Bombay Brassiere curry restaurant, Thai fare

Bombay Brassiere voted London's best curry restaurant

Edinburgh (Scotland): The popular Bombay Brassiere in Kensington area has been voted as London's best curry restaurant. According to scotsman.com, the award was declared by the Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs, which represents over 9,000 eateries across the United Kingdom. Britannia Spice in Leith has been named as the best restaurant in Scotland. Britannia Spice was opened in 1998 by Dr.Wali Tasar Uddin, the Honorary Consul-General for Bangladesh in Scotland, and a businessman, Ranil Saparamadu. It is a multi-ethnic curry house, with four chefs specialising in Bangladeshi, Thai, Nepalese and Indian cuisine. The web site quoted Pat Chapman, the editor of the Kobra Good Curry Guide, as saying that Britannia Spice was one of "Scotland's finest", adding that while Glasgow had the oldest and most numerous curry restaurants, the east coast might now boast the best quality. The chef at London's Benares restaurant received a special award for the most outstanding contribution to the curry industry.

The Nazma Tandoori Restaurant in Aberdeen and the New Balaka in St Andrews were also recognised as finalists for the regional award. The judges for the awards announced on Sunday included the food writer Humayun Hussain and the chef Tony Tobin from the BBC's Ready Steady Cook. The Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru- Murthy hosted the event. What was most ironically revealed was that most of the United Kingdom's misnamed "Indian" restaurants - in fact, 95 per cent, are Bangladeshi-owned, and they account for 3.2 billion pounds of sales a year and employ 70,000 people. Curry was recently voted the most popular takeaway dish in Scotland - even more popular than fish and chips.
-Sept 26, 2005

Chandigarh: It may seem a prank to you, if someone says: "Welcome to China" in Chandigarh. But, this is something that only those can appreciate, who love authentic Chinese cuisine. Chinese and Thai food is now-a-days doing rounds in the streets of Chandigarh. . Chowmein, Manchurian, Chopsuey, fried rice and some non- vegetarian items are making a special space in the hearts of Punjabis. `Yangtse', one of a dozen Chinese restaurants in the City, is one such place to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine. With its reopening this year, the restaurant has become a favourite among the food lovers. The kitchen here remains busy to fulfil the orders and with passing day adds more items to the menu. "Why talk about India or Punjab, even in Europe, or America, you will find Chinese cuisine. But, yes every Chinese cuisine varies in taste and flavour, because in China also, the style of cooking and preparation varies according to each region. So, the flavour and taste depends on where you are getting it cooked from. It varies from region to region and you would find a different style of preparation," said Rajvant Rawat, Manager, Food and Beverages, Tangtse Chinese Restaurant.

One of the reasons for the popularity that Chinese cuisine is gaining in Chandigarh is the live Indian music and fabulous decors. Chinese silken curtains, bronzes and ivory chairs give the feel to a visitor as if he is in China. Needless to say, the new trend is helping hotel owners, cash in by providing authentic and aromatic flavours of China to the customers in an Indian way. Punjabis, who earlier used to eat tandoori chicken, have now started appreciating the taste chicken prepared in a very different way. "If you go to Delhi, or Mumbai or any other metro, you will find authentic Chinese food. Here we have adapted the Chinese food to Punjabi taste by making it spicier and with adding more sauce. Ask any Punjabi about Chinese dishes he will reel out only Chopsuey, Manchurian, Chilli Chicken and fried rice," says Amandeep, a restaurant owner. Not only Chinese, but Thai food has also tickled Indian taste buds with its hot and spicy cuisine of authentic taste of Thai dishes. Experts have said that Thai and Chinese cuisine is not as rich as Punjabi food. They believe that the food is quick to prepare and delicious to eat, but it should be taken for a change and not regularly. Although, Punjabis have a first love in their food preferences, they readily adapt to the culture and foods of other continents. And that is what makes them food connoisseurs.
-Sept 19, 2005

Ludhiana: A visit to Ludhiana could be a gastronomical delight for any food aficionado. A restaurant here claims to offer 180 different varieties of Indian, Continental and Chinese dishes to connoisseurs, and that too vegetarian. Situated in the city's Mall area, Saubhagya restaurant, which came into existence in 1997, has become a big draw with the people of Ludhiana, who flock here for savouring the delectable dishes, including the tangy `golgappas' and spicy `Aloo ki tikki'. Among the many dishes it offers, Chilli Milli, a Mughlai preparation is its speciality. Chef Sunder Das, a past master at preparing it says that the preparation for the dish is a specialist job and requires expertise, despite the fact that the ingredients remain the same, that is fresh vegetables, cream cheese for marination with green chillis, spices and `papad' for decoration. The restaurant also keeps a team of expert chefs to help it meet the customers' orders, because as the owners say, with increasing taste and choices, the customers' preference also changes, and needless to say, the restaurant has very well adapted to this. "Earlier a restaurant served a maximum of four to five dishes- Dal Makhni, Malai Kofta, Cheese Tomato and Shahi Paneer. Now there are a number of other varieties and change in food tastes has taken place. On an average a family goes on an outing twice a week, and each time it wants a new variety. We serve Chinese, Continental and Indian, and vegetarian delicacies like Veg Patiala, Matar Malai Kofta, Chilli Milli, Veg Kababdar, Veg Singapuri, Paneer Hyderabadi and more," said Honey Tiwari, the owner of Saubhagya restaurant. "We can't make actual calculation of the varieties served but there are atleast 180 varieties in Indian, continental and Chinese cuisine. We can confidently say that Indian food has some 80 to 90 Varieties," he added. Whether it's a birthday party, or a kitty party or just a family dinner, the restaurants is a favourite with the people of this city.

The arrangements are just fabulous. Ambience apart, the restaurant dishes out some truly delicious vegetarian fare. Paneer Laziz, Veg Patiala, Mashroom Chlli, and Dal Bukhara speak volumes of the chef's skills. Food is a profitable venture in the cities. People at home have no time to cook and such restaurants are mushrooming. Ludhiana has almost 100 such outlets, which are packed to capacity at dinnertime, and in the afternoon, a `Ladies kitty party' is always a good business for the restaurants. Among the many restaurants in the city, Saubhagya has been able to identity the popular taste of the people of Ludhiana and carved out a niche for itself. "After continuously eating at home, everyone wants a change and we prefer to come to a restaurant. We come here just for a change and to feel good. Restaurants use different varieties of spices and serves a number of dishes, which cannot be cooked at home," said a visitor.
-Sept 4, 2005