Bromley’s Copper Ceylon restaurant recently won Best Restaurant London Suburbs at the prestigious British Curry Awards, also known as the ‘Curry Oscars’. It also became the first Sri Lankan restaurant to win an award in the ceremony’s history. In so doing, it beat a further 62 restaurants shortlisted for this award.
The Copper Ceylon’s owner Haran Thurairajah and restaurant staff were present at the event, also attended by Cllr Hannah Gray, Mayor of Bromley, and held at Evolution London.
The biggest annual event in the UK curry industry, the British Curry Awards is held on a night featuring figures from politics, sport, show business and the arts.
Haran said, “It was a very special night, and the local and wider media picking up on the achievement since and sharing it has been brilliant. As I said at the time, this award has given us the boost needed to take the Copper Ceylon to another level. With this award already helping us to attract more new customers and to grow, it means we can become even more or a beacon for Srilanka cuisine and contribute to Bromley being a destination people want to come to. I also take the charity side of what we do very seriously and intend to carry on helping charities here and in Sri Lanka through holding more fundraisers and special events at the restaurant.”
This latest plaudit builds on the Copper Ceylon being named the Sri Lankan Curry Restaurant of the Year in the London Curry Awards 2022.
Haran was born and brought up in Srilanka. His family escaped the country during its civil war, and Haran came to London with his parents, both teachers, and his three siblings in 1992. They settled in Harrow until Haran married Dion in 2006, when the couple moved to Bromley. With a degree in accounting and finance, Haran went on to work in the finance industry for over ten years. Haran and Dion always dreamed of opening a restaurant. However, having a young family, they were concerned at the time and effort involved. But, when the location came up for sale in Bromley, they couldn’t resist the temptation. In January 2020, they decided to go for it without having any prior experience. They couldn’t have timed in any worse as the pandemic took its grip on the economy, yet here we are two years and two major awards later. Haran reflects, “Now we are so proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time. We are looking to build on this foundation to be one of the best Srilanka restaurants in the world.”
The restaurant brings both fun and authentic Sri Lankan cuisine to its diners alongside a menu of cocktails. It has opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays between 10am and 2pm and offers a DJ and a line-up of entertainers from belly dancers to fire eaters.
Cllr Hannah Gray, Mayor of Bromley, commented, “I have been involved with and supported events at the Copper Ceylon restaurant and Haran and his team have been incredibly generous and provided a great experience every time. I am delighted they won their category in such a prestigious annual awards ceremony.”
We are tremendously proud to be working with such a fine and good-hearted restaurant. We hope that 2023 proves even better for them than 2022 – though that would be quite an achievement, now.
Links
British Curry Awards: https://britishcurryawards.org
Copper Ceylon restaurant website: www.copperceylon.com
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