Kuldeep Singh, owner and executive chef of the Mela restaurant in London's Shaftesbury Avenue, is opening a second restaurant in the capital.

The outlet, named Chowki, will be in Denman Street near Piccadilly Circus. When it opens on 9 May, it will have 150 seats in the main dining area and 60 in a basement bar. It will serve home-style Indian food at large communal tables.

The building, a former tandoori restaurant, has been refurbished at a cost of more than £1m. Singh will lease the property for 17 years at a cost of £100,000 a year.

Each month, three different regions of India will be represented on the menu. This will feature 10 starters, 10 main courses, and five desserts, with the average cost of a meal expected to be £10 with drinks. The restaurant will have 10 chefs and 20 front of house workers.

Singh said he was in negotiations for a third site in London, near Fenchurch Street station, where he plans to open a restaurant in the £30 to £40 per head price bracket.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 11-17 April 2002