'Disillusioned and disappointed' chef Cyrus Todiwala leaves Tandem after just six months

Award-winning chef Cyrus Todiwala has stepped away from Tandem, the Leicester restaurant venture he launched in October 2019.

Speaking to Leicestershire Live, the chef said he had evisaged Tandem becoming "a shining star in the Midlands" but that he had been left "disillusioned and disappointed at the direction it was taking."

"For me," he added, "the only sensible way, regardless of the loss, was to exit."

The chef said he felt "very sorry" to disappoint the people of Leicester, having chosen the city as the first outer-London location to set up a restaurant, adding that he felt "very sad" to have made the decision so early in the restaurant's life.

The Zest Quest Asia founder, known for his TV appearances including Saturday Kitchen and The Incredible Spice Men - which he and Scottish celebrity chef Tony Singh co-hosted - still owns his London flagship, Café Spice Namaste as well as two Mr Todiwala sites at London Heathrow T5 and Lincoln Plaza London. 

After receiving an MBE in 2000 and an OBE  for services to the restaurant and catering industry in 2009, he cooked for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2013, and was named BBC personality of the year the following year. 

Cyrus previously opened another restaurant, Assado, in 2014 at the Hampton Hilton in London Waterloo, but closed in 2017, with plans to relaunch at the hotel's Canary Wharf location later that year but no mention since.