UK's oldest Indian restaurant owner accuses Crown Estate of not valuing curry traditions

LONDON: The founder of Britain’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy, has accused the Crown Estate of trying to project European cuisine as “superior” to India’s gastronomic traditions by seeking to evict the Michelin-starred eatery from its landmark Regent Street address in London.Ranjit Mathrani of MW Eat, which owns the restaurant that once counted Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi among its patrons, is taking the Crown Estate to court on Nov 4 for refusing to extend Veeraswamy’s lease.The Crown Estate says it needs to refurbish Victory House as the structure is in a poor condition.“Would they have handled this the same way had it been a notable French or European restaurant? Is this approach because of their insularity where they do not regard Veeraswamy, an institution of 100 years, also one of the leading gastronomic institutions of Indian food in the world, as equivalent to a French or European institution?” Mathrani said.“One of the only reasons I can think of is that they do not regard Indian cuisine as being of the same importance, level or sophistication as French food.”Mathrani said the Crown Estate had given insufficient recognition to “Indian cuisine of the type” Veeraswamy offers, including vintage culinary fusion such as Anglo-Indian Mulligatawny Soup.In his negotiations with the Crown Estate, the restaurateur said he sought to meet them “99% of the way” on the points they had raised.

But the Crown Estate has remained “obdurate and unyielding”, he rued.On whether King Charles personally values Indian food, Mathrani said, “Veeraswamy catered for the late Queen Elizabeth II twice at Buckingham Palace. That was the only time an outside caterer did catering inside Buckingham Palace. We know that she herself valued Veeraswamy and appreciated it, but I can’t speak for the King one way or the other.”A spokesperson for The Crown Estate refuted any suggestion that it prefers types of cuisine. “We are proud to have a diverse dining offer across our West End portfolio, reflecting the diversity of London itself. This difficult decision has been taken in line with our responsibilities as stewards of this historic area, and alongside an offer to MW Eat to help them find new premises on our portfolio and to provide financial compensation.

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