After winning top prizes both in 2012 and 2013, restaurant owner, master chef and British Airways purser Sabbir Karim has again been awarded top accolades at the 2014 Asian Curry Awards held recently at the Hilton Park Lane.
There was a pan-Asian set of restaurants and audience members making the event “Asian” in the widest sense of the word. Indonesia, Malaysia and China were all represented along with Indians and a preponderance of Bangladeshis who have been the drivers behind the popularity of Asian restaurants in Britain.
Yawar Khan, Chairman of the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers and the Asian Curry Awards, opened the event which was presented by a Chinese-South Asian team.
Chinese classical singer/songwriter Maisie Tooley performed and there were also dance, song and martial arts items from a young Chinese singer and South Asian dance troupe.
As soon as the audience sat down, the awards started rolling. There were prizes for restaurants all over the UK and one prizewinner from Stockholm.
But Sabbir Karim stands out from the rest for his healthy and innovative dining concept. His food is quite unlike anything else available on the market in being novel, yet filling and with a big Asian influence. Beautifully presented, each dish is an art work and not frustratingly minimalistic like that offered by many of his rivals.
So after winning big in 2012 and 2013 at the Asian Curry Awards, it was not surprising that he was soon up on stage to be given the prize for Best South Asian Restaurant London for Namaste Kitchen, in Camden.
Sabbir believes in team playing and acknowledges the work of his beautiful Pakistani wife Aneela. She along with his restaurant managers, Karan and Ed, were present, along with his sister’s family and his 74-year old mother.
Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg was the Chief Guest of the evening and Sabbir was invited back stage to speak with him privately. There, examples of Sabbir’s cuisine were laid out to show to Mr Clegg and Sabbir discussed them with him.
They then went on stage where Nick Clegg presented Sabbir with the Chef of the Year Award 2014, the most important prize of the ceremony since a restaurant set is only as good as its master chef.
“I feel extremely honoured to have been awarded title of Best Chef of the Year and am so pleased that Namaaste Kitchen’s fine cuisine and hospitality has once again won the Best South Asian Restaurant in London,” says Sabbir Karim.
The Guardian calls Sabbir “A maestro in Modern Indian and Traditional cooking.” Sabbir takes influences from his counterparts in Mumbai, Delhi, Karachi, Dhaka, Mauritius, Rangoon, and other international cuisine hubs.
That’s why he is popular on television, radio and in the wider media.
Sabbir continues to win big through his consistent hard work and humbly continues to serve the world through cuisine.
