A restaurant that was threatened with closure during last year’s severe floods is celebrating yet another award.

Zarda Indian Cuisine, in Yalding High Street, scooped the 2015 Diner’s Choice award from website OpenTable last month after becoming one of the website’s most booked venues in the area.

It is the second year running that it has won the award and last year it became just one of 101 Good Food award winners from goodfood.com.

A year ago however things were not looking so bright.

Floodwater from the appalling weather over Christmas 2013 surrounded his restaurant - and left a huge chunk of the village submerged.

Although the water did not get inside, it made it impossible for the restaurant to trade for several months and it was briefly threatened with closure.

That misfortune struck owner Kajol Miah months after he bought the restaurant.

Mr Miah said: “To come back from nearly closing down for good to surviving and getting this is amazing.

“We went through hell and back, the whole village did, it was a horrible experience.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to be doing well now. I have a chef called Babul Miah (no relation) and he is fantastic.

“I overlook everything and run the whole business and its important to have chefs like him who understand the whole ethos.”