A popular curry house is to reopen in Goose Green almost a year to the day since it was forced to close its Timperley restaurant.
Mhariam had built up a loyal customer base during 12 years on Stockport Road but was unexpectedly evicted just before Christmas last year, with the locks changed by the landlord.
But owner Bilal Samed, who admitted he was “heartbroken” by the sudden closure, has taken the iconic former Francs unit in Goose Green and will open in a matter of days.
He told us he’d decided to reopen a restaurant out of “love for the customers”.
“I was there for 12 years and unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to my customers,” he said. “It was heartbreaking. I had opportunities to go elsewhere but I’ve come back for the customers. It was like a home for me – I spent most of my time in my business, I was there seven days a week.”
Samed found out about the opportunity with the Francs unit – the former French restaurant closed in October 2016 after 24 years in Goose Green – from the hairdresser in the unit below while at his best friend’s funeral.
He said: “I’d lost my nana, two of my cousins in a car crash, as well as my business, and was at my best friend’s funeral when I saw Caroline from House of Finesse.
“She told me about the vacant unit above her in Goose Green and I came down and fell in love with the place straight away. Mark (Rubin, Goose Green owner) has been really helpful.”
The new 60-cover restaurant – twice the size of the Stockport Road restaurant – will again have a bring-your-own-alcohol policy.
“A lot of my customers love me because of that,” added Samed. “There’ll be no corkage or service charge. The prices will still be reasonable, the service will still be excellent.
“I have a unique style of cooking that’s not done anywhere else. My customers know that I keep my standards and wouldn’t let anything out of the kitchen if it wasn’t right.”
Mhariam could be open as early as this Friday but it’s more likely to be next week, and from then on will be open from 5pm to 11pm, seven days a week, with late opening to midnight at the weekend.
For bookings, call 0161 929 1777.
