Date: Friday 9 August 2008

In the red corner – A new Hyderabadi dish claiming to be the hottest curry in the world. Sparring partners are minced lamb, taramind sauce, kashmiri powder…and a parade of chillies so nails they look like the police lineup after a raid on a vegatable crime family. Trainer: Vivek Singh, chief chef.

In the blue corner – Slightly sweaty 30-something, a Bellini and three flutes of champagne down. Undefeated, but has fought mainly local journeymen, including the Bengal Lancer's Kalapuri chicken. Trainer: Nicole

Build up

The dish was commissioned by Virgin as part of a stunt to acommpany the launch of Virgin's Bollywood TV channel. Singh's brief was to try and enter the Guinness Book of World Records for producing a curry that could be recognised as the hottest in the world.

Curiously, Virgin's involvement seems to have figured little in the ensuing publicity, which has included press reports and an appearance on Jonathan Ross, where the host braved the dish wearing fire-proof goggles.

Let's get ready to rumble

At this stage I had no idea whether the Burner was the hottest collection of foodstuff it's possible to put together on a single plate, or the hottest “real” meal that a restaurant could feasibly serve. Given that the Cinnamon is a venerable old eatery proud of its reputation, the latter seemed more likely. After all, if you just want chilli oblivion, you can neck a handful of raw peppers.

There was also the question of the “disclaimer” diners are asked to sign when ordering the dish. Was that for real, and is it possible for real physical damage to result from consuming too much capsaicin in one sitting?

The Bollywood makes no appearance on the menu: you have to ask for it specially, like some really extreme material in an adult store (I'd imagine). I asked apologetically if it was possible to try a little, wary of seeming like a drunken English guy slapping down the menu in his local curry house and demanding the hottest thing… More