A BARNARD Castle curry house has won a major accolade at The Chef TV Reality Show’s annual awards.
The Bengal Merchant, on The Bank, was nominated after being visited by a mystery diner and was one of 29 restaurants to reach the regional finals.
The business came away as the winner in the Tees Valley region at a ceremony in Newcastle last week.
The Bengal Merchant has featured in good curry guides before – but this is the first major award it has won in the 11 years that it has been run by brothers Mufti, Chad, Naz and Mo Choudhury.
Mo said: “This award has been a long time coming but we’ve built this business up and laid a foundation and we are finally getting the credit. We are so happy – this award tops it off.”
The restaurant underwent a major refurbishment last year and Mufti, who has taken over as chef, said: “We really appreciate all our customers. Without customers you are nothing – many of them have become good friends of ours. My mum always used to tell me to treat people how you want to be treated yourself.”
The award was presented by Michelle Ord, from the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce.
In their acceptance speech to other chefs and restaurant owners competing, the Bengal Merchant brothers emphasised how lucky they felt to be based in Barnard Castle.
The brothers plan to put their award on display in the restaurant and hope to enter the competition, which is growing rapidly, again next year.
The Chef celebrates the best of Indian cuisine. It pits best Indian cooks from across the North of England against each other in competition broadcast to thousands.
Jamie Driscoll, the North of Tyne Mayor, was one of many guests in attendance. He stated how it important that chefs come out of the kitchen and have their moment in the spotlight.
The restaurant underwent a major refurbishment last year and Mufti, who has taken over as chef, said: “We really appreciate all our customers.
“Without customers you are nothing – many of them have become good friends of ours. My mum always used to tell me to treat people how you want to be treated yourself.” The award was presented by Michelle Ord, from the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce.
In their acceptance speech to other chefs competing, the Bengal Merchant brothers emphasised how lucky they felt to be based in Barnard Castle. The brothers plan to put their award on display in the restaurant and hope to enter the competition, which is growing rapidly, again next year. The Chef TV Reality Show celebrates the best of Indian cuisine. It pits the best Indian cooks from across the North of England against each other in competition broadcast to thousands.
