A local favourite in Glasgow has just been named the best Asian restaurant in Scotland at a prestigious UK-wide awards ceremony in London.
Charcoals Indian Restaurant in the city centre beat out the likes of fellow Glaswegian eatery Swadish, Mother India's Cafe in Edinburgh and Panache in Elgin to be crowned the overall Scottish winner at the UK's Asian Curry Awards at a glittering ceremony in Grosvenor House in London's Park Lane on Sunday night (November 20).
And owner Muhammad Sultan was also delighted to be recognised for a special award due to his charity work both here in Glasgow and also in Pakistan.
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Speaking about the win, Muhammad said: "We love looking after our customers and it's nice to be appreciated, and we feel proud that we are doing the right things. It was very surprising for us but also wonderful to win, especially being able to represent the whole of Scotland.
"There were some great restaurants up against us, so it was nice to win."
The delighted restaurant owner also picked up a special recognition award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Charity and Industry' on the night.
Celebrating his charity work over the past decade, Muhammad was awarded for their excellent campaign of giving out free food between the hours of 3 and 4 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays to homeless people in Glasgow from the restaurant.
And Muhammad, who also goes out of his way to offer much-needed items such as gloves, hats and sleeping bags to the homeless when he can, also spends a month in the city of Lahore working with 18-20 of his family and friends to help feed over a thousand people with free food packages and a special cookout.
The hard-working restaurateur added: "As much as winning the award was nice, I don't do it for the recognition, I simply hope to raise awareness to inspire other people to help where they can. We are trying to show that it doesn't matter how small an amount you can afford to give, so long as you do it, it all helps.
"If everyone does their own part, they can make a big difference to people who really need it."
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