The Curry Awards is an award given to
curry restaurants in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, which have achieved "total excellence" in all departments by
The Curry Club in association with its publication, The
Good Curry Guide.
The Good Curry Guide Awards
ceremony was established in May 1991 by
Pat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman (20 December 1940 – 22 July 2022) was an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.
Early days
Chapman was born in London during the Blitz. His grandfather had achieved s ...
and was the first
awards
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An aw ...
ceremony of any
restaurant sector.
History
Pat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman (20 December 1940 – 22 July 2022) was an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.
Early days
Chapman was born in London during the Blitz. His grandfather had achieved s ...
’s first Good Curry Guide was published in 1984. About 600
Indian restaurants were selected for entry (out of the 4,000 that existed then) and it carried little critical information. The next edition (1987) addressed this by having critical entries from
correspondents
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locat ...
. No one restaurant was rated higher than any other. In other words neither of these editions named the ‘Best in Class’; Chapman considered that since only the top percentage achieved entry, all entries were ‘Good Curry Guide Restaurants’. The publication attracted considerable media attention. However journalists and food writers from such publications as
The Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after bei ...
,
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
,
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
, and
BBC Good Food Magazine pressured Chapman to name the best.
Chapman asked his correspondents which restaurants could qualify into a TOP 30 category (which became TOP 100 in 1995), and which could be best regionally and best in UK. The results were duly published in the 1991 Guide and to launch it Chapman decided to hold an Awards Ceremony for the winners. Unlike today, it was a time when there were few such ceremonies. Chapman modelled it on the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
, by commencing with a formal presentation of a certificate to each winner in turn before a group of their peers and media, and following with a luncheon to emphasise the event's social side. On that first ceremony, there were eight winners, including Chutney Mary Indian restaurant
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
SW10 as Best in UK, where the event was held.
Media and public response to this was enormous. So by the time the next GCG was due for publication, the TOP 30 was increased to the new TOP 100 category, and from that no less than 18 ‘Best in Category were to be awarded.
It was clear a bigger venue was needed, and one which was divorced from winning restaurants. Chapman had been to an Asian wedding at a Heathrow Hotel where the catering was by Madhu’s. Chapman suggested they did his catering and the
Park Lane Hotel
The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane is a 5 Star hotel on Piccadilly, London.
The hotel opened in 1927 as The Park Lane Hotel to designs by architects Adie, Button and Partners, in a grand Art Deco style, and was constructed by the developer ...
was chosen with a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile th ...
of 330 seats. It was the first time Madhu’s had catered for any event other than Asian weddings. Chapman organised the entire event. Of the 300 seats, 80 were taken by media.
Present
Between 18 and 20 Awards are given before an audience of restaurant personnel and their guests, sponsors,
media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...
,
press and others, totalling some 800.
The luncheon is a major feature of the event.
Catering
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and r ...
for any event attended by others in the catering trade is a challenge; Chapman's Awards the more so. Being an Indian Restaurant event, the restaurateurs are from all countries of the
subcontinent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...
so it is no mean task for the caterer to satisfy 800 of his international
peers, and one few caterers would attempt.
The event is widely reported in the
UK and in the
subcontinent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...
, and it is
televised
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
by
Sony Entertainment Television Asia
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel, that was launched on 30 September 1995, and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony.
SET India's Y ...
and is screened and repeated in
Australia,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
,
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
, the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
to millions of viewers.
The Achievement
Of the 9,000 Indian restaurants in Britain, each of which are scrupulously examined, only seventy restaurants become shortlisted with four to each of the eighteen Award categories. Of these only eighteen win the Awards. That is one-in-500 or 0.2% (zero-point two) percentage of the total.
Timescale
The Good Curry Guide Awards ceremony has been held each time a Good Curry Guide is published as follows:
Past and present winners of "Best in the UK" award
The chief Award is the Best in the UK.
