Ahead of the Brick Lane Curry Festival, which begins on Sunday 27th September, the spicily-contested finals of the Chef Of The Year: Banglatown 2009 were held on Wednesday. Judges including the Tower Hamlets Mayor Ahmed Omer, actor Nina Wadia, chef Andy Vermra and competition-winner and local resident Rejina Sabur sampled spices from up and down the Lane before settling on Amir Uddin of the Eastern Eye Balti House as the winner. Joint runners-up were Massala and Chillies.
Photographer Robert Askew was on the scene, camera in hand and handkerchief poised to mop the sweat from his brow as the heat and aroma of the curries wafted around.
All photographs by Robert Askew
