Two of the nine Scottish finalists announced for the UK’s Asian Curry Awards are from Elgin.
Spice Tandoori and Panache, which are only yards apart, are the only restaurants from the north and north-east to make the longlist for the national prize.
Both of the Moray eateries have established a track-record in competitions in recent years.
Spice Tandoori on Moss Street was named as Scotland’s best Indian restaurant at last year’s Asian Curry Awards.
Meanwhile, Panache on South Street was crowned the best in the north at last year’s Asian Restaurant Awards Scotland awards for the second year running.
Hot competition to be UK’s best curry house
The longlist for the Asian Curry Awards was announced to coincide with the end of National Curry Week.
Nominees will now be whittled down by an online public vote before visiting judges take on the arduous task of sampling the food to choose the best.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on November 21.
The categories have been opened to all Asian and Oriental cuisines, including Indian, Chinese, Korean, Thai and others.
Yawar Khan, chairman of organisers Asian Catering Federation, said: “The pandemic has been devastating for many hospitality businesses and its workers.
“These awards will acknowledge the sector’s resilience, innovation in the face of such adversity.”
In full: Scottish nominees for Asian Curry Awards
- Spice Tandoori, Elgin
- Ignite Restaurant, Edinburgh
- Charcoals Restaurant, Glasgow
- The Royal Bengal, Dunfermline
- Multan Tandoori, Paisley
- Sanam Tandoori, Falkirk
- Mother India’s Café, Edinburgh
- Mushtaqs Restaurant, Hamilton
- Panache Restaurant, Elgin