Curry Awards facts for kids

The Curry Awards were special prizes given to the best curry restaurants in the United Kingdom. These awards were created by The Curry Club and its magazine, The Good Curry Guide. They celebrated restaurants that were "totally excellent" in every way.

History of the Awards

The first Good Curry Guide was published in 1984 by Pat Chapman. It listed about 600 Indian restaurants. At first, it didn't say which restaurants were the very best. Pat Chapman thought that if a restaurant was in the guide, it was already good!

But journalists and food writers from big newspapers like The Evening Standard and the BBC Good Food Magazine kept asking Pat to name the absolute best.

So, Pat Chapman asked his helpers to pick the top 30 restaurants. This list grew to the top 100 by 1995. To celebrate these winners, Pat decided to hold an awards ceremony in May 1991. This was one of the first award shows for any type of restaurant.

The first ceremony was held at Chutney Mary Indian restaurant in London. There were eight winners that day. The media and public loved the idea! Because of this, the next guide had a "Top 100" list, and 18 special awards were given out.

As the awards grew, a bigger place was needed. The Park Lane Hotel was chosen, which could hold 330 people. A company called Madhu's, which usually catered for Asian weddings, provided the food. Pat Chapman organized the whole event. About 80 journalists attended, showing how popular the awards had become.

The Awards Ceremony

The Curry Awards ceremony became a big event. Between 18 and 20 awards were given out each time. Many people attended, including restaurant owners, their guests, sponsors, and lots of media and press. Around 800 people would gather for the event.

A major part of the ceremony was the lunch. It was a big challenge to cook for so many people, especially when many of them were also great chefs and restaurant owners! The chefs came from all over the subcontinent, making it even harder to please everyone.

The event was widely reported in the UK and in the subcontinent. It was even shown on TV by Sony Entertainment Television Asia. Millions of viewers in places like Australia, Canada, Europe, Pakistan, India, Mauritius, the Middle East, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States could watch the show. The awards continued until 2013.

Award Ceremony Dates

The Good Curry Guide Awards ceremony was held whenever a new guide was published. Here are some of the dates and places:

Top Winners: Best in the UK

The most important award was for the Best in the UK. Here are some of the restaurants that won this top prize:

• 1991-1994 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10
• 1995-1997 ~ Bombay Brasserie, SW7
• 1998-1999 ~ La Porte des Indes, W1
• 1999-2001 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10
• 2002-2003 ~ Quilon Restaurant, SW1
• 2004-2006 ~ Madhu's, Southall
• 2007-2008 ~ Ithiaas, Birmingham
• 2009-2010 ~ Masala World Group, London: Amaya, Chutney Mary, Veerswamys, Masala Zone (8 restaurants)
• 2013 ~ Painted Heron, SW1

Award Categories in 2013

In 2013, the awards were given in different categories.

Regional Awards

These awards recognized the best restaurants in different parts of the UK. Pat Chapman visited these restaurants himself to give them their certificates.

• Best in the North of England 2013
  • Best UK GROUP ~ Akbars (11 restaurants): Bradford (2), Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds (2), Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Rotherham & York.
  • Best in YORKSHIRE ~ Ashoka Sheffield
  • Best in MERSEYSIDE ~ Gulshan Liverpool
  • Best in NORTH EAST ~ Valley 397 Newcastle

• Best in the Midlands, England 2013
  • Best in MIDLANDS ~ Anoki Burton, Derby, Nottingham
  • Best in EAST MIDLANDS ~ Curry Fever Leicester Leics
  • Best in WEST MIDLANDS ~ Maharaja Birmingham West Midlands
  • Best in CENTRAL ENGLAND ~ Calcutta Brasserie Milton Keynes Bucks

• Best in South East England 2013
  • Best in the SOUTH EAST ~ The Ambrette Margate Kent & Rye Sussex
  • Best ON SOUTH COAST ~ Bombay Bay, Southsea Hants
  • Best in OUTER LONDON, WEST ~ Brilliant Southall, Middlesex
  • Best in HOME COUNTIES, NORTH ~ Chez Mumtaj St Albans, Herts
  • Best in SURREY ~ India Dining, Warlingham, Surrey
  • Best in SOUTH ENGLAND ~ Massala, Cobham, Surrey
  • Best in HOME COUNTIES, WEST ~ Mango Lounge Windsor Berks
  • Best in OUTER LONDON, SOUTH ~ Sesame New Malden

• Best in South West England 2013
  • Best in THE WEST COUNTRY ~ Viceroy, Yeovil, Somerset
  • Best in THE SOUTH WEST ~ Mysterica, Bristol
  • Best in CORNWALL ~ Rajdoot, St Ives, Cornwall

• Best in Scotland 2013
  • Best overall in SCOTLAND ~ Verandah Edinburgh
  • Best in NORTH SCOTLAND ~ Balaka St Andrews Fife
  • Best in EAST SCOTLAND ~ Mya, Edinburgh, Lothian

• Best in Wales 2013
  • Best in WALES ~ Moksh Cardiff Glamorgan
  • Best in NORTH WALES ~ Bengal Dynasty Shotton & Llandudno

Cuisine Awards

These awards recognized the best restaurants for specific types of curry, like:

• Best Bangladeshi
• Best Nepalese
• Best Indian
• Best Pakistani
• Best Sri Lankan
• Best South East Asian

Speciality Awards

These awards celebrated special skills in a restaurant:

• Best Chef
• Best Maître d' (the head waiter)
• Best Newcomer (a new restaurant that quickly became great)

Lifetime Achievement Award

This special award was given to people who had done amazing things in the curry world for a very long time. In 2007, Satish Arora, a top chef from the Taj Group, received this award.

See also

• Pat Chapman
• The Curry Club
• Good Curry Guide

DVD

A DVD of the Good Curry Guide Award Ceremony from 2007 was available.