North restaurant boss crowned Curry King

GATESHEAD, U.K. - Nov. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- RESTAURANT boss Avi Malik has been crowned Curry King of the North East at a prestigious national awards ceremony.

The general manager of Raval Luxury Indian Restaurant scooped the title at the British Curry Awards – dubbed the Curry Oscars – in London.

The high profile event at London’s Battersea Evolution was attended by Prime Minister David Cameron and hosted by Who Wants to be a Millionaire star Chris Tarrant.

Mr Malik, whose restaurant is located just off the Tyne Bridge in Gateshead, received his award from former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward at the glittering ceremony on Monday evening.

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled. This award is testament to the skill, dedication and commitment of the entire team at Raval, from the cleaning staff to the head chef.

“Ultimately, I believe we have won this accolade because we have dared to be different. Being second best has never been an option for us.

“We serve authentic Indian cuisine with a modern twist. We source the best local ingredients and import the finest quality spices, which we grind on the premises.

“We regard ourselves as ambassadors for authentic Indian cuisine in the region and everything we do is geared towards giving our customers an unforgettable dining experience. It’s so rewarding to see our hard work pay off.”

The annual event, which celebrates the contribution the £3.6bn curry industry makes to the UK economy, attracted 40,000 nominations and more than 270,000 votes were cast by members of the public.

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke of how British curries are winning worldwide acclaim.

He told guests: “It used to be that selling curry to South Asia was a bit like selling ice to the eskimoes. Well, no longer.

“More than 200 after years after the first curry house opened up in this country, British-made curry is now heading the other way… to Mumbai, to Kolkata, to Delhi. It has gone from next to nothing a decade ago to a huge success today.”

Mr Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards, said: “Curry was born in India but it has been made great in Britain.

“And Raval is an excellent example of how Indian restaurants in the UK have evolved. It is a very worthy winner.”

Other celebrities at the event included top TV chefs James Martin and Heston Blumenthal and TV presenter and former model Melinda Messenger.