A RESTAURANT whose most popular dishes include Chicken Bang Bang and Frankenstein has been crowned the 5* Indian Restaurant of the Year 2019.

Mint Room, in Main Street, Cadoxton, Barry, was declared best in the South Wales east region category at a Welsh Asian Food Awards ceremony in The Coal Exchange, Cardiff, on December 2 last year.

The eatery, which celebrates a year of operating this Thursday, February 27, offers both traditional and innovative Indian cuisine and it will soon launch a vegan menu – The Vegan Room by Mint Room.

Owner, Shah Uddin and his team attended the awards ceremony after organisers told him they were a finalist.

Mr Uddin, 31, said: “It must have been our lovely customers who voted for Mint Room.

“I was delighted.

“I was excited because this is my first award and we’ve not been here for long.

“Awards make businesses and the more awards you have the more customers you get.

“It’s a big up for a businesses’ reputation.”

Mr Uddin’s team and friends joined him for the ceremony.

“We all enjoyed it,” he said. “When the winner was announced we got up and everyone came with me and we took pictures.

“It was nice.

“When we said we won on Facebook everyone was congratulating, well deserved, and business picked up.

“Every week is better than the previous week.”

“It’s not your traditional cuisine here,” he added.

“My chef, Mohammed Abdul Noor has worked with a celebrity chef in Cardiff – Stephen Gomes – and he’s very creative.

“There’s funky dishes, there’s all smoke, clouds and bubbles, customers love it.

“We do the dry ice with our food and everything.

“Obviously we’ve got the traditional menu as well.

“We’ve got the upmarket menu, and the more urban, fusion-style Indian.

“The most popular is Chicken Bang Bang and Frankenstein.

“Chicken Bang Bang is a very hot dish.

“It’s not for the faint-hearted.”

“And a lamb chop is usually a dry dish,” he said. “But we put our lamb chops in a curry so we named that dish Frankenstein.

Alcohol is not sold, but customers can bring their own.

“Tesco across the road – they love me now,” Mr Uddin said.

“Barry is full of traditional cuisines.

“People come here to try something different.”

Mint Room is open 5pm to 11pm; last order 10.30pm. Closed Tuesday.

Mint Room is also on Facebook and Instagram.