South Shields Indian street food restaurant Delhi 6 scoops national title at English Curry Awards 2019

Delhi 6, on Ocean Road, came up against some of the best Indian restaurants in the country at the English Curry Awards in Birmingham on Monday, August 19.

This is the second win for the venue since it was opened by local businessman Shah Lalon Amin in September 2018.

Earlier this year Amin picked up the regional Tyne and Wear award for 'Best Restaurant', and now he has said he was proud to bring the national title home to South Shields.

“I was delighted when I saw my hometown, South Shields as the winner. It was a really proud moment for me and my family,” said the 39-year-old.

“I felt overwhelmed and quite emotional to be honest. All the hard work paid off.”

Amin fulfilled a 30-year dream when he opened the restaurant, on the site where his father, Shah Ruhul Amin, ran the Raj Dulal in the early 80s,

“My father was a restaurateur at the same restaurant many years ago, and I used to come to the restaurant as a child, but unfortunately he had to sell it due to personal reasons.

“I promised myself that when I grew up I would buy it back. It was my childhood dream and last year I had the opportunity to buy it.”

He added: “I get a lot of support from my parents. My father gives me a lot of advice about how to run the restaurant.”

However, the recipe for success is a combination of passion, dedication and a loyal customer base, he said.

“Our customers have been really good at championing, promoting and supporting us, and when you have customers who do that it really helps.

“We’ve also got an excellent team who are passionate and believe in our vision and can carry that out.”

And finally, he added: “I’m really dedicated to my own goals. You’ve got to be dedicated to your dreams, when you’re really passionate about serving good food to customers.”