Yahoo Lifestyle Desi pub honoured by Jay Rayner's glowing review
The landlord of a Desi pub in Wolverhampton said it was a shock and an honour to receive a glowing review from revered food critic Jay Rayner.
The Desi Yew Tree in Graiseley was described by Rayner in his review for The Guardian as having "real star potential" and being "part of the brilliance of Desi pub culture" - where predominantly Indian food is served along with alcohol.
After interviewing the director of a documentary about the scene for BBC Radio 4, Masterchef judge Rayner said he was inspired to try one himself.
Joint owner Pete Banga, who is marking 20 years since he took over the pub, said it showed "all our hard work had paid off".
"I don't really watch Masterchef a lot, so yeah we were really surprised," he said.
"I think [the staff] were a bit shocked.
"You know I think they were thinking that he usually goes to high-end restaurants so for him to come to ours, they were like 'wow, what's he doing here'?
"But we said 'just carry on normally, just do what we do' and yes, he was really, really happy with the food."
Desi pubs have become widely known within the West Midlands in recent years as well as becoming established in other towns and cities.
Historically, Desi landlords have taken over failing pubs and turned them into successful food and drink businesses.
"I think the Desi pub is really popular in the Midlands at the moment," Mr Banga said.
"Instead of going out to the pub to have a few pints, now you come out with the whole family... the family can all sit down together, you can watch the football, have a couple of drinks, have some food and go home instead of going out to restaurants where you've got to be a bit more reserved.
"You're in a bit of a homely place and you can just chill out more."
Mr Banga, who jointly runs the pub with Ranny Gill, said to be paid the compliment of being "part of the brilliance" of the culture was "amazing".
"For someone like Jay Rayner to come down and give us that glowing review it's amazing for us," he said.
He added they already had a good, loyal customer following which had supported them since they set up.
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
