The Man Behind The Curtain: Leeds restaurant closes for Psycho Sandbar rebrand and hands back Michelin star

Michael O’Hare is rebranding his Vicar Lane restaurant into Psycho Sandbar, a “more accessible” fine-dining concept with a new menu format and more choice for diners.

After a short refurbishment, Psycho Sandbar is expected to open in February in the same location. The Great British Menu judge said the change was inevitable, but accelerated by three big “waves” that have hit the restaurant industry - Brexit, the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis.

Promising a “fish-heavy” restaurant and the same quality of food that diners have come to love, Psycho Sandbar will be more versatile, with a “surf-shack” theme. Guests can visit for just cocktails and bar snacks or opt for the full experience that diners enjoyed at the Man Behind The Curtain, Michael said.

Ahead of the rebrand, the restaurant put on weekly special events, including guest chef nights and a cookery school led by Michael himself. Gift vouchers can be used on the new menu once Psycho Sandbar opens.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post last month, Michael said: “ A new year is time for a new start, and I want to reimagine the whole space.

“It’s still going to be my food, it’s still going to be my technique. But as a restaurant, as a team of chefs, we need to think - what is fine dining? What makes us so fine? Is it the elegance on the plate, is it the product that we’re using or the method we cook in?

“Ultimately, it’s the way we cook the products that we get. We buy the finest ingredients and we cook them the best way we know how. If the talent is there and the product is there, then the food shines.”

The Man Behind The Curtain opened in 2014 and was known for pushing boundaries with its unconventional food, service and design. It was the only restaurant in Leeds to hold a Michelin Star, but will hand back the accolade with the rebrand.

Michael added: “I’m incredibly grateful for it, it’s one of the reasons that I personally have been so successful. The reason the restaurant was so big internationally for so long was because of that beacon of the Michelin star.

“I like the idea of having creative freedom again. Psycho Sandbar gives me the opportunity to cook whatever I want - because I like it, because I think it’s right, because it’s good. And it doesn’t matter if it’s ludicrous, it doesn’t matter if it’s basic. For the most part it will be more simple and paired back.

“If we were to get another star as a result of that, that’s brilliant - I’m not saying that’s off the cards. But it’s not the goal.

“I want to come in here and have great food with my friends, eat as much and drink as much as we want, and for them to enjoy being here - and not pat me on the back for it.”