WHEN '90s indie rockers Cornershop found muse in a Bollywood Actress, Asha Bhosle, for their 1998 hit Brimful of Asha, they failed to mention that the singer - the most recorded musician in the world - is a very keen cook.
We aim to compete not just with other Indians but with Manchester's very best restaurants...
Asha Bhoshe's Bollywood legend and kitchen prowess also provided inspiration for international high-end Indian chain Asha’s - owned by the prolific UAE restaurant group ARIL - which first opened in Dubai thirteen years ago and now has ten restaurants across the Middle East and one in Birmingham.
Asha's Manchester - fronted by Peter Warden (formerly of Individual Restaurants: RBG and Piccolino) - is the latest to join the acclaimed chain, which has featured in the Michelin Guide eight times, no less.
Having been over a year in the offing, there's high expectations surrounding Asha's, which has seen the mid-nineteenth century Grade II listed building on the corner of Peter Street and Mount Street (opposite the Midland) on the receiving end of a £2m revamp.
Sultrily lit with boudoir-style drapings, they've showered the build in gold finishings, deep okra's (purple when it's at home) and handmade gold 'battered' light fixtures which apparently took over two months to make. There's enough gold here to make Goldie jealous, and while Asha's is, with all intention, palatial, the venue somehow manages to avoid ostentation. Just.
It's big too. Spread across two floors and over 6000 sq ft, Asha's features a 100-cover restaurant and a dedicated 'Bolli Bar', which, incidentally, has nothing to do with that Bolly.
Asha's ManchesterBosses tell us Bhosle’s influence extends to both the walls and the dishes.
"Asha wears crystal beads with every performance," says Susan Potter, International Group Director of Asha's, "so you'll find beads throughout the venue along with Asha's signiture colour, okra, which relates to saffron.
"With every menu, Asha and her son Anand are personally involved. Asha is of course a massive star, and as with any major star, there's many offers for endorsement. Still, Asha refuses, except with our restaurants where's helped coordinate everything."
But with so many long established Indian brands in the city, how does Asha's plan to stand apart?
"We pride ourselves on using traditional techniques and make everything on site with our own pastry chef. While we stay true to authentic flavours, we introduce new ingredients such as venison, guinea fowl and duck - not commonly used in Indian cooking," explains Potter. "Also we've enlisted the help of global gin connoisseur Jamie Jones to devise our cocktail menu - it's very strong.
"Of course, there's many Indian restaurants in Manchester, but we feel we've raised the bar when it comes to modern Indian cooking. What we offer is non-typical - you won't find any elephants in the decor. We aim to compete not just with other Indians but with other genres of food and Manchester's very best restaurants."
'Modern, 'contemporary', 'unique' - all claims many new restaurants make; it'll be interesting to see if Asha's can deliver. The proof, as ever, lies in the curry.
Asha's, 47 Peter Street, M2 3NG - opens fully to the public on Friday 18 September. Book here
HERE'S HOW IT LOOKS...
