51 Buckingham Gate’s Quilon First Ever Accolade for a South Indian Restaurant in the UK
Taj’s flagship property in the United Kingdom, 51 Buckingham Gate’s South Indian restaurant, Quilon has received the ultimate culinary accolade – a Michelin star. A trendsetter in Food & Beverage, the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces was the first to introduce Sichuan, Thai, Italian, Mexican and Californian cuisine into India. Having won numerous prestigious laurels for cuisine innovation domestically, there’s yet another feather in its cap, this time for recognition, oversees!
Quilon Restaurant in Victoria is one of the five London restaurants to be awarded their first Michelin stars. It is only the fifth Indian restaurant in the capital to win such an honour and in fact the only South Indian restaurant in the UK to achieve such an honour.
The Michelin Star, the industry\'s highest accolade, recognises Executive Chef Sriram Aylur’s passion for contemporary southern Indian coastal cuisine, his dedication to the freshest ingredients and his commitment to blending traditional home cooking with modern dishes.
A thrilled Chef Sriram said, “I am absolutely delighted to receive such a prestigious award. Winning the star is an achievement of which the whole team at Quilon is extremely proud. We will be inspired by this recognition and seek to continue improving the cuisine that are serve at Quilon”.
A student of the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in India in 1984, Chef Sriram joined the Taj group of hotels in 1989. His passion for Food and Knowledge got lead him to take overall charge of the Gateway Hotel in Bangalore. It was two years before he became the executive chef of the hotel. It was there, that Chef Sriram strengthened his thoughts and shaped his desire to unfold the potential of Southern Indian cuisine to the world.
The Challenges in the London market were many. The biggest of them all being the perspective that Indian food was projected in. The actual knack was in using the right technique and right ingredients from the recipe to cater to the real world, without compromising on the foundation of the cuisine. No wonder today, that Quilon uses the freshest of ingredients available and is also the largest importer of South Indian spices in whole of UK.
The menu at Quilon is a unique blend of ethnic and progressive dishes. Black Cod, Tempered Asparagus and French Beans, Seafood in mustard and coconut cream sit comfortably side by side with more traditional South Indian Dishes such as Chicken Korma, Fish in banana leaf, Avial and the inimitable Masala dosa.
Quilon specialises in cuisine from the Indian states of Kerala, Goa and Karnataka with seafood a particular speciality. Among a new generation of Indian restaurants specialising in lighter sauces and more progressive offerings, it is the sister restaurant of the famous Bombay Brasserie.
Other Accolades for Quilon
• 2001: It was Chef Sriram’s experience & hard work that Quilon was voted as the Best Indian Restaurant in Good Curry Guide Award.
• 2003: Quilon was nominated as one of the Five Best Restaurants in Time out food guide.
• 2004: Quilon received the Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
