Two Bristol restaurants have been listed among the finalists for the prestigious Asian Curry Awards 2024, dubbed the “Curry Oscars”. The winners of the 14th annual Curry Awards will be announced later this month, at a glittering gala dinner in London – with Achari Indian Kitchen, in Cotham, as well as Indian takeaway, Curry Raj, near St George Park, both in the running to pick up a prize.
It comes after both restaurants were also nominated in the recent Bangladeshi Catering Association (BCA) Awards, with Achari taking home two awards earlier this week from the BCA event: Best Restaurant in the South-West, and Best Chef Championship.
Now, Achari and Curry Raj are nominated at the Asian Curry Awards alongside five restaurants in Devon, and a restaurant in Bridgwater, Somerset – as well as restaurants around the UK and even in Sweden, Turkey, and the Canary Islands.
The awards ceremony celebrates cuisines from all around Asia, including: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.
And awards will be given out for the best restaurant in each region of the UK, as well as a number of other categories as follows: Takeaway of the Year, Event Caterer of the Year, Best Fine Dining Restaurant, Restaurant Group of the Year, Best International Restaurant, Best Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Street Food of the Year.
There is also a much-coveted Asian Chef of the Year award, and even a Lifetime Achievement award. The winners will be announced on November 17, at a ceremony hosted by BBC News anchor, Samantha Simmonds.
Chairman of the Asian Catering Federation, Yawar Khan, said: “We’re delighted by the number of people who have taken the time to vote for their favourite restaurant this year. The standard of finalists is exceptional, and we also have some excellent newcomers on the list which is great news for the industry as it continues to flourish in today’s challenging economic climate.”
The 14th Asian Curry Awards and Asian Catering Federation Gala Dinner is sponsored by Cobra Beer, Kingfisher Beer, and WorkPermitCloud Ltd., and 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. You can cast your vote for your favourite finalist here.