A York curry restaurant was today celebrating being named as one of Britain's top Asian restaurants.

The Bengal Brasserie, in Poppleton, was shortlisted among the top six Indian restaurants in the North of England - and the top 30 in the country - in the first British Curry Awards.

Hugh Bayley, York's MP, missed the first night of the Labour Party conference in Brighton to applaud the Bengal Brasserie at the event attended by 1,000 people in London's Grosvenor House Hotel, which has been dubbed the Curry Oscars.

Also shortlisted among the top 100 Asian restaurants in Britain were the Jaipur Spice, in Haxby Road, York, and the Jinnah, in Flaxton, on the A64.

In a glittering awards ceremony hosted by Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the Bengal Brasserie took on five other restaurants across the region, from Lancashire to Northumberland, for the title of the North's best. It was also in contention, with five other finalists, for the most innovative Asian restaurant in the North.

The eventual winner was the Shipley branch of the Aagrah chain (which also has an outlet on the A64 near Tadcaster). Its head chef and director Mohammed Aslam has recently brought out the Hand Over Fist cookbook, published by York firm ENDpapers.

But Iqbal Chowdhury, of the Bengal Brasserie, said he was delighted his restaurant had been recognised as being among the region's very best.

"This is just the beginning. It has set the benchmark for next year. The glory must be shared with the entire staff at Poppleton and our restaurants in York and Market Weighton, plus the public who made it all possible. Judgement was made on the basis of the public filling out forms stating which was their best Asian restaurant, followed by secret visits from experts appointed by the event organisers, Spice Business Magazine.

One of the form-fillers was Mr Bayley, who said: "York has some fine restaurants and these awards proved it.

"It was a terrific achievement for the Bengal Brasserie to end up in the Top 30 nationally as well as in the regionbal top six.

"I hope that soon they will scoop the top prizes."

Updated: 11:22 Thursday, September 29, 2005