*1991/4 ~
Chutney Mary
Chutney Mary is a fine-dining Indian restaurant in London, founded in 1990 by Ranjit Mathrani & Namita Panjabi through their restaurant company, whose current name is MW Eat. It was originally located in Kings Road, Chelsea, but relocated to St ...
, SW10
*1995/7 ~
Bombay Brasserie, SW7
*1998/9 ~ La Porte des Indes, W1
*1999/2001 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10
*2002/3 ~
Quilon Restaurant
Taj Quilon Restaurant is a restaurant situated in Buckingham Gate, London. The restaurant was opened in 1999 and owned by Taj hotels. It is the first South Indian restaurant in the world to win a Michelin star, which it has retained since 2008. ...
, SW1
*2004/6 ~ Madhu's, Southall
*2007/8 ~ Ithiaas, Birmingham
*2009/10 ~ Masala World Group, London: Amaya, Chutney Mary, Veerswamys, Masala Zone (8)
*2013 ~ Painted Heron, SW1
Good Curry Guide Awards Categories, 2013
Regional Awards
These 25 restaurants (and one group of 11) are located all over the UK, and are considered to be the best in their region. Each of these winners, has been visited by Pat Chapman during 2012/3 and presented with their Award Certificate.
*Best in the
North of England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
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
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
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
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...
2013 (''alphabetical)''
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
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...
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
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
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
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
2013'
BEST IN WALES ~ Moksh Cardiff Glamorgan
BEST IN NORTH WALES ~ Bengal Dynasty Shotton & Llandudno
Cuisine Awards ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)''
*Best
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.
Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
*Best
Nepalese
*Best
Indian
*Best
Pakistani
*Best
Sri Lankan
*Best
South East Asian
Speciality Awards ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)''
*Best
Chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a k ...
*Best
Maître d'
''Maître'' (spelled ''Maitre'' according to post-1990 spelling rules) is a commonly used honorific for lawyers, judicial officers and notaries in France, Belgium, Switzerland and French-speaking parts of Canada. It is often written in its abbr ...
*Best Newcomer
Lifetime Achievement Award ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)''
Awarded 2007 to Satish Arora, Chef Culinaire, Taj Group
See also
*
Pat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman (20 December 1940 – 22 July 2022) was an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.
Early days
Chapman was born in London during the Blitz. His grandfather had achieved s ...
*
The Curry Club
*
Good Curry Guide
Bibliography
• 1984 Good Curry Guide, Curry Club —
• 1987 Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London —
• 1991 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London —
• 1995 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London —
• 1998 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Hodder & Stoughton, London —
• 1999 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Hodder & Stoughton, London —
• 2000 Cobra Curryholics’ Directory, John Blake Publishing, London —
• 2001 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Simon & Schuster, London —
• 2004 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Curry Club, Haslemere —
• 2007 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London —
• 2009 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London —
• 2010 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London — New cover same text as 2009.
• 2013 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Curry Club Publisher, Haslemere — Complete rewrite.
DVD
• Good Curry Guide Award Ceremony 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20090105192355/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/catalogue/product/914/2461
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110929175920/http://globalmalaysians.com/feature/story.asp?file=%2F2006%2F4%2F21%2Ffeature%2F13970739&sec=feature
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100410135959/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/page/cobra-good-curry-guide
*http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/scene/gcg2004.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110520033239/http://londoneats.com/news/default.asp?PressID=75
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100823215756/http://www.victoriasindia.co.uk/news.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110710204551/http://www.ethnicnow.com/channels/food-drink/press-release/11/947/itihaas-scoops -top-honours-at-2007-cobra-good-curry-awards.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110707151940/http://aphrohead.com/Product.aspx?pid=11927505
*http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article453496.ece
*http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/article-10796583-details/Britain%27s+best+curry/article.do
*https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/11/shopping
*https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/24/foodanddrink
{dead link, date=August 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
*https://web.archive.org/web/20090105192355/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/catalogue/product/914/2461
International Chef Award-1International Chef Award-2
Food and drink awards
British cuisine
Restaurant guides
1991 establishments in the United Kingdom