Arjun wrote:You are still talking of the top 5% of Indian restaurants overseas that are owned and operated by Indians. Vir Sanghvi is talking of the effect on the market of the bottom 90% - that tend to be largely owned by Sylhetis.
Arjun, there is an Indian restaurant in London for every budget; and, by and large, you get what you pay for. Indian food is popular in the UK at every budget level: with the student with £5 to spare and with the likes of Richard Branson.
Frankly, what makes London better (in my view!) from a culinary perspective than Paris or Barcelona or Rome, is precisely the variety and amazing quality of Indian restaurants. Many visitors (again, with budgets across the spectrum) to London specifically seek out Indian food.
For a laugh, if nothing else, try getting a booking at Gymkhana at something resembling a meal time this side of 2020; if you do, I'll happily take it off you in the secondary market
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The Bangladeshis in London cater to the low end of the market and an ustaad like Vineet Bhatia caters to the top end. Not that different from Chinese restaurants, with China Tang and Hakkasan at one end, and your local takeaway at the other.
Outside London, and particularly oop north (translate Bradford, etc) the 'Indian' restaurant trade is run by Pakistanis.