A FOREST Hill curry house has been crowned Britain’s best Indian restaurant and the first ever to score a sizzling full marks by a panel of secret judges.
Family-owned Babur, in Brockley Rise, beat off competition from around the UK to be voted Curry Capital of Britain’s Best Indian Restaurant 2013.
Founder of the Curry Capital of Britain Peter Grove personally praised the restaurant for scoring the “dizzy heights” of an unheard of 10 out of 10 in the award’s 11-year history.
Babur manager Emdad Rahman told News Shopper: “It is huge news for us.
“We are thrilled and excited about it as it makes you feel you are doing something worthwhile."
Speaking of the secret of the team's success, Mr Rahman said: “We are very different in terms of what we do – whether it is the service or our cooking, and the fact we do a lot of festivals.
“Mixing spices is is to be done with respect to the main ingredient so everything comes through individually.”
The 50-year-old father-of-two says his staff are recruited from the top hotels in India to the 28-year-old restaurant.
He said: “The best of the best have been brought into Brockley Rise.
“We are no different from the restaurants in the West End, but happen to be in this neighbourhood.
“It is a very upcoming area.”
Praising Babur, Peter Grove said: "I have spent many years judging Indian restaurants all over Britain and have never experienced a restaurant receiving full marks from the assessing judges.
“To reach these dizzy heights a restaurant first has to be chosen as one of four to represent a city by the public, then carefully inspected secretly by Judges, then given a Health and Safety review and lastly a Trip Advisor review.
“In each of these areas Emdad Rahman's team at Babur received full marks giving them the only perfect 10/10 in the 11 year history of the competition."
The results came in as part of last week’s National Curry Week for the awards in association with hungryhouse.co.uk
The team will be given a trophy at a curry cruise on October 27 along the Thames. Tickets cost £15 and information is available by emailing groveint@aol.com
To find out more about Babur contact 020 8291 2400, email mail@babur.info or visit babur.info
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