LOVERS of Indian food can rest assured ? the House of India is not about to close.

A glut of calls from worried customers prompted the owners of the North Street restaurant, Geri Rodrigues-Uppal and Ashok Uppal, to place an advertisement in yesterday.

The ad makes clear the popular eatery is not about to close, nor to be sold, and it adds: "To those who have nothing better to do but start malicious gossip, they say copying is the best form of flattery.

"We say put your efforts into your cooking, 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'."

Any suspicion that a "curry war" might have broken out with the rival Indian food establishment Bombay Palace, which has recently opened next door to the House of India, were unfounded, said Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal yesterday.

"The reason I put the ad in the paper was not because of competition," she said. "It was because someone, or some company, is sending out malicious gossip about us closing and selling up.

"We had been receiving frantic calls from quite a lot of our customers. My husband also received a call from the .

"So I felt it was necessary to put their minds at rest and hopefully stem the gossip. Competition would certainly not be a reason for us to close; in fact, we welcome it and feel it is healthy.

"The consumer benefits from competition, businesses come and go every day, only the strong survive. It is the discerning customer who chooses what they want, and only the best will do.

"They want good authentic food, excellent quality and fair prices, and this is what we have always provided.

"We know who we are and have worked long and hard for our reputation."

She added that the House of India was celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and intended to be around for the next decade.

"In the beginning the stigma that North Hamilton had, has not always made it easy to do business in this part of town," Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal added.

"However, the residents have always been kind, and have looked out for us. They feel we have only done good things for the area, bringing all walks of life to an area that perhaps they normally would not venture.

"The only down side is parking and vagrants, I'm sure if something could be done about that everyone would benefit."