Skip to content

New Indian restaurant and bar GupShup to open in former NatWest in Hale after £1.5m makeover

A new Indian restaurant and bar is to open in the former NatWest bank in Hale after the historic building was given a £1.5million revamp.

A new Indian restaurant and bar is to open in the former NatWest bank in Hale after the historic building was given a £1.5million revamp.

The Ashley Road building, which dates back to the 1870s, has been vacant since closing down in June 2017.

But after a protracted planning process, entrepreneur Raj Somaiya is to open a new concept restaurant in the space next month.

GupShup will be opening in the former Hale NatWest

GupShup – the Urdu word for ‘conversation’ – is promising to offer the “lighter side of Indian food as well as traditional and classic Indian cuisine”.

It will create 21 new jobs with the opening.

Somaiya is the flamboyant founder of Silver Fox Events, a successful Indian wedding planning company, and Asian and Indian catering company Payal.

Flamboyant businessman Raj Somaiya is behind the new opening

He’s also something of a familiar face on TV, having appeared on the likes of Real Housewives of Cheshire and My Big Fat Asian Wedding.

He said: “We wanted to create a restaurant that offered not only the best, authentic Indian food but also a place where people could get together and enjoy each other’s company.

A visual showing how GupShup will look

“We also want people to know that Indian food is vast and varied, you could easily dine in our restaurant two or three times a week and never feel you have over done it. We hope people will come and try something new but know we will always have their favourites and it will be the best Indian food they have ever had.”

The former bank has been given a £1.5m makeover, which has involved stripping it back to the bricks and replacing the roof. Interior designer Edwin Pickett, best known for his work on Manchester restaurants Tattu and Australasia, has worked on the project.

Comments

Latest