ONE Oxford restaurant has officially been declared hotter than a vindaloo after it scooped a ‘Golden Poppadom’ award.

The Everest Nepalese restaurant in Howard Street, between Cowley Road and Iffley Road, was given the award from the Oxford Boys Curry Club.

The club’s 17 members visit a curry house in Oxford every month and rate them.

Club member Paul Anthony said: “Our club started eight years ago, when we started going to a curry house on the first Thursday of every month.

“We give them a per centage score each, based on things like the food and atmosphere, and then we take an average from everyone.

“The best from the 12 curry places we visit each year is then declared the winner and awarded our hand-made Golden Poppadom.”

The Everest was awarded this year’s prize with a winning 96 per cent average score.

The Jaipur Indian Restaurant in Cowley Road and Jee Saheb in North Parade, off Banbury Road, were awarded the Silver Samosa and Bronze Bhaji respectively.

Mr Anthony, from Milton-under-Wychwood, said: “The Everest is a fantastic restaurant. I’ve eaten there four times now and every time, the service has been fantastic.

“Because it’s a Nepalese restaurant, you get some different curries but they offer all the classic ones too.

“We just think it is really really good. They are out there, not on a main road, but with an exceptional chef and excellent service.”

Membership to the curry club is by invitation only and they try to visit all curry restaurants within the ring road.

The Everest opened in June 2009 in one half of the Donnington Arms pub.

Prakash Sharma, co-owner and manager of the Everest, said: “It is wonderful and amazing that we have won this award.

“Hopefully, we will win next year too.”

The award now has pride of place in the restaurant’s reception area.

Mr Sharma said: “It does not matter if we are Nepalese, Bangladeshi or Indian, what matters is that we use quality ingredients to make good food and make people feel welcome.

“We don’t get any passing trade on Howard Street, so we have to be good or else no one would travel here from the more established restaurants.”