Award-winning chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE has announced plans to open his first restaurant outside London.
The proprietor of Café Spice Namasté, in East London, which picked up a Time Out Love Award last year and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, is bringing his Indian cooking style to Leicester’s Highcross shopping centre later this summer.
The new restaurant will be called Tandem, and is being described as a “celebration of authentic Indian cuisine and cocktail mixology”.
It is going into a part Grade II listed corner of the city centre shopping complex which, until last year, was occupied by the Mem-Saab Indian restaurant.
When it opens in August Tandem will be his first outside the capital where he currently has Café Spice Namasté and Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen restaurants which he runs with his wife Pervin.
The venture will be a collaboration with Leicester-based Raphael Hospitality.
As well as running successful businesses, he is also a popular figure on the TV, in shows such as The Incredible Spice Men and BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen.
He said the new restaurant will serve food made with traditional Indian cooking styles, based on sustainable and ethically-source produce, mainly from the 海角视频.
Most Read
The new restaurant and bar will be refurbished with a Portuguese and Goan influenced decor, with space for 150 diners, spread around five distinct spaces, including a chef’s table for private dining and a rooftop terrace.
Mr Todiwala said: “I have always wanted to expand my restaurants outside of London with Tandem having been in the pipeline for a long time and I’m thrilled to bring the vision to life in Leicester.
“The foodie scene in Leicester is taking flight and we’re excited to launch Tandem in such an exciting and vibrant city.
“Tandem is an exciting concept which offers something different to my other restaurants but takes inspiration from what we know our customers love.
“It was important to me to fully showcase the beauty of Indian cuisine by using traditional cooking techniques and influences from my personal experience.”
Highcross shopping centre is co-owned by retail property specialist Hammerson Plc, and includes flagship tenants such as John Lewis, Debenhams, Goldsmiths, Zara and Boots.
Restaurants include the newly opened Tamatanga, the 1573 Bar and Grill, Carluccio’s, Pizza Express and Wagamama.
Leicestershire retail news
Don’t miss
In recent years a number of high profile restaurants, affected by changing consumer demands, have closed in Highcross, including Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Chimichanga, Byron, Mission Burrito, and Benito’s Hat.
Iain Mitchell, 海角视频 commercial director at Hammerson, said: “The fact that an award-winning chef like Cyrus Todiwala has chosen Highcross for his first site outside of London is a real vote of confidence both in Highcross, and in Leicester as a city.
“Leicester already has a thriving food and drink scene, and Tandem is going to be a great addition to that.
“Tandem is exactly the sort of innovative, immersive offer that we are looking for across our portfolio, as we know our customers are looking for unique experiences.”
Hammerson’s retail portfolio is valued at around £9.9 billion and includes 21 flagship destinations, 13 retail parks and investments in 20 outlet villages.
Key sites include the Bullring and Grand Central, in Birmingham, Bicester Village, in Oxfordshire, Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, in Lisbon, and Les Terrasses du Port, in Marseille.
More than 80,000 people are reported to visit its 海角视频, France and Ireland shopping centres every hour.