Indian street food award-winner My Delhi could be on course for further success as it takes to the TV spotlight to compete for a national title.
The popular Newcastle restaurant will be seen on new BBC show Britain's Top Takeaways this May as eateries across the UK go head to head to create the best cuisine in their field. The series, hosted by Sara Cox with comedian Darren Harriot, will include eight stand-alone episodes over the week featuring different types of takeaway, from Chinese to fish and chips, and a winner will be chosen at the end of each show.
My Delhi in Clayton Street - which is soon to open a second branch in Sunderland - will be making its TV debut in the May 10 episode - the day after the series' launch - when rival Indian takeaways will compete to have their food named the best. Chefs from each venue will be cooking up their favourite dishes in a kitchen studio in Manchester which then will be delivered to local households who will score them and judge that episode's winner.
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My Delhi, which launched its takeaway service last year when the restaurant was forced to close due to the pandemic, had been invited to apply for the series and, after successfully taking part in audition process, it is now delighted to have the opportunity to add further to its accolades, which include two national titles last year naming it Best Street Food Restaurant of the Year by both the Asian Curry Awards and the English Curry Awards.
The restaurant's director Elahi Shah Amin, who viewers will see in Tuesday's episode alongside executive chef Gaurav Dayal, said the team are proud to be representing the region. “We couldn’t believe it when the producers contacted us last year to appear on the show," he said.
"We introduced our Express Takeaway service during the pandemic to allow our diners to continue to enjoy our delicious authentic Indian food from home. For that to then lead to this show is just incredible and big thanks to our diners for all their support."
He added: "We really enjoyed being part of the show and competing with some fantastic eateries. It was an unforgettable experience It’s going to be a brilliant show and we’re proud to be flying the flag for the North East.”
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In the episode, contestants will be seen delivering menus which include a classic dish, a chef’s special, a vegan option and sides. My Delhi's executive chef Gaurav Dayal said: “For chefs, these moments are an ultimate test of your skills.
"Even choosing the dishes for the menu that you’re going to present on a national TV show was a challenge in itself. In the end we went with the dishes that our diners love the most - Butter Chicken 1950s, Railway Station Lamb Curry and Cauliflower Manchurian."
He too will be watching how it all plays out on screen, saying: “We never got to see what the households thought of our food so I’m looking forward to watching their reactions for the first time."
Britain's Top Takeaways will begin on BBC2 on May 9 at 8pm and My Delhi's Elahi and Gaurav will be seen in action on the next night, May 10, at the same time. On that date My Delhi also will be starting takeaways from its new Sunderland restaurant ahead of its in-house opening on June 6.
Britain's Top Takeaways will continue nightly throughout the week and will be available to view on iPlayer too. Host Sara Cox said: "I’m thrilled to be celebrating the takeaway and finding the very best in Britain and if that means eating all the left over chips and putting on half a stone, so be it."
