Sanjay Majhu eyeing expansion throughout Scotland

SELF-STYLED “curry king” Sanjay Majhu is eyeing further expansion throughout Scotland after opening his first Edinburgh site.

Majhu, who bought Harlequin Group from Charan Gill in 2005 for £8 million, launched World Buffet – which includes Chinese, Indian and Italian dishes on its menu – on Hanover Street in March.

The Glasgow-based firm is now mulling further growth of its Ashoka brand, which claims to be the largest Indian restaurant chain in Europe with 12 sites. Its other brands include Ashoka Shak, Green Chili Café and Las Ramblas Tapas.

Majhu said: “Ashoka World Buffet restaurant on Hanover Street is our first venture into the capital and our east coast expansion has definitely whet our appetite for further growth throughout Scotland.

“The new restaurant in Edinburgh is our pilot in the city. We’ve used it as a test bed to check what appetite the capital has for Ashoka.

“The restaurant has been open for two months and it is early days but it has been very well received.”

The Ashoka brand was launched in 1972 and already has outlets in Dundee, Livingston, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

The company launched its own cook school in 2011 and now has sites in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Motherwell and also has published a cook book.