A restaurant in Rochdale has scooped the top prize at the ‘Curry Oscars’ to be named the best curry house in the UK.
The prestigious awards reveal the best of UK Asian cuisine from thousands of nominations, and celebrate the UK’s Curry Industry.
Categories include National Takeaway of the Year, Fine Dine Restaurant of the Year, and Street Food of the Year, as well as awards recognising the best in Korean, Japanese and Sri Lankan cooking.
But this year the big prize – the Champion of Champions Award – went to The Milnrow Balti Restaurant in Rochdale.
The Dale Street restaurant is loved for its authentic Indian cooking, and its neon-soaked restaurant space in the heart of the town.
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It’s an extra victory for The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, which last year received the Regional Restaurant of the Year award for the North West of England.
Speaking on the red carpet at the awards ceremony in London, which is nicknamed the ‘Curry Oscars’, a spokesperson for the restaurant said: “This is massive for us.
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“You know, to win an award today, but to win this one over everything else – it just goes to show that hard work and dedication that everyone’s doing, and how much the customers enjoy coming to the Milnrow Balti, it just goes to show the dedication that all the staff put in there. We’re really delighted and over the moon with this one.”
The restaurant has shared a heartfelt message today after receiving the huge award last night, thanking their ‘curry-loving community’ for their ‘unwavering support’.
They wrote: “This award belongs to each and every one of you, our amazing customers. It is a testament to your trust, loyalty, and love for our curry creations.
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The Milnrow Balti Restaurant in Rochdale has been named the best curry house in the UK. Credit: FacebookThe Milnrow Balti Restaurant in Rochdale has been named the best curry house in the UK. Credit: Facebook
“Your continued patronage and recommendations to family and friends have contributed significantly to our success.”
The Milnrow Balti Restaurant also said: “We are immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who consistently strive to bring you the best curry experience you deserve.
“From our talented chefs who skillfully craft each dish with passion, to our attentive staff who ensure your dining experience is exceptional, every member of our team goes above and beyond to make your visit memorable.”
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
9th October 2023 
