Three Indian eateries in Northern Ireland have been shortlisted for this year’s Asian Restaurant Awards in Manchester.
o Down town Bangor featured as the home of two of the shortlisted entries from here, with restaurant Yaks on Abbey Street and Bokhara on King Street.
Cinnamon Restaurant based on the Comber Road in Belfast was the final entry from Northern Ireland, with all three competing against some of the toughest competition from around the UK.
For Yaks though it will be a familiar battle, having already taken the crown as best Asian restaurant in Northern Ireland in the 2019 competition.
The finalists in the competition were determined by over 100,000 votes from members of the public across the UK, with the awards celebrating the best of Asian and Oriental cuisines.
A gala dinner event will be held on August 31, with judges from the Asian Catering Federation (ACF) now having the task of visiting the shortlisted finalists to determine winners in each of the categories.
The finalists from Northern Ireland will be hoping to impress the judges enough to scoop an award at the presentation ceremony held at the Mercure Piccadilly.
ACF chairman Yawar Khan said many of those restaurants involved in the competition were forced to adapt to serving takeaway food as a result of Covid-19
“The pandemic has been devastating for many hospitality businesses and its workers,†he said.
“These awards will acknowledge the sector’s resilience, innovation and generosity in the face of such adversity.â€
