A FINE-DINING Indian restaurant has invested in a major expansion, doubling in size and creating jobs.
Mumbai-trained and former London chef Anand George chose Wales to locate the first Mint & Mustard Indian restaurant in December last year.
The Whitchurch Road establishment has since won two national culinary awards this year which has further increased trade in the second half of the year.
The chef from Kerala, on the coast of south-west India, this year won the House of Commons Tiffin Cup and the South Asian Chef of the Year award.
Mr George said:
“Wales has proven to be a winning location for our first project, we are consistently fully booked, which has necessitated bringing forward plans to extend the restaurant. We have completed a significant investment in doubling our floor space to accommodate 60 seats and enlarging our kitchen to meet increased output. We have also created new jobs with both extra waiting and kitchen staff.”
The refurbishment includes an interior re-design of the restaurant with new seating, tables and flooring, as well as the building of a garden room extension which is also equipped with audio visual facilities for corporate events.
Mr George won the Tiffin Cup, for the UK’s best curry house, with his signature pan-fried sea bass on a bed of curry leaf infused mashed potato and raw mango and ginger sauce.
He is planning a range of business developments for next year.
He added:
“We have found a successful niche for our vision of bringing fine Indian dining to the Welsh capital, but we will not stand still.”
“We have a loyal customer base, many of whom are business people and we will be introducing corporate catering and master- class cooking events which are ideal for hospitality and team building.”