Spicy, sizzling dishes and scorching music launched the eagerly awaited Brick Lane Curry Festival.
Good food has always been one of the festival’s lynchpins and this year was no exception.
The Lane’s numerous curry houses are showcasing their wares with personal food stalls to give passing visitors a taster.
For those that don’t like curry, there are a host of restaurants offering alternative dishes.
The festival, which runs until September 22, had taste buds tingling with a cook-off between top chefs at the launch on September 5.
Of the 56 restaurants that took part in the competition, Papadoms of Brick Lane was crowned the winner of most outstanding dish, repeating its success of last year.
Its king prawn malaya won over the judges, who included food critic Nichola Symington from London University, Cllr Rofique Ahmed, chair of Tower Hamlets Council’s development committee, and business entrepreneur Mustaq Ahmed.
Chef Abdul Tahid has more than 20 years’ experience in preparing Asian dishes and has been working for the Spice Group, which owns Papadoms, for more than seven years.
Guljar Khan, from Papadoms, said: “I am delighted at winning the award again. The Brick Lane Curry Festival is a fantastic way of bringing people to Brick Lane.”
Imam Uddin, secretary of Bangla Town Restaurant Association, said: “Brick Lane has become Europe’s number one curry destination with crowds flocking to enjoy its uniquely vibrant atmosphere and deliciously authentic cuisine.”
This year the Vibe Bar, 93 Feet East, Café 1001 and Big Chill Bar jointly presented a day of live music to coincide with the start of the curry festival on September 9. The bars hosted live music and DJs celebrating the best in new music.
Acts included DJ Norman Jay, Imperial Leisure and Foreign Beggars.
Chris McMuck, of the Brick Lane Festival committee, said the event was “the only East End festival that really matters.”
He added: “We had around 40,000 people attend on Sunday and the atmosphere was fantastic.
“Every time I looked out of the Vibe Bar office all I could see was a sea of heads. The organisers and the police were thrilled the event went so peacefully and there was no trouble or serious complaints.
“We will definitely be hosting another music festival next year and as demand was so high we will need a bigger venue.”