Blaze-hit restaurant may soon be back on the menu

Khushi's, on Victoria Street, bore the brunt of a blaze which also tore through the Liquid Room venue and Finnegan's Wake pub in December 2008.

Both of those premises have reopened, but there had been doubts whether or not Khushi's would be able to repair the damage from the fire that started in its own kitchen.

But partner Islam Mohammed said that work should begin in the spring, and will take between nine and 12 months to complete.

It is understood the previous difficulties the restaurant had with insurers have been all but ironed out, with both parties keen to make progress.

A safe roof is also in place after the original perished.

The development has been welcomed by local politicians, who said it would help bring back some vibrancy to the area.

Mr Mohammed said: "Once we get clarification from (the insurers] we can start, hopefully in the spring. It's difficult to say just now what the timescales are - we have to get in and see what state it is in - but I'd imagine it could take between nine and 12 months to complete."

The fire at Khushi's came only four months after a smaller blaze caused it to be evacuated. It had only recently moved to the city centre from its previous location at Potterrow and won praise for the splendour of its decor as well as the food.

The fire ripped the heart out of that part of the city, leaving flames that burned for more than 24 hours. Since then, the Liquid Room and Finnegan's Wake have reopened.

But it was Khushi's which sustained the most severe damage, and rows with insurer Norwich Union in the early stages delayed any quick return.At one stage, Mr Mohammed even hired his own forensics team to speed up investigations.

City centre Liberal Democrat councillor Charles Dundas said: "It's certainly not in the economic interest to have a large gap site there, so I'm pleased things seem to be moving forward."