Aline Nassif  

aline.nassif@essnmedia.co.uk

INDIAN restaurateur Asad Khan has put his curry house firmly on the good dining map.

The 28-year-old, who lives in Sandilands, Addiscombe, has won a "Mood Food 2010" award for his restaurant, India Dining, in Warlingham.

This means his eatery is among the best out of 9,000 across the country visited by the magazine behind the awards – and is actually in the top six Indian restaurants in Surrey, according to the magazine.

"It is a wonderful acknowledgement that we offer something unique and of high quality," said Mr Khan said. "I do believe the secret of our success is the fact India Dining has evolved with the times and, since it opened in August 2003, has made a lot of changes to satisfy our customers.

"We also have a wealth of expertise on our team – all our chefs come from five star hotels in India, and our manager comes from the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, which is one of the most luxurious in the world."

Mr Khan also owns an Indian tapas bar in House of Fraser, in Croydon's Centrale shopping centre, and has three similar operations opening in Oxford Street, Guildford and the Westfield shopping centre. Despite his expanding empire he has ensured his original restaurant has maintained its high standards.

He added: "Our menu changes every month. We source our spices from India and all our ingredients are fresh. It's a winning recipe and I am delighted to say the restaurant has been extremely busy over the last six months, in spite of the difficult economic climate."

Mood Food magazine editor Peter Grove explained how India Dining was among just six restaurants in Surrey to win the awards – which are seen as a "national accreditation".

He said: "They are in the same league as the best curry houses in Bradford.

"We have an army of tasters who have been secretly visiting restaurants and recommending them back to me for the awards.

"India Dining's cuisine is completely different to a conventional curry house – it offers a unique and a complete dining experience."