Scotland's Asian Restaurant Awards 2024 (Scotland) Winners Announced
New Award Categories for Best Brunch and Afternoon Chai
The winners of the 8th Asian Restaurant Awards (Scotland) were announced at a high profile networking dinner in Edinburgh on Wednesday evening (4th September). The event, held at the Scottish Parliament, was organised by the Asian Catering Federation and the awards were presented by Minister for Equalities Kaukab Stewart and Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian region and Shadow Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development.
Thirteen awards were presented to Scotland’s most outstanding restaurateurs and chefs, recognising their culinary excellence, innovation, creativity and endeavour throughout the past year.
The prestigious accolade Asian Restaurant of the Year, presented by Minister for Equalities Kaukab Stewart MSP, went to restaurants in three regions: Light of Bengal (Aberdeenshire), Ignite (Edinburgh), and Charcoals (Glasgow).
Asian Chef of the Year was won by Jabir Hussain from Panache in Elgin and Entrepreneur of the Year was claimed by Muhammad Sultan, owner of Charcoals in Glasgow.
Newcomer of the Year went to the recently opened Maharaj in Aberdeen with its incredible interiors and signature dishes; Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year was claimed by Indian restaurant Carron to Mumbai in Stonehaven; and Street Food Restaurant of the Year went to Mother India Café in Edinburgh.
Other accolades presented were Family Restaurant of the Year which was won by Desi Dhaba Chaiwala in Glasgow; and Takeaway of the Year was shared regionally by St Johns Curry Club (Edinburgh), Memories of India (Gorebridge), Handi Masala (Dunfermline), and the Gurkha Kitchen in Fraserburgh.
Each restaurant was shortlisted through a series of public votes, which were then narrowed down to just 13 winners by a panel of prestigious judges, recognising the very best Asian restaurants and takeaways across the country.
On announcing the winners, Asian Catering Federation Chairman Yawar Khan said: “The Scottish Asian Restaurant Awards are a key event for our industry. Not only do they recognise the excellence of Asian and Oriental restaurants in Scotland, but they also give us the opportunity to come together and celebrate the wealth of cultures and cuisines that contribute so much to our economy.”
The awards are organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF) which represents the nation’s 35,000 caterers in the UK and together generate over £60bn for the UK economy.
The list of the award winners can be viewed at https://asianrestaurantawards.org/scot2024winners
Media Contact: Emma Henderson, Public Image PR
E: emma@publicimagepr.co.uk 07977 134 614
Yawar Khan, Chairman, Asian Catering Federation
E: infos@acfederation.org; www.asiancurryawards.com
Editors’ Notes:
The Asian Restaurant Awards are organised by the Asian Catering Federation and sponsored by Booker Wholesale, Kingfisher, Cobra and Work Permit Cloud Ltd.
The Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the nation’s 30,000 Asian and Oriental restaurants organises the only awards open to all Asian cuisines: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.
The ACF strives to deliver real returns for its members within the Asian catering industry, helping them to find financial success, achieve excellence, and build customer loyalty. It aims to unite Asian caterers on one platform; campaign for greater recognition; achieve members’ common goals through partnerships with government and other organisations; provide help with training, and create rewarding careers in Asian catering.
The sector employs over 100,000 people and contributes more than £7.5 billion to the UK economy.
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