New Asha’s to open in Manchester

THE latest Asha’s Restaurant is to open in Manchester in the autumn.

The new outlet in Peter Street will be opened by Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle, the star behind the international chain.

She famously inspired Cornershop’s global hit Brimful of Asha in the 1990s.

She opened her first restaurant at Wafi City, Dubai in 2002, and the brand now has branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait in the Middle East as well as the popular restaurant in Birmingham that has been recommended in the Michelin Guide since 2009.

The Manchester venue will be the 10th to open across the world.

The Birmingham branch is owned by business partners Paul Bassi and Pawan Kenth, the duo who teamed up with former Asha’s Birmingham general manager Jaimon George to acquire Metro in Cornwall Street through their Brandasia Group.

Asha’s Restaurant and Cocktail Bar has been recommended in the Michelin Guide for the fifth successive year, was winner of the Top Table Diners’ Choice in 2014, has received a “Certificate of Excellence” from TripAdvisor and was named in The Sunday Times Top 130 Restaurants in Britain under £50.

Bassi said: “Manchester will soon find out why Asha’s is such a strong and powerful brand with a well deserved reputation for excellent food.

“We welcome this addition to the global brand and this new opening will inspire us all to maintain and raise our standards.”

The Birmingham branch has been open eight years now and it has become a firm favourite of corporate Birmingham and established as a premier venue for celebrities and footballers in the city’s burgeoning nightlife offer.