‘SECRET Millionaire Curry King’, Charan Gill MBE, opens the doors on Friday 16 October to Slumdog, Scotland’s first authentic Indian bar and kitchen, marking his return to Glasgow’s culinary scene following his sale of the Harlequin Restaurant empire four years ago.
And, to celebrate the launch, in the spirit of giving something back as exemplified by the real ‘slumdog millionaires’ (wealthy Indians who subsidise food for the local poor), Mr Gill has committed to feed someone from India’s slums for every customer who dines at Slumdog throughout its first month of opening.
Located at a bustling part of Sauchiehall Street, Slumdog has been designed to service both the daytime and evening bar and food markets with a Slumdog Snacks and light meal offering available all day switching to a more formal dining experience in the evening.
Mr Gill said” “The idea behind Slumdog has been in my mind for some time – but it’s only now that I feel I’ve finally found the perfect location and that Glasgow’s thriving bar and social scene is ready for this new culinary concept – the first of its kind in the UK.
“Glaswegians are always willing to try something new and embrace change and I’m confident that Slumdog will appeal to revellers in search of something fresh and different. There’s a lot happening in Glasgow’s bar and culinary scene at the moment and it’s great to be back and participating in it!
“Having built Harlequin into the largest Indian restaurant chain in Europe, I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into establishing and running Slumdog. It feels like my career has come full circle and I’m starting at the beginning again with my very first outlet.”
Slumdog offers all day tea, snacks and light meals and a custom-made range of cocktails concocted by specialist mixologist Bar Nomadics.
Said Mr Gill: “Customers can come and relax in our cocktail bar where they can nibble a selection of finger food alongside a funky range of cocktails amidst the sights, sounds and scents typical of the backstreets of Mumbai.”
And mid-November heralds the launch of the spectacular Slumdog Christmas Soiree evenings with a resident DJ operating from Thursdays through to Saturdays.
“When you book for the Slumdog Christmas Soiree, there’s no need for customers to order their food,” said Mr Gill. “Rather, all they have to do is order their drinks, sit back, relax and enjoy the culinary surprise that awaits them. And they can eat as much as they like because the price is fixed!
“At Slumdog, our chefs know how to combine an array of fantastic dishes and serve them without fuss or ceremony – the menu allows our guests to taste every dish. In Indian homes, guests are served starters as they enjoy their drinks and, when they are good and ready, the main course arrives.”
Located on the site of former pub The Sauchiehaugh at 410 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow which once housed the trendy bar Maxaluna and more recently Edwards, Slumdog offers a relaxed and inviting bar and kitchen experience and stocks a full range of Indian beers, wines and cocktails.
Mr Gill has invested £1.5 million into transforming the 170-cover venue into a destination eatery with an opulence more familiar to millionaires than slumdogs.
Said Mr Gill: “The opulence of the interior has been designed to surprise and confound any preconceptions customers might have had about the restaurant from its deliberately contrary name. But while Slumdog’s décor is plush, the prices are decidedly sensible.”
Log onto www.slumdogbarandkitchen.com for more details or telephone 0141 333 9933.
ENDS
For further information please contact Charan Gill at tel 0141 334 4633
Notes to Editors
Slumdog’s cocktails list includes such tempting concoctions as: Slumdog Millionaire (Wyborowa Rose vodka shaken with lychee, fresh lemon and sweet pomegranate, served straight up); Slumdog Diva (Havana Club Especial rum shaken with mango, pineapples, yogurt and cumin infused syrup, served long over crushed ice) and Slum Yum (Havana Club Especial shaken with passion fruit, pineapple, basil, fresh lemon, sugar and soda, served over ice).
Slumdog’s menu comprises a mouth-watering selection of snacks including: Bombay Bhel Puri, part of Mumbai culture and synonymous with its back streets, this is a savoury snack made from puffed rice, lentils, diced boiled potato and drizzled with tamarind sauce and cool yogurt; Pakora Jai Ho, a famous snack created by street vendors by taking ingredients such as onion, potato, cauliflower and eggplant, dipping them in a batter of gram flour and deep-frying and Kati rolls, a fast food popular in the back alleys of every major Indian city, this begins with a paratha toasted on a tava and fried vegetables or meats roasted in butter and stuffed inside. Spices, red onion slivers and lime are sprinkled on top.
Charan Gill is a former shipbuilder who founded his Harlequin Leisure Group in Glasgow in 1994 and built it into Europe’s largest chain of Indian restaurants before selling it in a multi-million pound deal in 2005. Following the sale of his restaurant empire, Charan’s next move was to pen his autobiography, ‘Tikka Look at me Now’, star in the hit Channel 4 TV series The Secret Millionaire and to open Scotland House in Delhi.
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