An Indian restaurant in west London has apologised to a customer for marking his receipt with the words “white ppl” after he requested a mild curry.

Valentine Restaurant in Southall said the mix-up was a misunderstanding rather than a comment on the race of the customer, because “ppl” was its shorthand for “milk”.

The note, added underneath the order of a venison curry, read ***VERY MILD, WHITE PPL***. Restaurant owner Ruby Kandasamy said that it was a reminder for the kitchen to use “a white sauce made from milk, single cream, coconut milk and spices we add to our dishes when a curry is requested mild”.

But the customer, 44-year-old Stuart Lynn, said he was offended by the note and that he wouldn’t be using the restaurant again.

He told the Mirror: “I was not happy at all. It implies we can’t deal with strong curries… I thought it was very rude of them.”

Ms Kandasamy told the newspaper she was sorry “for any inconvenience and misunderstanding” and that the restaurant would be changing the way it marked mild orders. She was unavailable to comment when approached by The Independent to explain how “ppl” meant “milk”.