Alnwick Indian and Thai restaurants are celebrating their success, including an impressive win for one that opened less than six month ago.

Staff from Leo and SherKhan attended the Prestige Curry Awards in London to receive their multiple awards.

Leo, on Clayport Street, which is co-owned by Abdul Salaam and his uncle Abdul Muhit, received the first award to its name when head chef Numnuan Wilailak won the title of Pan-Asian Chef of The Year 2024.

Num said: "I couldn't believe it, it was an amazing feeling and I have to keep pinching myself.

Head chef Numnuan Wilailak of Leo won pan-Asian chef of the year.

placeholder image — Head chef Numnuan Wilailak of Leo won pan-Asian chef of the year.

"We have a great team and the customers have all been so lovely. I often come out into the restaurant at the end of the evening to meet people, and they are all so happy.

"People are starting to travel from quite far away, even Yorkshire, just to have a meal in our restaurant. I think it's because you don't find Thai dishes like ours anywhere outside of Thailand. We already have more than 100 five-star reviews and everyone I speak to loves it."

Num, who is from the Buri Ram region of Thailand and began her culinary journey at just seven years old, was nominated for the award by customers and won her title after an independent panel of judges assessed her skills.

Abdul added: "It's really incredible. We put a lot of work into making each venue perfect, so it's nice to know how much people enjoy them. Num and the team at Leo have done an amazing job to receive an award like this in such short time.

SherKhan staff took home two well-deserved awards from the ceremony.

"Before Leo you had to travel quite far for Thai food, and now we have customers travelling to visit us, as Num's food really is amazing. It's been great to bring the building back to life and create something different in Alnwick."

SherKhan, on Market Place, which is also part of the family’s portfolio, also won best Indian restaurant in the North East, with owner Abdul Azad also winning Entrepreneur of the Year.

SherKhan manager Mohammed Quiyum said: “We would like to thank all our customers for their continuous support. This award is truly for them.”

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