Spice is nice and twice as nice for the Royal Haveli restaurant.
The north Belleville restaurant won the 4th annual Spicy Food Contest for the second year in a row.
Royal Haveli owner Rakesh Dutta and his staff won the contest with chicken biryani and chicken reshmi kabobs.
People study the menu board as hundreds show up to enjoy the spicy offerings from 10 restaurants Sunday, August 18/19. (Photo: John Spitters/Quinte News)
Chilango’s restaurant finished second offering pork tortillas known as Gorditas de Caritas.
Over 500 people sampled the spicy delicacies on offer from the 10 restaurants competing in Market Square in downtown Belleville.
The winners were decided by a panel of judges.
While thanking the judges, other participants and the general public, the owner of Royal Haveli Rakesh Dutta said he hoped the Belleville Downtown Improvement Area would organize two spicy food contests a year, one in summer and another in the fall and invite restaurants from outside the city to compete.
Dutta also chided the red-faced judges, who’d just sampled spicy foods of all types from 10 restaurants, for not being able to take the heat. “Our kabobs are just a two!! We serve up to a 10 on the heat scale, but the flavour is always there!”
Spicy judges. From left to right: Chef Ralph Saint-Dic of Creative Culinary Dish, Ted Bradford of Quinte Broadcasting, Donna Moher, Personal Support Manager Care Partners, Jon Tuer, president of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce, Ed Young of the Belleville Fire Department, Jenn McKay of Starboard Communications. (Photo: John Spitters/Quinte News)
Besides Royal Haveli and Chilango’s the other establishments competing were Jim’s Pizzeria, Boston Pizza, Bourbon Street Pizza, Capers, The 116 Bistro, Burger Revolution, Earl and Angelo’s, and The Lark.
Providing entertainment at the Spicy Food Contest was the Farrucas Duo. (Photo: John Spitters/Quinte News)
