Cyrus Todiwala, the chef behind the “excellent” Café Spice Namasté and Goan-Portuguese restaurant Mr Todiwala’s kitchen, is to launch in Leicester.

Tandem will focus on “authentic Indian cuisine” from across the country. Rather than honing in on one region or style, as is increasingly the case in London – see the new, more conceptual restaurants Kanishka, Ooty, Kutir – Todiwala said Tandem will “fully showcase” the Indian food loved by diners already.

That’s not to say Tandem won’t be in any way less satisfying or exploratory. Todiwala’s East London restaurant Cafe Spice has been described as “no ordinary Indian” by reporters, with “varied food prepared with panache and extraordinarily skilled mixes of subtle flavours”.

Service is “excellent”, meanwhile, while the chef “is very informative and entertaining throughout”. Leicester, then, should be eagerly anticipating Tadiwala’s 150-cover site in Highcross shopping centre…

The chef said the food scene in Leicester is “taking flight”, and added: “I have always wanted to expand my restaurants outside of London with Tandem having been in the pipeline for a long time and I’m thrilled to bring the vision to life in Leicester.

“Tandem is an exciting concept which offers something different to my other restaurants but takes inspiration from what we know our customers love. It was important to me to fully showcase the beauty of Indian cuisine by using traditional cooking techniques and influences from my personal experience.”

Iain Mitchell, UK commercial director at property and retail group Hammerson, said: “Leicester already has a thriving food and drink scene, and Tandem is going to be a great addition to that.

“Tandem is exactly the sort of innovative, immersive offer that we are looking for across our portfolio, as we know our customers are looking for unique experiences.”