Edinburgh restaurateur and celebrity chef Jimmy Lee wins prestigious food award

Salt and Chilli Oriental was the only business from Scotland to win a prize

Celebrity chef Jimmy Lee is celebrating after winning a prestigious prize at the UK Restaurant Awards.

Lee’s Salt and Chilli Oriental brand – which has branches at Edinburgh’s St James Quarter and in Glasgow – was named 'One to Watch' at this year's R200 Awards.

The annual awards, organised by Restaurant Magazine and held in Manchester, recognise excellence in the multi-site restaurant space as voted for by industry peers.

Celebrity chef Jimmy Lee is celebrating after winning a prestigious prize at the UK Restaurant Awards.

Salt and Chilli Oriental was the only business from Scotland to win a prize on Tuesday night (November 15), with other category winners including Pizza Pilgrims, Nandos, and Dishoom.

The grab-and-go venture, a mash-up of East and West, old and new, and salt and chilli, offers a taste of Hong Kong's no-frills street food.

Speaking about his award, Lee said: “I am absolutely thrilled to win this award. This award belongs to every member of my team.

“Every day, an incredible amount of hard work goes into making the best tasting Cantonese food in Scotland, and it is fantastic that our achievements have been recognised at the highest level by my restaurant peers.

A few months back, Lee opened a new pan-Asian restaurant, also in St James Quarter – the fabulously-named Leith Woks.

The restaurant, housed within Bonnie & Wild's Scottish Marketplace, is described as ‘a wok-based street food restaurant with a cultural twist’.

Lee appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu, and was also a judge alongside Prue Leith on Channel 4’s My Kitchen Rules.

He also appeared with Kirstie Allsopp on Kirstie's Handmade Christmas, as well as presenting his popular STV cookery series, Julie and Jimmy's Hot Woks.