Birmingham's Itihaas Wins British Curry Awards Newcomer of the Year
Organised by leading trade magazine Spice Business and sponsored by Lloyds TSB and Virgin Atlantic, this prestigious 2nd annual awards ceremony recognising top-class curry restaurants from across the UK took place 6.30pm Sunday 17th September at The Grosvenor House Hotel, London and was attended by 1200 restaurant owners and guests. Alastair Stewart, of ITN news presented the awards, together with Rolf Harris.
Itihaas, opened in Birmingham in January 2005 and beat off fierce competition from London restaurants to win “Newcomer of the Year” bringing the award to the Midlands region for the first time. Alastair Stewart acknowledged that there was no need to read out the other nominees as Itihaas was by far the frontrunner.
The inspiration behind this stylish restaurant is 28 year old Birmingham entrepreneur Raj Rana. With no previous catering experience and a business background in jewellery and property management he says “My vision was of a restaurant that was more than just somewhere to eat – I wanted it to envelop fantastic food, superb service and a unique environment, creating a place where fads and fashions are irrelevant. Itihaas is a pure labour of love for me and is simply one man’s interpretation of royal cuisine and royal service, yet still having a relaxed and informal atmosphere.”
“We are over the moon to have won to have won this award, which is the ‘Bafta’ of the restaurant world. We were up against very stiff competition especially from London-based restaurants, so it is an honour to bring this prestigious award to the Midlands, putting Birmingham firmly on the map for Indian Cuisine.”
In his acceptance speech, Raj made mention of the help and support that Allied Irish Bank had provided since opening in Birmingham, and their continuing business growth into outside catering.
With a £2m spend on the building and furnishings, contemporary meets traditional where clean, crisp décor mixes seamlessly with 18th and 19th century Indian artefacts follows the traditions of Mogul and Maharaja India with dishes influenced by North India, Mumbai, Chinese Fusion and Kenya served up by award winning head chef Amardeep Saka, 30, who previously worked for the famous five star Taj Mansingh Delhi Hotel.
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