World Curry Festival spices up city centre (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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World Curry Festival spices up city centre
12:13am Monday 24th September 2012 in News
By Jonathan Redhead, Ilkley/Otley Reporter
Street entertainers perform at the World Curry Festival
Spices and flavours from across the globe were tantalising tastebuds in Bradford as thousands visited one of the district’s main attractions at the weekend.
A range of events were taking place across the district including the World Curry Festival in Bradford city centre and the popular Otley Folk Festival, which came to a close last night after four days of traditional entertainment.
A host of food stalls offering curries, kebabs and a smattering of other delicacies attracted visitors from far and wide to their sites planted around the City Park mirror pool.
The crowds outside were kept amused by on-street entertainment, including the Fairly Fresh Fish Co, Comedy Chefs and Cake Ladies.
Meanwhile, demonstrations were held inside a pop-up curry theatre in the former Tulsi restaurant, from some of the curry world’s most well-known chefs.
On Saturday morning Kaushy Patel, the founder and executive chef at Prashad in Great Horton , which was named Gordon Ramsay’s best Indian restaurant in 2010, took part in a demonstration to showcase her skills and dishes at the venue. Organiser Zulfi Karim said he was delighted with how the event had gone.
He said: “It’s been amazing. Obviously this is the first time in Bradford – City Park is still relatively new and it was a good move.
“I think one of the highlights has been turning a unit which has been empty into a pop-up curry theatre. It’s become a place where people want to visit, with the backdrop of the City Hall and the lake.
“We have innovative chefs here. The theme has been community and bringing in new talent, so the chefs we have got on stage are people that are innovators of curry.
“This event is the Glastonbury of world food – it’s not just about food, it also about culture.”
Comments(17)
webess
says...
2:33pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Fawzia wrote:A bit late now, it ran from Friday to Sunday. Was very good - hopefully it'll be back
Would like know more about this amazing and so yummy event, I absolutely agree that is not only about good food but about Culture, tolerance and diversity as well
Beckster55
says...
2:57pm Mon 24 Sep 12
A Casual Observer
says...
4:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Beckster55 wrote:Selling curry? I was under the impression it was free event with free food being served, glad I didn't go now. Was there any vegetarian food on offer?
Thought it was poor tbh. Where were Akbars, The Aagraah, Mumtaz etc. Only a handful of stalls there and hardly any selling curry :(
Albion.
says...
4:32pm Mon 24 Sep 12
A Casual Observer wrote:Or a Hog Roast?
Beckster55 wrote:Selling curry? I was under the impression it was free event with free food being served, glad I didn't go now. Was there any vegetarian food on offer?
Thought it was poor tbh. Where were Akbars, The Aagraah, Mumtaz etc. Only a handful of stalls there and hardly any selling curry :(
Foolroy
says...
4:53pm Mon 24 Sep 12
webess
says...
5:31pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Foolroy wrote:They sound quite classy...
Relative went and said it was dear, so they went to Greggs instead.
TirNaNog
says...
5:36pm Mon 24 Sep 12
webess wrote:Now,now! It is sometimes fun to go to Greggs - for the pushchair derby!
Foolroy wrote:They sound quite classy...
Relative went and said it was dear, so they went to Greggs instead.
A Greggs pacifier for all the contestants. Quality!
mad matt
says...
7:43pm Mon 24 Sep 12
jacko99
says...
10:11pm Mon 24 Sep 12
jacko99
says...
10:15pm Mon 24 Sep 12
JAtkinson
says...
11:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Not sure what extra the big names would have brought. Would be good to see more non-SE Asian curry: Thai, Carribean, etc next year.
The demonstrations looked great, too. A really positive day (am I allowed to comment positively on T&A?).
Roll on next year :-)
shornoff
says...
11:15pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Rambo
says...
12:46am Tue 25 Sep 12
And like JAtkinson says, whats the point of more big names? We can go to their restaurants any day of the week.
Now I like Zouk, but after looking at what they were doing, they only had 2 curries (unless we missed something) - a lamb and chicken version of the same thing. That seemed pretty lame.
But yeah, as mentioned, where were the Thai, Carribean, Japanese etc curries that had been at past events in Leeds?
Stanglienne
says...
7:50am Tue 25 Sep 12
Looking forward to this coming back next year - but more variety of world curries and some live music wouldn't go amiss!
Fawzia
says...
9:11am Tue 25 Sep 12
BradfordStranger
says...
10:28am Wed 26 Sep 12
Foolroy wrote:Foolroy - you have done something the T&A and Bradford Council have not managed.
Relative went and said it was dear, so they went to Greggs instead.
Provided hard evidence that somebody came to City Park for an event and ended up spending money in the city centre.
Even if was just a cornish pasty and an iced finger from Gregg's.
Fawzia says...
10:44am Mon 24 Sep 12