Charles's favourite curry house wins awards

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The family-run Brilliant Restaurant in Southall was named best Punjabi restaurant and given a lifetime achievement award in the Cobra Good Curry Awards.

The 30-year-old restaurant, the oldest in Southall, has proved so popular that it has expanded six times and, despite never having advertised, boasts fans including Prince Charles, Princess Anne, John Major and Bollywood stars.

It was set up by brothers Gulu and Kewal Anand, who came to Britain in 1972 from Nairobi, where they had run a successful restaurant called Brilliant.

They began working for an engineering company, earning £17 a week, before taking on small catering jobs from their home, which they shared with their families.

Soon they were cooking for up 200 people, charging £1.50 per head, but demand grew so much that they had borrow money to buy the current premises.

They haven't looked back since. Gulu Anand said today: "Brilliant is an institution in Southall and we're really proud to be in the limelight of the Indian food industry.

"We've been in the Good Food Guide for more than 25 years and I'm glad people realise how important the food is.

"It's the kind of food I'd eat at home and we have even introduced a healthy menu to move with the times. Now Brilliant is like a magnet. Once you have been, you can't help coming back."

The awards, which are in their fifth year, are intended to honour the contribution and achievements of British Asian restaurants, which employ about 80,000 people nationally.

Thirty years ago there were fewer than 500 curry houses in the UK. Today there are more than 10,000. The awards ceremony is taking place at the London Hilton Hotel today.

The top accolade of best UK restaurant went to Madhu's, which is also in Southall and run by Gulu Anand's nephew, Sanjay. Madhu's, which serves Punjabi cuisine with a Kenyan twist, has the exclusive rights to serve Indian cuisine in the Harrods food hall.