Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has inspired many with her sweet voice. But did you know she is also a passionate restaurateur? After Dubai and Birmingham, Asha has opened doors to food lovers in Manchester with the launch of her Indian restaurant called Asha’s.
Portraits of Asha and her family decorate the walls, along with beaded fringing inspired by her stage costumes and jewelry.
The interior has been designed keeping in mind Bollywood glamour, decorated in shades of pewter and ochre with plush purple booths clustered along one wall and gilded pendant lighting hanging from the ceilings.
“We’ve used purple as an accent colour but otherwise we’ve kept to a quite neutral palette. The ochre is quite an important part of our identity, referencing the saffron in Indian cookery and the burnt orange colours you see in a lot of Indian art work,” Manchester Evening News quoted Sue Potter as saying. Sue is the managing director of the ARIL Group, the restaurant’s parent company.
The building is 170 years old and it cost around $1.5m to renovate and preserve the original features of building. “We’ve tried to develop a contemporary atmosphere but the building is around 170 years old, so we’ve tried to make sure we’ve restored it sympathetically,” she added.
The menu offers a modern touch to the traditional Indian cuisine. The Hare Baingnan Ka Bharta (roasted and mashed aubergines cooked with ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander) was one of Asha’s mother’s favourite dishes. While the Rahul Dev Burman Chingri Chaap (king prawn marinated in ginger, garlic and spices, breaded and fried) is named after her late husband, who worked alongside her and is one of India’s most celebrated music composers.
Beneath the restaurant is a private dining room and a bar. The 82-year-old singer will be among the guests at the VIP launch party scheduled on Thursday. The restaurant will officially open its doors to the public on Friday.
Asha, a noted cook as well as a performer, opened her first restaurant in Dubai in 2002 and the brand has since spread across the Middle East. The Manchester branch is only the second in the UK, after Birmingham.