Itihaas is Number 6 in the Top 16 Google Indian Takeaway Reviews

Matin Khan, who runs two restaurants on the outskirts of Edinburgh, has been named the UK’s top curry chef by the industry’s trade magazine.

Executive Chef of Itihaas in Dalkeith and The Radhuni in Loanhead, he was given the accolade on Sunday 15 October in front of an audience of 500 at the Curry Life Awards at the Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair.

In a double triumph for Scotland, Radhuni was awarded the title of the UK’s best curry restaurant.

Since Matin opened the 80 seat Itihaas in 2007 its titles have included Scotland’s Curry Chef of the Year, Best South Asian Restaurant, and Restaurant of the Year in the Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce Awards.

His son Habibur, who accepted the award on his behalf, has managed Radhuni since it opened in 2011. At the age of 23 in 2019 he became the youngest person to win a major award in the British Curry Awards.

The audience at the awards, which celebrate the best of the UK’s multi-billion-pound curry industry, included Minister for London Paul Scully, former UK Health Secretary Baroness Virginia Bottomley, her MP husband Sir Peter (longest serving Member of the House of Commons), four other MPs and Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and a former President of the Confederation of British Industry. The event was hosted by ITV news presenter Lucrezia Millarini.

A chef for over 40 years, Matin was born in Bangladesh.  After his family moved to Cambridge when he was a teenager, he began honing his cooking skills in the family home.

“It’s a great honour to be described as the finest curry chef in the United Kingdom,” he commented. “There are so many wonderful chefs working in thousands of restaurants all over the country that I am truly humbled and very proud. My emphasis has always been on developing authentic recipes and working with the finest kitchen and front of house staff.”

The 120-seat Radhuni (its name means ‘passionate cook’) is one of only three Indian-style restaurants in Scotland to have been awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence.

Regularly placed in the British Curry Awards’ “Hot 100”, it was named Scottish Curry Restaurant of the Year in 2020 and 2021 and in July this year took the same title in the Scottish Restaurant Awards.

Habibur Khan commented: “These are remarkable achievements for my father and the restaurants he established. His legacy is assured. Helped by my father’s guidance, the team at Radhuni have worked tirelessly and with great skill to create a constantly first class dining experience. We are overwhelmed by this latest honour.”

Curry Life magazine reaches 10,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Pakistani restaurants serving millions of customers a year.

The ‘curry industry’ is said to account for two thirds of all eating out in the UK. Indian-style restaurants get through more than 200,000 tonnes of rice a year.

A right carry on! Midlothian restaurants take away more plaudits

Midlothian restaurants Radhuni and Itihaas are carrying on where they left off – by being listed among Scotland’s top takeaways.

In September the India-Bangladeshi restaurants were ranked 2 and 5 on a list of the country’s best curry restaurants as reviewed by customers on Google.

Now they’ve proved to be similar hits in reviews posted by the global Internet provider – for takeaway food. Radhuni, in Loanhead, is listed at number 3 with an average score of 4.7 out of 5, with Itihaas, in Dalkeith, at number 6 with a mark of 4.5.

Both are owned and run by the same family.

Google’s top 16 includes takeaways from Shetland to the Borders and from Ullapool to Fife. Two Edinburgh restaurants make the list – Oink in Victoria Street at 9 and Kebab Mahal in Nicolson Square at 15 respectively.

The family firm’s distinctions include winning the title of Scotland’s Curry Chef of the Year twice – Matin Khan at Itihaas in 2014 and Ashok Ram of Radhuni last year. The 120-seater Radhuni is shortlisted in the 2019 British Curry Awards to be announced in London next Monday 25 November.

Matin Khan commented: “Itihaas and Radhuni lavish the same meticulous care and attention on our takeaways as the food we serve to in-house diners. We’re grateful to all the customers who praised our service for giving them the opportunity to enjoy the best Indian-Bangladeshi cuisine in the comfort of their own homes.”

Read the original article in the Edinburgh Evening News here.

Read coverage of this article in The Midlothian Advertiser here.

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest

Indian Restaurant Edinburgh

Indian Restaurant Edinburgh

17-19 Eskbank Road, Dalkieth, EH22 1HD | 0131 663 9800
Monday – Thursday || 12pm-2pm || 5pm-10:30pm
Friday – Sunday || 12pm-2pm || 4:30pm-10:30pm
Closed Tuesday

17-19 Eskbank Road, Dalkieth, EH22 1HD
0131 663 9800

Monday – Thursday || 12pm-2pm || 5pm-10:30pm
Friday – Sunday || 12pm-2pm || 4:30pm-10:30pm
Closed Tuesday

Home

swipe left

EAT

swipe left or right

VISIT

swipe left or right

story

swipe right

Proud to serve our community

Established in 1997

Taste our Best - Visit Scotland - Itihaas - Indian Restaurant in Edinburgh
Midlothian & East Lothian - Chamber of commerce - Itihaas Award
Thank You NHS - Itihaas