Rhiwbina’s Gateway of India

Shortlisted for National Takeaway of the Year at tonight’s 2015 British Curry Awards – known as the Oscars of the Curry industry, Rhiwbina’s Gateway of India is flying the flag for Cardiff

Rhiwbina’s Gateway of India has been serving up delicious Indian meals to thrilled residents for 20 years. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the popular takeaway. Owner Moslaur Rahman, who knows practically all his customers by name, explains:

“In the beginning, it was a difficult concept to sell. We introduced our Heat and Eat idea in 1995, moving to our current premises in Rhiwbina. 20 years later and the people of Rhiwbina have totally put their trust in us which is great, as serving the people of Rhiwbina is our top priority.”

In those 20 years, the Gateway of India has won a flurry of top awards, including top prize at a national food award ceremony earlier this year.

“Our gratitude goes to the people of Rhiwbina for their support. The residents have spread the word far and wide and as a result, we were proud this year to be named as Overall Winner at the Welsh Food Awards. Thoughtful locals have also been showing their support to us at the Curry Oscars, which are being held this month.”

The Gateway’s rise to prominence comes down to the quality of ingredients that are selected and prepared:

“Our quality is the very best. I will not compromise on quality and we only use the best ingredients. Our chicken is fresh grade A British fillets from Norfolk for instance. If you eat chicken elsewhere, you will notice the difference. Our lamb is premium quality, locally-sourced Welsh lamb. We don’t use any artificial food colourings – the colours that you see on your plate are all natural. In India and Bangladesh, we don’t use artificial colours so why should we use them here? We’ve introduced healthier ways of cooking our food too – we are baking more, steaming more and frying less. We are proud to prepare healthy food for the people of Rhiwbina but without compromising on taste.”

The Gateway’s unique concept calls for ultra-high standards in the kitchen. Renowned for its cleanliness, the food is carefully prepared and cooked before being chill-blasted. The kitchen’s strict hygiene procedures mean that the meals can be safely stored in the fridge for 2-3 days after purchasing. And if you specifically ask, food can be stored for up to 5 days.

“We had our food scientifically tested in the lab for its shelf-life. We maintain a HACCP monitoring system for all our food products to maintain the highest standard.”

But Moslaur sees eating as more than just nourishing the body.

“It’s an event. Good food brings people together, whether that be family or friends.”

Originally from Bangladesh, Moslaur came to London in 1975 aged 5 and moved to Cardiff in 1979.

“We have loved our time so far in the village. I have some ideas of where I’d like to take the business in the future but for me, I’ll be staying right here in Rhiwbina. I also have a dream of selling our food in Harrods – with the help of the good people of Rhiwbina, we could make it happen!

We are delighted to be embarking on a new twice weekly free delivery service from 12pm -5pm on a Friday and Saturday. For a Friday delivery, please phone your order in before 10.30pm on a Thursday and for a Saturday delivery please order before 10.30pm on a Friday. We will endeavour to deliver to your specified time. We can even deliver to your work if you aren’t home until the evening. We are also running a competition in the run up to Christmas. The winner will receive £250 of catering vouchers. See our Twitter page for details.

More at www.gateway-of-india.co.uk