Mosque meals on awards shortlist

[AbuMareyam]

Mosque meals on awards shortlist

An Edinburgh mosque which provides meals for £4 served on paper plates has been shortlisted for a top restaurant award.

Edinburgh Central Mosque's kitchen has been listed in the best Indian restaurant category at this year's Scottish Restaurant Awards.

It is competing against Mother India in Edinburgh and Dhakin and Thali in Glasgow.

The winner will be announced at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh later.

Edinburgh Central Mosque's kitchen is a charity venture near Edinburgh University, which was launched to counter negative feelings towards the Muslim community after the 9/11 attacks.

“ The whole kitchen was so happy when I told the staff ”
Mohammed Akbar Edinburgh Central Mosque

It is run by 50 volunteers, with profits going to charity.

Payment for the food can be discretionary. If diners look a bit down on their luck the rule is they can get served for free three times.

Mohammed Akbar, Edinburgh Central Mosque's kitchen spokesman, told the BBC Scotland news website that it took several phone calls before he believed his kitchen had been shortlisted.

"When I first received a call about this I thought they were joking," he said.

"The whole kitchen was so happy when I told the staff.

"Our secret to great food is only using olive oil and two-year-old basmati rice, because the older the rice the better it cooks."

The mosque itself was opened in 1998 by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who paid for 90% of the building costs. Profits from its kitchen go towards charities in both Scotland and Pakistan.

If the Mosque Kitchen wins its category it will be up against the other winners for the title of Scottish Restaurant of the Year.

The other categories include best seafood, urban, Oriental, Italian, fine dining and family restaurants.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/s ... 528282.stm