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Brilliant is an institution in the Indian restaurant scene and has
stood for all that is best in authenticity since it was opened in
1975 by K.K. & D.K.Anand. The restaurant is very much a family
affair with Shankar Anand the General Manager and sister Dipna
sharing her time between developing the menu at the restaurant and
teaching master cooking classes at several colleges and universities.
The Guardian reported that "The Brilliant lives up to its
name. Princess Diana has dined here, as has Prince Charles, numerous
prime ministers (Blair, Major, Heath) and a multitude of Bollywood
stars. Although they specialise in Punjabi food, many of the dishes
have a uniquely Kenyan twist. Having turned down a deal to make a
million jars of their celebrated mango pickle for Sainsbury's, the
restaurant has a family feel and was the first in the UK to obtain a
licence to hold civil marriages. The Kenyan/Indian owner, Mr Anand,
once gave me a good piece of advice: "If a place has 100 dishes
on the menu, walk straight out." At The Brilliant there are
never more than 12. Indian food is about quality, he says, not quantity."
Nowadays the menu is rather more varied thanks to the healthier
options encouraged by Dipna Anand but the cuisine is still very
special making Brilliant one of the most popular and successful
Indian restaurants in the country. Whilst the quality of the food is
undoubted, the menu also represents value for money.
Dipna's father Gulu is still the driving force behind the restaurant
and is very active in fund raising for charity and working with the
community. Known to be quite a singer when asked!!
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