National Curry Week 2009 - Winners

World Poppadom Record 2009

Poppadom Express, Southampton



Aazaz Khan and his Poppadom Express in Southampton broke his own 2007 record and the 2008 record with a whopping 450 in a friendly challenge covered by the Daily Echo.

SAMOSA SPEED CHALLENGE 2009

Record Holder: Nirmala Chudasama



Nirmala Chudasama, contested the Samosa Speed Challenge at Tiffinbites, St Paul’s, where she prepared a whopping 80 samosas in a staggering 10 minutes. Gulu Anand of Brilliant in Southall was second with 50 samosas.

WORLD POPPADOM TOWER RECORD 2009

Record Holder: Bombay Bicycle

On November 23rd 2009 during National Curry Week. "A celebration of one of the world's favourite dishes" Poppadom Express broke last years record in a friendly competition between City councillors and parliamentary candidates Royston Smith and Jeremy Moulton, pictured below. They joined forces with Steve Fry and Rashmi Chande from Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce to take on the challenge at Poppadom Express. The competition was won on behalf of Poppadom Express by the City Council team who obliterated the restaurant’s record of 230, a national record in 2007, as well as the current UK record of 282 by piling up a whopping 450 poppadoms into a static tower. The Trophy will be presented to the City Council in January 2010. Unity 101 Community Radio broadcasted the event live and media coverage was provided by the Daily Echo Bombay Bicycle’s World Poppadum Tower Challenge of 144 will be featured on BBC Radio 4 in January 2010. Though the poppadum Tower Challenge attempt didn’t quite measure up to World Record standards, it proved quite a feat for the brave head chef of Bombay Bicycle, Sanjeev Gurung, assisted by Kunal Mehta, Group Head Chef of V8 Gourmet, Europe’s biggest Indian restaurant group.

BEST SIGNATURE DISH (Innovative) 2009

Winner: Kunal Mehta –Vama, London with a LOBSTER KEDGREE



Runner-Up : Ashwani Kumar – Mango Lounge, Windsor Rice crusted King Prawn-martini

BEST SIGNATURE DISH (Classic) 2009

Winner: Ashwani Kumar – Mango Lounge, Windsor Lal Maas (a fiery hot lamb dish from north of India)



Runner Up : Andy Varma – Vama, LondonMURG HANDI LAZEEZ

CUSTOMER RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2009

Winner: BRILLIANT – SOUTHALL

2009 is year for awards to be showered on this famous family run Southall restaurant. Earlier in the year they won their third British Curry Award in a row and now it is the turn of their customers and the National Curry Week organisers to give this latest recognition of the efforts of Gulu Anand and his team. If anyone doubts why they are multiple award winners just try visiting the restaurant to realise why it is so popular that, even in a time of recession, revenues have gone up by 30%.