An award-winning Indian restaurant in Norwich has added to its long list of accolades after winning the Taste of East of England Award, sponsored by Adnams, at the most recent East of England Tourism Awards.
Namaste Village, located on Queens Road, has been offering a “truly authentic” Indian dining experience with a 100% vegetarian and vegan menu since opening in 2016. The business has also established branches in London, Twickenham, Southend-on-Sea and Cambridge.
“Compassion and care are at the core of our ethos, which is why we proudly serve 100% vegetarian and vegan food. Our dishes promise a ‘meat not missed’ experience,” said Dalsukh Jetani, head chef and one of the business’ founders.
“There is a sense of joy in bringing people the culinary delights of India by blending traditional flavours with innovative twists, in an environment of heartfelt hospitality and impeccable service.”
Beyond the top-rated restaurant, Namaste Village offers cookery lessons at the Namaste Cookery School. It also hosts a bi-annual Indian Street Food Carnival, showcasing the vibrant culinary and cultural tapestry of India. The recent summer edition of this festival, held across multiple locations, drew over 700 people in total.
“We are not just a business but a contributing community member,” said Dalsukh. “Our charity Dosa on The Wall has been offering thousands of free meals to anyone in need over all these years and as of June 2024 has donated more than 30,000 meals.”
As part of this initiative, customers are encouraged to donate £5 or above to the charity. Namaste Village then matches these donations to offer one free meal to someone in need.
The business is committed to its customers and to always innovating, learning and evolving to meet their needs. It’s this passion that led Namaste Village to create a menu focused on vegan and vegetarian food years before this offering became the norm.
“While vegan and vegetarian offerings on the menu have now become a necessity for any business, it wasn’t the case some 10 years back,” said Dalsukh. “We wanted to serve people who, much like us, were lost for choices at the time and at the same time bring an experience of Indian food that was truly missing in this part of the world then.”
Dalsukh went on to explain that Namaste Village is not just a place where you go to eat food, “it’s also a place of celebrations, shared experiences and cultural awareness”.
“Our various events or special celebrations focus on bringing people a first-hand experience of Indian festivities and culture. ‘Vasudev Kutumbkam’, a Sanskrit saying, means that the world itself is one big family, and we live by this.”
After being named winner of the Taste of East of England Award at the East of England Tourism Awards 2023-2024, the whole team at Namaste felt a boost in confidence.
“At the same time, it’s a very emotional moment,” added Dalsukh. “There is a sense of utmost gratitude to God and the beautiful city and community that we have in Norwich. It feels like a culmination of all the effort of every individual at Namaste Village.
“Going by the kind comments and responses on our social media, it certainly felt like our customers were as happy about this achievement as us, if not more!
“It has brought us great recognition across the East of England, and as summer approaches we’ll hopefully see many new faces at Namaste Village Norwich, coming to enjoy a one-of-a-kind dining experience.”
Looking ahead, Dalsukh said that the business’ ultimate aim is to help as many people as possible embrace vegetarianism and veganism – for the benefit of their own wellbeing as well as the planet’s – by bringing Namaste’s food, community events and charity outreach to “every city in the UK”.
“While we cannot bring drastic changes overnight, I hope we do enough to demonstrate that plant-based food is real, delicious and flavourful,” Dalsukh said.
For more information, visit namastevillage.co.uk
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