A Darlington restaurant received national recognition at a prestigious awards night in London last week.

Babul’s in Darlington was featured in the category of the top six newcomers in the UK at the British Curry Awards 2022.

The Darlington curry house was the only eatery north of Leeds to get a mention in this category.

Although Babul’s didn’t walk away with the number one spot, the team is thrilled to be competing with “the big boys” in London.

The Northern Echo: Zak and Shuhel Ahmed of Babul's in Darlington and Barnard Castle Zak and Shuhel Ahmed of Babul's in Darlington and Barnard Castle (Image: Sarah Caldecott/Newsquest)

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Zak Ahmed, manager of Babul’s said: “The British Curry Awards is such a big awards night in the industry. It’s the original awards for Indian restaurants, it’s basically the Curry Oscars.

“We didn’t think we really stood a chance to be honest so we decided to just go down to London, have a good night and just enjoy the experience and then when we were in the top six for newcomers, that was just even better.

“The atmosphere was buzzing, there was music and we even got to meet Nina Wadia and we were a bit starstruck because we all used to love watching Goodness Gracious Me.

“Apart from us and Dastaan in Leeds, all the other restaurants in the newcomer category were in London so we never expected to be competing with the such well-known venues and it’s great to get some inspiration from some of the big-timers.

“We have had a lot of support from local people in Darlington and it’s nice to know that we’ve become part of the town and people are proud of us and our success. What makes us feel warm is knowing that locals feel genuinely happy for us and proud of us, almost like a proud parent!”

The Northern Echo: Babul's in Darlington was recogised as one of the top six newcomers in the UKBabul's in Darlington was recogised as one of the top six newcomers in the UK (Image: Zak Ahmed)

The Northern Echo: The team was overjoyed to know they could compete with restaurants in London The team was overjoyed to know they could compete with restaurants in London (Image: Sarah Caldecott/Newsquest)

The other restaurants to make it on the list of top six newcomers were; Yatraa in Westminster, OMNOM in Islington, The Orangery by Sapna Caterers in Uxbridge, Dastaan in Leeds and the number one spot went to Colonel Saab in Holburn.

This accolade is particularly impressive as Babul’s only opened in Darlington on October 14 this year, but clearly it has already made a big impact not just locally, but nationally.

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