AN Indian chef won over celebrity judges at the annual Tiffin Cup competition to be named Best South Asian Restaurant in Essex.

Ishtiak Hussain, owner and head chef at the Indian Ocean Restaurant, on North Hill, Colchester, represented one of 13 restaurants from across the UK competing in the final at the House of Commons.

The competition, organised by MPs, aims to discover the best Asian eateries with nominations direct from MPs in their constituency.

Curry fan Will Quince, MP for Colchester, put the Indian Ocean forward for the prestigious Tiffin Cup.

Mr Hussain’s garlic chicken chilli masala and mixed vegetable dish wowed the panel of ten judges, including TV chef Ainsley Harriott and former Eastenders actress Nadia Wadia.

Mr Hussain said the authentic Bangladeshi dish, which featured garlic, green chilli and coriander, was inspired by the flavours of his upbringing.

The father-of-three said: “This is a familiar dish as it’s something my mother and aunties would often cook at home in Sylhet – the city where I was born.

“Most of the Indian dishes commonly made in the UK are much different to what we’d cook in India as we don’t eat many sweet dishes like chicken korma, but garlic chicken and chicken jalfrezi are more traditional.

“I wanted to hold a celebration with special guests and those who have always supported the restaurant here in Colchester because cooking for such esteemed people was a wonderful evening for me."

Making the transition from employee to restaurant owner was a dream for the 47-year-old, who had worked all across Essex in the food and hospitality sector.

After moving to Colchester in 1999, Mr Hussain opened a small Indian takeaway restaurant in Monkwick, Colchester, but later sold it and bought the Indian Ocean.

He added: “I had a vision for this place so refurbished it myself and we’ve now been open for nine years.

“My children deal with the official side of the business and make my life easy, leaving me to cook.”