Atul Kochhar drops Birmingham Mailbox restaurant plans
Atul Kochhar is understood to have axed plans to open his first UK NRI restaurant at Birmingham's Mailbox retail complex.
Chef-restaurateur Kochhar announced plans to open his Not Really Indian (NRI) restaurant concept at the site last year, with an opening planned for September 2017. However, nearly a year after the restaurant was due to open, BirminghamLive has reported the plans have been dropped.
The 180-cover site would have followed the original NRI restaurant in Mumbai, which is believed to have closed earlier this year.
BirminghamLive reported that Kochhar is now looking elsewhere in the city to open a restaurant. A spokesperson for Mailbox said "there is no further update at this time".
A spokesperson for Kochhar said: "Discussions are ongoing with the landlord."
Kochhar operates the Michelin-starred Benares and Indian Essence in London as well as a Benares in Madrid, Sindhu at the Macdonald Compleat Angler hotel in Marlow, and the two-AA-rosette Hawkyns at the Crown Inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, which he opened last year. He is also developing Epoch with Ruth Hansom and Emily Lambert after committing to invest in the restaurant concept on BBC Two's Million Pound Menu.
The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai's Rang Mahal restaurant ended its affiliation with Kochhar last month over a tweet he posted deemed to be "Islamophobic".
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