We’re happy to announce we’ve been shortlisted for Best New Indian Restaurant Award at the Asian Restaurant awards 2024
The judges explained who they were at the end of the meal and according to owner Kannan Rathinavel, they said it was the “one of the best Indian meals” they’ve eaten.
We will now be going up against five other indian restaurants from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff in a bid to win the title of ‘Best new indian restaurant’ at the 2024 Asian Restaurant Awards.
The restaurant is located at 13 Terminus Terrace, next to Oxford Street on the site of the former Parkers Hotel. The location has some local significance as many passengers stayed here before boarding the il-fated titanic voyage at the turn of the twentieth century. Local historians have traced passengers such as American postal clerk Oscar Scott Woody (44) who stayed in the Hotel the night before the Titanic sailed. Rathinavel and his wife lovingly restored the restaurant which underwent a 12 week transformation and is decorated with traditional Indian artworks. The 50-seat restaurant which has been open since March is now open 7 days a week.
Owner Kannan added : “We knew we were doing well as the online reviews we’ve been getting have been really positive. These seem to have caught the eye of the judges. For the awards two judges came along secretly to test us out They visit hundreds of restaurants around the UK so to make the shortlist among all of those makes us so proud. Looking at the other restaurants nominated it is a real honour to be amongst these. Now we go through to the grand final held in Manchester at the end of August.”
Kannan added: “We had no idea the judges were coming. At the end of their meal they announced themselves and said it was one the best Indian meals they’d had. They particularly liked our Lamb dishes, we do spend a lot of care marinading to get the taste right. They also had our squid sukka and some authentic South Indian dishes Methu Vada and Chicken chettinad. These are dishes you won’t find in many restaurants in Southampton or Hampshire. These are all dishes that if you like indian and spicy food you will really like.”
“Our chefs all worked in London and Dubai restaurants previously, they’ve worked really hard to get our taste right, they were really pleased. There can’t be many Southampton restaurants that have been nominated for a national restaurant award, so getting shortlisted itself is a great achievement. Hopefully we can win this award and give Southampton officially the Best New Indian restaurant in the UK.”
To celebrate their nomination, Chennai Lounge is now offering a special three-course menu to taste a variety of dishes throughout August for £25 per person.
The awards ceremony takes place at Hilton Manchester on August 27th
