An award-winning Indian chef, whose Kerala-style fish curry has wowed many food buffs in London, has won the overall winner title in the prestigious South Wales Echo Food and Drink Awards.
Kerala-origin Anand George, whose Cardiff-based Mint and Mustard restaurant won the House of Commons Tiffin Cup for 2008, scooped the overall prize for the Best Indian Restaurant in South Wales.
The awards honour a range of food outlets, from bars, restaurants and pubs to takeaways, chip shops and sandwich bars. All were reviewed by judges after being nominated for 10 different categories by readers of the South Wales Echo, a leading local newspaper.
The winners of each category then went head to head to determine the overall winner, which was this year named as Mint and Mustard.
Anand said, "I never expected to win both awards. It's just wonderful. I'm just so grateful to my customers for nominating me."
The Mumbai-trained chef, who earlier worked in London, opened his first restaurant a year ago in Cardiff.
Besides the House of Commons Tiffin Cup, he was also given the South Asian Chef of the Year award. The restaurant has even expanded because of its popularity.
The chef said: "We serve the same food we eat back in India. It's more based on natural flavours. I don't use any artificial flavours, and I try to compliment the natural ingredients without overpowering their flavours.
"The quality of my ingredients is also very important. I only use the very best spices from suppliers in London and that's been the story of my success."