An Ayrshire Indian restaurant are no fools after being crowned one of Scotland's best.
3idiots in Ayr scooped the top prize of Outstanding Restaurant of the Year at the Curry Awards last week.
The new kid on the block of the town’s Indian scene may have only opened in 2019 but their authentic Punjab dishes have been as memorable as their name.
And they beat off stiff competition from iconic curry houses in Glasgow and Edinburgh to bring home the accolade.
Sharing its name with a Bollywood smash hit film, the hugely popular diner was born after a trio of restaurant workers decided to go it alone.
With one leaving the business two co-owners Guri Gurchet Singh, 31, from Kilmarnock and Parveen Sharma, 47, from Stewarton have seen their dream hit new heights.
And the Ayrshire chefs, with Guri specialising in tandoori grill and Parveen the master curry maker say they are ‘over the moon’ with the huge honour.
Guri told Ayrshire Live: “It was a really good achievement for us, it is a testament to all the hard work we have put in since 2019.
“We are over the moon with it, it was a big achievement for us as Ayrshire boys to bring this award home.
“We had a celebration at the awards night and we had a party where all the staff could celebrate together.
“We are really thankful to all our customers and all the loyal customers in Ayr who have supported us.”
3idiots was only in its infancy when the Covid pandemic struck leaving the restaurant having to adapt with takeaways offered with contactless delivery to protect drivers and customers.
Guri said: “It took a while to bounce back but we are feeling like things have returned to normal again.
“Our customers were very grateful for the service during the pandemic and we are thankful to them for supporting us through a difficult time.”
Guri believes fresh authentic traditional curries have set them apart from the rest.
Punters have flocked from as far afield as Birmingham to sample their favourites, with 3idiots boasting a stripped back menu inspired by Indian street food.
Guri added: “Everything we do is authentic and fresh, we don’t add anything colouring to the food which are bad for you.
“It is cooked like our mum’s would make it, if you came into our home this is the kind of food you would get.
“We have a really small menu – people love things like the chilli chicken or the classic tikka masala.
“We’ve had people from Birmingham come up to try our food, we’ve even had people from America call us asking if they can buy a gift voucher.”
Guri has told how he first feared a few eyebrows would be raised locally by the name choice.
He added: “Parveen’s favourite move is 3 idiots, his girlfriend said you should call the restaurant that.
“I remember thinking people will think we are actually idiots.
“But we were told the name would be memorable and it has certainly turned out that way.”
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