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This Indian takeaway in Prestwich has just been named the best in the UK

Two Greater Manchester curry houses won big at the 2022 Asian Restaurant and Takeaway awards

Georgina Pellant - 3rd October 2022

An Indian takeaway in Prestwich has just beaten rivals up and down the country to be crowned the best in the whole of the UK.

Bombay Cuisine in Prestwich, Manchester won the accolade of National Takeaway of The Year 2022 at the annual Asian Restaurant and Takeaway awards, taking home the accolade at a celebrity red-carpet event.

Serving up a mixture of traditional dishes like jalfrezi and karahi alongside a wide selection of masala, pasanda, biryani and balti dishes, you’ll also find a long list of house and chef specialities on the menu at Bombay Cuisine.

From Indian cheese kofta to the popular Gujurati dish achari, plus shahi suria, chana walla and murgh musallam, the specials menu is packed with mouthwatering dishes.

Elsewhere you’ll find a special sizzling tandoori section with all dishes barbecued in a special clay oven, as well as a list of ‘Nice n Spicy’ specials for those who aren’t shy of a bit of heat.

Speaking on their award win, the restaurant told The Manc: “We want to start off by saying a huge thank you to our customers who have nominated us to win not 1, but 2 awards in the north west region.

“Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible and we would also like to thank our customers for supporting us from the very first day we opened our doors in Prestwich.

“We feel honoured and privileged to have won such a big award and becoming the national takeaway of the year 2022.

“It’s a very big achievement for us and we are feeling so proud of the team behind Bombay Cuisine for the hard work and effort they put in to make such wonderful food to serve the local community of Prestwich and surrounding areas. Thank you.”

Bombay Cuisine was not the only Greater Manchester restaurant to win big, either, with The Milnrow Balti in Rochdale also taking home the Regional Restaurant of the Year award for the North West of England – proving that we really are spoilt for choice in this part of the world.

Each year, the awards reveal the best of UK Asian cuisine selected from 2,400 nominations from South Asian restaurants, takeaways, chefs, and personalities across the country.

They celebrate the UK’s Curry industry, which contributes £5 billion to the economy annually and, as of 2015, has accounted for a fifth of the restaurants in the UK dating back to the 1800’s.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred to Mr Muquim Ahmed, a renowned
British entrepreneur who was a successful restaurateur and has spent over 40 years in
building a rapidly growing business empire. He is also known as the King of London’s Brick Lane.

The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of expert ambassadors and judges, and restaurants were awarded based on three key factors: quality of food, quality of service, and value for money.

This was followed by the ARTA score, which includes food hygiene rating and reviews from websites like TripAdvisor and Google.

Restaurants that made it through the gruelling first phase were judged and invited to participate in a cook-off competition where they were scored once again on various factors including: flavour, appearance, texture, hygiene and aroma.

Speaking about the Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards 2022, Salik Mohammed Munim, Founder of the ARTA Awards, said: “The ARTA Awards 2022 are a celebration and recognition of Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants, takeaways, and chefs.

“Since the inception of ARTA, we have clearly seen the phenomenal quality of entrants, and the bar set
by each, and every nominee has been increasing each year.

“I am truly blown away by the standards set by the competition and having been privy to exceptional quality and service extended by the nominees, I can confidently assert that Asian culinary industry in Britain is in safe hands.

“Every nominee and winner should be proud of their work.”

The awards also offered solidarity and morale for the industry which is currently facing headwinds including with the high cost of energy, inflation, and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

Salik Mohammed added: “ARTA 2022 is extremely special for us, as it has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The gathering was emotional and symbolic, as it brought together members of the Asian cuisine industry during an exceptionally difficult and testing time.

“The cost of energy crisis is a real threat to the sector, and many are faced with the prospect of closing doors after having served their local communities and patrons for decades.

“This has been a back-to-back assault on the sector, which was recently reeling and recovering from the pandemic, and staffing shortages post-Brexit.

“It was a poignant moment for us all, to be together and extend moral support and well-wishes. I truly wish us all the very best.”

Feature image – Bombay Cuisine