’s capital.”
Also sharing their news on social media was Raval which, as previously reported, was recently named by the British Indian Good Food Guide as the best place for Indian food outside of the London. It was “thrilled” at its win, saying: “this prestigious award puts Newcastle Gateshead on the map as a fine dining destination”.
Wok India in Heaton won a Takeaway of The Year award at the Asian Curry Awards 2024
(Image: Wok India/Instagram)
Babaji shared a photograph of its “crowning moment” as the team received its award on stage and wrote in a Facebook post “wow”, adding: “In less than two years since our opening, receiving such a distinguished award is truly an honour”, while Babul’s was celebrating what it called its sixth accolade of the year, referring to the Asian Curry Awards as “the Oscars of the restaurant world”.
For the full list of the 2024 national winners see here. Among them is a legacy award for the late Shabir Hussain, founder of the Akbar’s chain of curry restaurants which includes a branch in Newcastle, who died in October at the age of 56.