Canberra’s own Daana has been named best Indian restaurant in Australia in the 2022 Hostplus Restaurant and Catering Awards, held last night in Brisbane.

Multi-award winning husband and wife duo – Chef Sanjay and Chef Sunita Kumar and their team at Daana restaurant said they are thrilled to receive the award.

“This award, winning Gold has been 7 years in the making.” Explains Chef Sanjay Kumar.

“Daana receiving national recognition as the Best Indian restaurant in Australia, is the result of our whole team delivering consistency in creating the Daana experience.

“This is a story of resilience, perseverance, and faith. From starting out in a shipping container, to building our brand, surviving the pandemic, and to now receive the highest of accolades is unbelievable! We are proud of our dedicated team who work tirelessly in delivering their best every day!”

This Award is also the story of new immigrants who restarted their lives and who built successful businesses in Australia over the last 10 years. In January 2012 Chefs Sunita and Sanjay Kumar, their two young children, Sanjay’s mother, and four suitcases arrived in Canberra to begin a new life. Their first three years in Canberra saw the Kumars work in the corporate and hospitality sectors, with their long term plan to ‘do food’ – and in 2015 Daana launched.

The Chefs first offering was Indian street food from a shipping container in a pop-up village on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. One year later when they moved to commercial premises in Curtin, they quickly realized that street food wasn’t right for the restaurant. Their market research had revealed that all the Indian restaurants in Canberra were playing it safe. Catering to the Australian palate with the standard butter chicken and vindaloo. Determined to break the mould of ‘curry in a hurry’, Chef Sanjay and Chef Sunita began to craft a new dining experience.

“Our concept of Daana is to showcase the diversity, warmth, and ancient heritage of India. Australians have been missing out on the depth of our food and culture.” Says Chef Sunita Kumar.

“Indian fare is a rich kaleidoscope of regional and traditional flavours. Each state boasting its own distinctive cuisine due to local culture, geography, and climate, as well as historical influences that date back over 5000 years. Daana has been the perfect start to initiate our unique dining experience and food business journey. At Daana we focus on our guests first, and our passion for food a close second.

“Our mission has been to create an unparalleled dining experience, showing the richness and diversity of Indian cuisine. Being named as the 2022 Best Indian Restaurant in Australia endorses Daana’s mission and drives us on to the next goal in our business journey.”