Kismet crew curry favour to win again

Not only did Bonnybridge’s Kismet Tandoori capture the title for the second straight year, but runners up Indian Harvest and third placed Chilli Cottage also retained their lofty positions from 2016.

Kismet Tandoori’s Gopi Singh, who has been the manager at the popular takeaway for six years, thanked all the establishment’s loyal customers and everyone else who voted to propel them to their second trophy.

He said: “They have helped us to win this twice in two years.”

Last year’s win came as a bit of a shock to Gopi and the gang, but he did state his customers always say the High Street eatery is one of the best and this year’s result seems to have confirmed this.

The Falkirk Herald was on hand to present the Curry House of the Year trophy to the team at Kismet yesterday (Wednesday), meaning they can once again officially call themselves the best curry house in the Forth Valley area.

In a tightly contested competition, which was narrowed down to just ten restaurants and takeaways last month out of scores of initial entrants, Bainsford’s Indian Harvest and Maddiston’s Chilli Cottage received certificates for finishing in second and third place respectively.

Both venues admitted they wanted to get their hands on the trophy and will be trying their best to tempt tastebuds even further with their spicy creations in the run-up to next year’s competition.

Sonia Salhotra, Indian Harvest manager, said: “We are obviously a wee bit disappointed to miss out again but thanks must go to all our staff and loyal customers for their support.”

Chilli Cottage manager Mohammad Ahmed said: “We thank everyone who participated in the vote and allowed the Chilli Cottage to get another third place finish. Obviously we hope to do a couple of positions better next year.”

The shortlist for the 2017 contest included the Falkirk’s Sanam Tandoori, Spice Express, Tasty Grill, Denny’s Chilli Hut, Banknock’s Classic India, Grangemouth’s Natural Spice and Bonnybridge’s Indian Cottage.