Asha Bhosle-inspired $1.5m Indian restaurant to open in Britain

Want to taste "Rahul Dev Burman chingri chaap"? Head to a new Indian restaurant -- inspired and co-owned by legendary singer Asha Bhosle -- that is set to open for food lovers in Manchester this week, a media report said on Wednesday.

The restaurant at the Peter Street displays portraits of Bhosle and her family, along with beaded fringing inspired by her stage costumes and jewellery, Manchester Evening News reported on Tuesday.

Bhosle, 82, will be among the guests at the VIP launch party scheduled on Thursday and the restaurant will officially open its doors on Friday.

The restaurant wears a simple look with purple as accent colour. It is decorated with booths clustered along one wall and lighting hanging from the ceilings.

The restaurant is a 170-year-old building and it cost two million pounds ($1.5 million) for its renovation.

The bar on the first floor has been transformed into a big dining space.

"We have tried to develop a contemporary atmosphere but the building is around 170-years-old, so we have tried to make sure we have restored it sympathetically," Sue Potter, managing director of the restaurant's parent company, was quoted as saying.

"We have used purple as an accent colour but otherwise we have kept to a quite neutral palette," he added.

"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," Potter noted.

The menu is traditional Indian cuisine with many of the dishes has been named as a tribute to the singer's connections and career.

Apart from special curries like "bharwan tandoori aloo", "tandoori jhenga" and "murg masala", the menu includes "Hare baingnan ka bharta" (one of Bhosle's mother's favourite dishes) and "Rahul Dev Burman chingri chaap" (a tribute to her late husband).