With Indian cuisine becoming more and more popular among Brits, what does it take to become one of the best curry houses in the country? Â sé Anār, in Blackpool, opened only two years ago but has already been named as one of Britain’s best curry houses.
The restaurant, which boasts a five star Google review rating, is just a five-minute drive or 20-minute walk from Blackpool Pleasure Beach- and it was named in the Good Food Guide’s list of the best in Britain. For Renuka Morris, self-taught chef, it’s the first time she’s opened a restaurant.
She told the Express: “I have absolutely no experience in hospitality. I used to teach linguistics and I never thought I’d come into this business. I’m trying to break that curry house mould. My menu is really small and it doesn’t have any of the dishes that you would normally find in other restaurants. All of them are handpicked by my late mum, things she probably would’ve chosen to make for a dinner party.
“I don’t have lamb rogan josh, I don’t have korma, I don’t have butter chicken. My menu is quite woolly. There’s Curry of the Day, or Lamb Special, which allows me creativity to experiment with different dishes. It gives me the creative licence, if I were to say, I’m giving you a korma, I have to present you with a korma. But if I said it’s a lamb special, it allows me to do laal maas, it allows me to do the red curry. It allows me to experiment with our family recipes.”
Regular guests at the restaurant trust Renuka’s expertise so much, they don’t even ask for the menu. Most entrepreneurs could be tempted to keep the secrets to their success confidential, but Renuka is keen to share her knowledge.
She said: “My Indian heritage is the soul of my food. Growing up, I was surrounded by the aromas, stories and rituals of Indian cooking. Every dish I create today carries those traditions forward, but with a modern touch.
“I’ve been a teacher which means I’m an open book and I’m the same when it comes to my recipes. I’ll sit down with a guest and share my recipe with them. The secret is that I make all my spices myself, I blend all my own spices.”
While many restaurant owners with such great success may be enticed to expand and become a chain, this doesn’t appeal to Renuka.
“My goal is not just to serve food, it’s to create a space where culture, quality and community come together, but I think I’ll stick to the one restaurant. I want people to walk away, not as full, but as fulfilled, that’s my vision for now.
“It’s not about having large queues. What I really enjoy is that people come as strangers and leave as friends. I love the aspect of feeling like I’m hosting a dinner party every evening for friends.”
Satisfied customers have been eager to rave about their meals on Tripadvisor, earning the curry house a 4.8 excellent rating.
One diner wrote: “Fabulous food. Some of the best I have had. Would highly recommend. Lovely service. Very friendly. Will definitely be back.”
Another praised the atmosphere, writing: “Absolutely delicious omelette on the brunch menu for me, I’ll be going back to try the evening menu soon, lovely feel to the room and the proprietor is lovely.”
Other highly rated curry restaurants across the country include Bombay to Mumbai in Stockport, Greater Manchester and the Darjeeling Express in Soho, central London.