Restaurant The Crossing India Bistro opens at the site of former India Bistro in Leeds

A restaurant in the heart of a Leeds suburb is back in use.

India Bistro, which opened in Chapel Allerton at the end of last year, had been listed as permanently closed on Google.

But a new restaurant has now opened in its place, The Crossing Indian Bistro, promising a “modern take on regional Indian cuisine”.

The Crossing is now being led by a new head chef and founder Ankur Chakraborty, who has worked across Dubai, Paris and Nice.

The restaurant is part of the Lemon Butter group.

It has sites in Dubai, Paris and Nice, and the Leeds restaurant will be the first The Crossing India Bistro restaurant in the UK.

Ankur’s father worked for the Indian railways and, in his childhood, he would travel across India by train with him, which has influenced his cooking. He has more than two decades of experience as a chef.

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He said: “The Crossing is built on the idea that India is not one cuisine, but thousands of local food cultures connected by movement, exchange and memory.

“The railways helped those cultures meet as people travelled, allowing recipes to cross regions and flavours to evolve. We’ve reflected this in the menu, which takes guests on a journey through India, where they can discover lesser-known dishes inspired by its different regions.

“Chapel Allerton feels like the right first home for us in the UK with its strong identity and an independent, community-minded spirit. We hope to add something distinctive to that neighbourhood, with an expression of modern India that is regionally rooted, generous and full of discovery.”

The restaurant is open from noon until 10.30pm every day and is running a soft launch period, where diners can get 50% off all food, until August 31.

It will serve The Crossing’s signature dishes including Railway Lamb Curry, with slow-braised lamb and smoked rogani laal maas curry, Alleppey Prawn Curry, a coconut and turmeric dish with poached prawns inspired by Kerala’s backwaters, and Madras Mutton Pepper Fry, a stir-fried curried lamb served with mini idli.

There is a range of small plates such as Gunpowder Prawns and Kerala Fried Chicken.

The Crossing is also offering a £15 Thali lunchtime deal, where diners can choose a main curry, served alongside Zeera Aloo, Saag Makai, Dal of the Day, Raita, House Pickle, Steamed Basmati Rice and a choice of Freshly Baked Tandoor Bread.

Bookings can be made via the live reservation page.