Tamarind in Kemsing named Best Curry House in the Home Counties

Tamarind Irestaurant in Kemsing has been given the accolade of Best Curry House in the Home Counties at the Asian Curry Awards.

More than 700 VIP guests including senior politicians from all major political parties and business leaders attended the Asian hospitality sector’s most prestigious event at Grosvenor House in London’s Mayfair on Sunday 17 November.

Receiving his award Tamarind owner Suna Meah, said: “This is the best moment in my 30-year career in the hospitality business.” 

Since opening Tamarind at The Parade, in Dynes Road, Kemsing, four-and-a-half years ago, Meah was invested more than £200,000 refurbishing the property and transforming it from a takeaway to a 70-seater restaurant which employs five kitchen staff and seven people front of house.

He has ambitious plans to extend the building to cater for up to 120 customers, with a private dining area and a bar for pre-dinner drinks and takeaway customers.

Tamarind made to the Asian Curry Awards shortlist after getting votes of hundreds of customers – mostly from local regulars, but a significant numbers of motor sport fans, visiting the area to attend events at nearby Brands Hatch.

The Asian Curry Awards judges who visited the Kemsing restaurant in October, commented on the ‘exceptionally friendly service, and warm, lively ambience’.

The signature dishes of Chef Abdul Masum, who has worked with Suna Meah for over 20 years, came in for high praise, particularly the ‘perfectly rendered’ Tandoori Salmon Tikka, ‘sumptuous’ Bangladeshi King Prawn Zingha, in a rich tamarind sauce and ‘succulent, plump’ Lamb Chop Achari. The restaurant receives fresh daily deliveries from local suppliers including nearby Chart Farm and Dennis of Bexley, an award-winning local butcher.

Meah now plans to add a short, seasonally changing, fine dining menu using more local produce and a massive celebratory party, to thank his local customers who voted for the restaurant.

The Asian Curry Awards are the UK’s only national restaurant awards which cover the entire spectrum of all Asian cuisines. At the same awards in 2016, Tamarind received a highly commended accolade.

This year’s Guest of Honour at the Awards, London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the Asian restaurateurs contribution to British society. He said: “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.”

The full list of Asian Curry Awards winners can be viewed at: www.asiancurryawards.com

Tamarind Indian restaurant: tamarindfinedining.co.uk