Cowbridge Indian Restaurant Wins Big at Asian and Curry Awards 2019

By The Editor

26th Nov 2019 | Local News

Shampan, an Indian Restaurant located on Cowbridge high street, have recently been awarded the ''Asian Restaurant of the Year in South Wales'' at the Asian and Curry Awards 2019.

The Asian Curry Awards are designed to recognise the best in the industry, encouraging ever higher standards and to inspire the next generation of chefs and restaurateurs to join this dynamic sector.

The awards shortlist was determined by over 100,000 votes from spice-loving members of the public.

A team of judges, led by Pat Chapman, editor of the Cobra Good Curry Guide, toured the country to determine the winners with preference shown to restaurants, with healthy, authentic regional dishes with modern gastro influences.

Cowbridge Nub News visited the local business to find out more.

The business mixes authentic Indian food with and educational guide to your menu choices.

They have tried to steer clear of the spreadsheet style menu often seen in Indian Restaurants across the UK.

The restaurant pulls their dishes from different influences from different areas but stick to the genuine style in which these are made.

Their idea is that you eat the sauce that matches the meat, so their speciality dishes do not have the option for mix and match.

The owner said: ''We want to educate the general public and help them transition into eating really authentic and quality Indian food.''

Their head chef Ashi Aravind, who they attribute much of the success of the business to, has worked for a variety of high-end, innovative, Indian cuisines including Mint and Mustard, the Purple Poppadum and the Pickled Pepper.

For Shampan, he collected ''Chef of the Year'' at the Asian and Curry Awards 2018.

Regarding their recent success the owner said: ''The best moment of the awards ceremony was when the chairman said, 'if I was local I would come and eat here every day''. It meant more to me than the award itself.''

Shampan are very involved in the local community. They regularly host different community groups for meals, take part in charitable events and see themselves as one of the social hubs within Cowbridge.

The owner said: ''The support we receive from the local community is massive. It is so important to us.''

Shampan is no stranger to receiving awards, having picked up 3 since they took over the business in 2018.

This year, alongside their most recent accolade, they received a 'highly commended' status in the 2019 Food Awards.

On our visit, we were invited to sample a variety of dishes based on their principle of authenticity.

We discussed the different types of heat and spice levels of different curries as well as the meat we wanted and were given guidance on what to choose based on our preferences.

The curry is good, very good, and the quality of the food was fantastic. If you are visiting, we can definitely recommend the soft-shell crab and Allepy seafood curries.

Over 700 VIP guests attended the Asian hospitality sector most prestigious event, the Asian Curry Awards in Association with Just Eat, at the Grosvenor House in London's Mayfair on Sunday 17th November.

Guest of Honour, Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, praised the contribution of the British Asians. "By bringing the best of Asian culinary traditions to these shores, these restaurant owners have expanded not only the choice of food available to the British public, but our very identity as an open, inclusive and multicultural nation," he said.

Addressing an audience of ambassadors to London, high commissioners, senior politicians, embassy officials and business, Yawar Khan, Chairman of the Asian Catering Federation, which hosts the Awards, congratulated the winners, but warned them not to rest on their laurels.

He said: "We work in a dynamic, fast developing sector where customers' dining habits are constantly evolving." He encouraged them to embrace change and welcome the challenges.

     

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