A Burnley restaurant, that has been nominated for the Lancashire Telegraph’s Best Curry House competition, said it has seen a boom in business since appearing on a BBC television show.
Our readers have nominated Aroma Asian, on Church Street, as one of the best curry houses in East Lancashire. We caught up with manager, Danyal Majeed, to find out what makes the restaurant so special.
He said: “It is a huge privilege to be among Lancashire’s best. It’s a real honour and something we are proud of.
“It’s great to be recognised for our hard work and we’d like to thank everyone who has nominated us.”
Danyal said the restaurant stands out from the crowd, thanks to its dishes that “have a modern twist”.
He said: “We are a little different. Many of our dishes have a modern twist and we like to go above and beyond for our customers. We like to make them feel like our family and we have a great relationship with all of our customers.
“They enjoy the food, atmosphere and service and that is why they return.”
Owner of the restaurant, Abdul Majeed, has been at the helm of the restaurant for 45 years. The decades of dedication earned him a lifetime achievement award in 2022.
Abdul was just 21-years-old when he came to Burnley, looking to set up a business. He opened Kohinoor Restaurant in 1979, which was located on Manchester Road near Burnley Town Hall.
After successfully running this restaurant for eight years, Abdul decided to expand.
He moved to the business’ current site, on Church Street, in 1987, opening the The Shalamar Restaurant. In 2007, it was redeveloped to Aroma Asian.
Danyal, Abdul’s son, said the site’s long-standing history is the reason behind the site’s great reputation and return customers.
Danyal said: “Many families come and Abdul has welcomed four generations through the doors.
“80-90 per cent of customers are regulars. We know them and their families and it is always great to see them.
“The special thing about our dishes is that there is something for everybody.”
They cooked a curry dish called Murgh Harabhara and Abdul promised to provide naan breads for a cricket game that was being organised for the episode.
Danyal said there has been an increase in customers since the episode aired, with more customers ordering the dish.
He said: “The dish was recently on BBC 2 in an episode that aired this year. Since it aired that dish has been very popular.
“Over the last few months, since the episode aired, we have been a lot busier and there has been a boost in performance. Part of that is probably because we have been on television. A lot of people have come and wanted to try that dish in particular.”
Danyal, aged 21, said to be named Best Curry House would be a “real achievement”.
He said: “Even to be nominated is an honour and privilege but to win would be remarkable and a real achievement, as there are a lot of good curry houses in Lancashire
“Without our customers, none of this would be possible. A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into this, from all members of staff. To win would be a testament to our hard work and efforts.
“I want to thank everyone who has nominated, it is a real honour.
“It is nice to look back and reflect on our achievements. To win is something we will look back on and be proud of.”
We have collated the votes and whittled them down to a top 10 that received the most nominations and have made the final shortlist.
Readers can vote for the ‘Best Curry House 2024’ by picking up copies of the Lancashire Telegraph between Monday, October 28 and Saturday, November 9.
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