The UK’s best curry houses have just been named for 2023, and we’re pleased to see that a few of our favourite Manchester restaurants have been included in the cut.
The Nation’s Curry Awards were celebrated at a glitzy ceremony in Manchester last night, with hospitality pros across the region picking up gongs for their excellent cooking skills.
Designed to recognise and celebrate ‘the talents and hard work of individuals and businesses within the UK’s curry industry’, awards categories included Best Chef of the Year, Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year, and Best Customer Service.
Taking home the gong for Best of Manchester was Asha’s on Peter Street. A fine dining Indian restaurant established in 2016, it featured in the Michelin Guide in 2017 and 2018 and takes its name from Bollywood icon and founder Asha Bhosle.
Beating other popular Manchester eateries like Indian Tiffin Room, Delhi House Cafe, Kabana, Arnero, Wah Ji Wah, Dhoom Dhaam, Indique, and Chit ‘N’ Chaat, the team took to social media to celebrate after the ceremony writing: “We won! ‘Best of Manchester!”
ADVERTISEMENT
“Thank you to all our customers for your continued support at Asha’s. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the #nationalcurryawards.”
Fans were quick to congratulate the restaurant, with one person writing: “Huge Congratulations. Totally deserving. For my favourite restaurant.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Another said: “You deserve all the best, you r the one and the one only. Love you all so much without knowing you …”
Asha’s reopened after a period of closure and a change of management last August, following a takeover by KRO Hospitality group.
At the time, it retained its executive chef Ashwani Rangta but he has since moved over to Cheshire to head up the newly acclaimed eatery GupShup. However, the award win last night suggests that Asha’s is as popular as ever.
Other Greater Manchester restaurants to pick up awards at the ceremony included Ayaan’s in Bolton, which was crowned Pakistani Restaurant of the Year, and The Great Kathmandu, a Burton Road favourite which took home the gong for Best Nepalese Restaurant of the Year.
A Spokesperson for the inaugural Nation’s Curry Awards 2023 said: “It has been an unforgettable night, filled with incredible food, vibrant energy, and passionate conversations.
“We have celebrated the finest in the UK’s curry scene, recognising the creativity, innovation, and exceptional service that have become synonymous with this beloved cuisine.
“The UK’s curry industry is a vital part of our culture, and these awards recognised the exceptional talents of the individuals and businesses that make it so special. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, and thank you to everyone who participated and supported this event.”
Feature image – Asha’s Manchester
Eats
Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort
Daisy Jackson
Big Licks, the Manchester restaurant that’s found the ‘sweet spot’ between amazing burgers and delicious desserts, is sailing through a huge crowdfunding campaign.
The restaurant, which has an eye-catching location down on Liverpool Road as well as two sites in Scotland, has already raised a whopping £135,000 for its expansion dreams.
It’s now pushing to hit £150,000 so that it can open new restaurants and franchises across the UK.
Big Licks was first launched by two teenagers in 2009 as a takeaway – it’s now gone on to be a rapidly expanding name bringing in £3m in sales and more than 400,000 customers in the last 12 months alone.
On their menu you’ll find incredible smash burgers (with up to four patties in each bun) made with free-range grass-fed beef that they source directly from farm, or buttermilk chicken topped with their signature ranch sauce.
There’s also an impressive menu of house-churned ice cream made with quality local ingredients, and cakes, cheesecakes and brownies all baked in house daily.
All that is alongside fried chicken, loaded fries, and other mouth-watering sides.
Next on the agenda for Big Licks is expansion across the country, offering up the chance to become a shareholder in this bright young business.
They want to use the money raised to prepare the business for franchising, with a target to open 18 restaurants by 2027.
Then any extra money raised will be used to open more company-owned restaurants.
And there are rewards on offer for those who choose to invest in Big Licks.
If you invest £100, you’ll get a Big Licks White Card which gets you 10% off in store, as well as owning a share of the business.
Then the rewards continue with other things like free burgers and shakes all the way to merch and much bigger discounts.
Co-founder Anees Ahmed said: “It is clear that the potential is great.”
He added: “We believe one of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is creating a hangout spot, a vibe. That will always be our aim when you come to Big Licks.”
The businessman then said: “We won’t compromise on quality. We will always keep sourcing within head office. This means we keep producing our own ice cream using locally sourced organic milk and the finest Italian flavours.
“We’ve found that sweet spot. The combination of sweet desserts and smashing burgers that opens up audience’s doors, covering off every craving.
“We want you to be part of the journey and become a shareholder in Big Licks.”
You can find out more about the Big Licks crowdfunder through Crowdcube here.
*Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Eats
Electrik Bar in Chorlton is giving away 100 FREE frankfurters to celebrate their latest kitchen collab
Danny Jones
We all love a freebie, so we thought we’d spread the good word of the scran lords by letting you know that Electrik over in Chorlton is giving away 100 free frankfurters to celebrate their newest menu takeover.
The popular neighbourhood bar and kitchen on Wilbraham Road in the South Manchester suburb has had a couple of different foodie collaborations over the past couple of years, with local residents Paramogeddon and Four Side Vegan Pizza being the most recent, but now they’re doing hot dogs.
Welcoming their latest vendors Tisch Und Teller, Electrik will be giving away a total of 100 free frankfurters to the first century of people there this evening.
Bringing a taste of Berlin, Bavaria, Frankfurt and more (with a Manc twist, of course) to the popular pub for the Thursday launch party, all you need to do is order a drink upon arrival to get your hands on a free frankfurter sandwiched between a lovely fluffy roll.
Who doesn’t love a hot dog? Especially when they’re giving them away.
As for Tisch Und Teller (TuT), they’ve been serving up German-inspired favourites from the likes of The Shakespeare in Manchester city centre and Nip and Tipple in Whalley Range since September last year, including some very impressive brunches and Sunday roasts.
But the brand just keeps gaining more traction and now they’re setting up shop in Electrik, we’re sure the word will continue to spread – and fast.
Better still, as advertised on the promo poster, not only will TuT now be serving up their delicious food from Electrik every Thursday-Sunday for the foreseeable but the launch party will also live music by local legend and DJing veteran, Abigail Ward of Ghost Assembly.
Free food, pints and top tunes – what more could you ask for on a random weeknight?
The offer will be available from 6pm tonight and, once again, you have to be among the first 100 people to buy a pint to be eligible for a free frankfurter.