Textiles to tandoori, Suresh Ruia’s restaurant vision

A BUSINESSMAN with a successful track record in textiles has launched a new venture in the restaurant sector, inspired by his passion for authentic Indian food.

Suresh Ruia, 60, a well-connected and respected India-born entrepreneur who founded Manchester-based textiles and homewares business Beamfeature in 1986, says he was inspired to open Aamchi Mumbai in Cheadle out of frustration at not being able to find a “proper” Indian restaurant near his south Manchester home.

Launched in the summer of  2014, in partnership with friend Sandeep Gursahani, who previously worked for hotels group Marriott, the response to the new eatery has been so encouraging that they are drawing-up plans for more sites.

Mr Ruia said: “This has been a real labour of love, and I am very proud we have created something special and new for Greater Manchester.  I have long had a desire to establish a truly authentic Mumbai street food style restaurant in the UK, as for years I have been homesick for genuinely good Indian cuisine.

“Before we launched we tested the menu with the staff at Beamfeature and they said they had never tasted anything like it, and they loved it.”

He said many British Indian restaurants are in fact Bangladeshi or Pakistani, and the food they serve is “completely unlike” the meals he grew up with in Mumbai.

“It’s a different way of cooking – most restaurants create six or seven types of Aamchi mumbaigravy and then add the meat accordingly. They use a lot of ghee and oil. We cook everything fresh.”

His plan for at least the first six months of this year is to “fine tune” and refine the 65-cover Cheadle restaurant, before looking at rolling  out Aamchi Mumbai.

“We have a short, medium and long-term plan, as any business should. In time I’d like to take Aamchi Mumbai to London, but before that we need to be 100% confident that everything is working as it should.

“Once this is the case, then I think we’ll look for sites in Hale, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and the city centre.”

Customers at the restaurant are treated to complementary ‘taster’ dish alongside their main meal as a means of showcasing Aamchi Mumbai’s extensive menu.

Mr Ruia, who says the total investment so far has been more than £300,000, says he has extended an invitation to visit Aamchi Mumbai to HRH The Duke of Cornwall, who he has met several times  as a result of his role as co-chair of The British Asian Trust Regional Chapter North.

“He is a very nice man – he is very interested in people – he must meet thousands every year, but remembered me and my love for Manchester United!

“I wrote to him to invite him to come and see us. He replied, wishing us all the best of luck and said he and his wife may bear us in mind for a visit on a future trip to Manchester.”

 

 

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