Glasgow favourites in running for top awards
A NUMBER of Glasgow restaurants are hoping to sweep the board at a national curry event next month.
Scotland’s Premier Independent Curry Event (SPICE) was created to reward the best of Scotland’s ethnic minority restaurants.
It also recognises dedicated staff members contributing to a thriving industry.
More than 1500 restaurants from across Scotland engaged in this year’s awards. Now, more than 30,000 votes have been counted to find 111 finalists.
From independent restaurants in up Elgin and down in Eyemouth, to popular brands across Glasgow and Edinburgh, organisers said the finalists are “wide and varied in size and style of cuisine.”
In Glasgow, the following restaurants have been named finalists: Masala Twist, Bombay Blues, Nippon Kitchen, Cook & Indi’s World Buffet, Rishi’s Indian Aroma, Green Chilli Café, Koolba, Obsession of India, Balbir’s, Ichiban Noodle Bar, Hot Flame World Buffet, Mother India Café, Charcoals, Nakodar Grill, Panda Chinese, Chaophraya, Bukhara Lorne Hotel, Sapporo Teppanyaki, Cafe India Merchant City, Village Curry House, New Anand, The Indian Skirving Street, Usha’s Indian Street Food, Dalshannon Farm, Amber Regent, Nanakusa, Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn, Wagah Grill House and Sala Thai Restaurant.
After the success of the inaugural awards last year, the SPICE Awards have been opened up to include Chinese, Indian, Thai and Japanese cuisine.
The categories cover the breadth of ethnic minority hospitality to celebrate the best businesses teams and chefs. These include: best in west and east, best restaurant manager, best chef, best team and best family-friendly restaurant.
The judges are an independent panel made up of industry specialists, and they will now tour the country to critique each venue across a full list of criteria.
The venues are expected to showcase unrivalled quality across venue décor and atmosphere, staff knowledge and demeanour, menu selections, value for money and, most importantly, superior quality and authentic, spicy dishes.
The “best chef” category is being judged in a cook-off this month, and finalists will present to a panel of industry specialists.
After the cook-off, the event will culminate in a gala final where representatives from across the country will come together to enjoy entertainment and food. The event, on December 3, hosted by Des Clarke of Capital FM, will boast eclectic entertainment from magicians to comedians and a plethora of industry names.
Warren Paul, CEO and founder of SPICE, said: “The engagement from the Scottish public for the second year of SPICE is phenomenal. The businesses in Scotland have been pushing boundaries and standards over the last year, and the public has recognised this. We cannot wait for the gala final at the DoubleTree By Hilton in Glasgow.”