Babul's, in Darlington, has been nominated for The Northern Echo's best curry house competition.

First opening in 2022, the popular Skinnergate restaurant has gone on to become one of the town's hottest culinary destinations, known for its "10 out of 10" food and "excellent" service. 

It has recently been nominated for a swathe of major awards in the culinary industry - recently being crowned restaurant of the year at the third North East Bangladeshi Awards (NEBA) and the best restaurant in the North East at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTAs).

Now, Babul's is set to compete for The Northern Echo's best curry house crown.  The chain was founded by Rafique Uddin Babul in 1995, originally known as Spice Island, with the Barnard Castle restaurant remaining popular across County Durham and Darlington. 

It was rebranded to Babul's in 2019, before the Darlington restaurant opened its doors for the first time in late 2022. 

Rafique sadly died in 2023 - but his legacy lives on, and he was recently named a "special British curry legend" by Curry Life Magazine at awards at the London Marriott, Grosvenor Square, on October 13.

At the time, his son, Zak Ahmed, described how his dad taught them the "right lessons in life" - adding they are "where we are because of the guidance of him."

Speaking on the nomination, Zak Ahmed told The Echo this week: "Our Darlington restaurant is more aligned with what a city restaurant experience would be - and we're still doing well at our Barnard Castle restaurant. 

"It's all confidence that we are doing the right thing. There's a bit of competition there with Darlington and Barnard Castle both being nominated - we can go head to head between staff as a friendly competition (although they work between sites).


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"This year for all the major restaurant awards we have been nominated and in the final in every one. We've now got five more to go. 

"Everybody that has got something to do with Babul's is happy to be a part of the journey. You can see how proud everyone is who working for us to be at an award winning restaurant. 

"It is a nice feeling for everybody and a nice recognition for the team."

You can make a nomination by picking up a copy of The Northern Echo, ticking the box of your favourite curry and house, and cutting out the coupon. 

Then post your coupon to Suite 10, Second Floor, Coniscliffe House, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 7EE.

Voting ends Wednesday, November 13 2024. Photocopies or illegible voting coupons will not be counted. Full terms and conditions can be found here.