Seven different Indian or Chinese restaurants in Bristol have been named in the running for the prestigious national Asian Curry Awards 2022 - with fans of their food across the city being urged to vote for their favourites. The seven will hoping to get enough public votes to be shortlisted - and then visited by judges in person - to then be honoured at a glittering awards ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in London later this month.
The awards are sponsored by JustEat and are the premier Asian food awards every year - and this is among the highest number of Bristol restaurants listed for the prizes - last year, five were nominated.
Read more: Top-rated Bristol curry house receives 'incredible' support after break-in
The awards cover any Asian restaurant or takeaway in the country - taking in all Asian and Oriental cuisines: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Yawar Khan, chairman of the Asian Catering Federation, urged the public to cast their votes, saying a prestigious accolade can have a significant boost to an establishment’s bottom line.
“Every week I hear from another owner closing their restaurant because they cannot see an end in sight to the economic situation – but an award win can bring a massive upsurge in trade,” said Khan, adding, “For customers wanting to help their favourite restaurants survive, their votes can be crucial.”
The seven Bristol restaurants on the voting slips are:
1 Mayflower
One of the city’s oldest established Chinese restaurants, this family-owned authentic Chinese was at Kings Square since the early 1990s, but is now at Haymarket Walk, next to Bristol Bus Station.
2 Nutmeg
Founded in 2016 by Raja Munuswamy and Arvind Pawar, Nutmeg is a vibrant independent Indian restaurant at The Mall in Clifton Village.
3 Bay Leaf
South Gloucestershire’s leading Indian restaurant, it offers a contemporary dining experience at Simmonds View in Stoke Gifford.
4 Rajastan Royal
The only takeaway-only Indian restaurant in Bristol on the list, it has gained a big reputation in Westbourne Road in Emersons Green/Downend. It was named best takeaway in the South West back in January last year.
5 Emperor Court
A Chinese restaurant that is popular for takeaways in Clifton Village’s Portland Street, the Emperor Court offers three of China’s most famous provincial cuisines - Peking, Szechuan and Canton.
6 The Arjee Bhajee
It’s rapidly become a famous east Bristol institution, the Arjee Bhajee is a bring-your-own restaurant and takeaway offering authentic Indian food on Soundwell Road in Soundwell. Last year Bristol Live described it as a 'breath of fresh air'.
7 Urban Tandoor
The big beast among Indian restaurants in Bristol, the Urban Tandoor has been running since 2014 and has already scooped many of the top national awards for its two restaurants in Whiteladies Road and Small Street in the Old City.
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