It was named the best curry restaurant in the UK but The Radhuni in Loanhead is now in the running to win the title of Best Hidden Gem.

Tucked away behind an unassuming facade, it is one of three finalists in the Hidden Gem category for the Edinburgh, Fife and East Scotland area in the Scotsman’s Scran Awards. 

Managing Partner Habibur Khan said: “Although our team has accomplished many successes Scotland and UK-wide, what matters most to us are our loyal customers in and around Midlothian. They are our VIPs and their support is what motivates us day in and day out. We are still a well kept secret to many foodies elsewhere.”

Radhuni (its name means ‘passionate cook’ in Bangladeshi), which can seat up to 120 diners, was named Scotland’s Restaurant of the Year in the British Curry Awards in 2019 and 2020. Last October trade magazine Curry Life named it the UK’s best curry restaurant.

At the age of 23 in 2019 Habibur became the youngest person to win a major award in the British Curry Awards. In 2022 he was named in Business Insider magazine’s “35 Rising Stars Under the age of 35” list.

He added: “We can be hard to find as we’re off the beaten track but when customers come in they’re astonished by Radhuni’s size, its elegant tables and our garden space, The Sanctuary, which on a good day makes them think they could be in the Mediterranean!”

Located seven miles from Edinburgh, it is one of only three Indian-style restaurants in Scotland to have been awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence. 

This year Radhuni was named Best Eatery in Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Awards – the third time it had captured the title.

It will find out whether it has added another award to its long list when the Scotsman Scran Awards are announced in Glasgow on Monday 17 June.