A NEW Forest restaurant is in the running to be named one of the best at this year’s Asian Curry Awards.

Indian restaurant Rivaaz in St Thomas Street in Lymington has been featured in the longlist ahead of the final which takes place in November.

Last year, Rivaaz made history after it was crowned ‘South Coast Restaurant of the Year’ in the Asian Curry Awards for the fourth year in a row. 

The Asian Curry Awards cover all Asian and Oriental cuisines including Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.

The event is organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF) which represents the nation’s 30,000 restaurant and takeaways.

Yawar Khan, chairman of the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), has urged the public to cast their votes as restaurateurs face a ‘quadruple whammy’ of rising food prices, increased energy costs, staff shortages and customers experiencing a cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Khan said: “Every week I hear from another owner closing their restaurant because they cannot see an end in sight to the economic situation – but an award win can bring a massive upsurge in trade.

“For customers wanting to help their favourite restaurants survive, their votes can be crucial.”

A record number of nominees will now be whittled down by online public vote before visiting judges determine the eventual winners who will be honoured at an awards ceremony in London on November 20.

People can vote for their favourite Asian restaurants and takeaways at asiancurryawards.com.

During the Covid pandemic, Rivaaz delivered almost 200 meals to key workers throughout Lymington.