Long-time friends and doctors Meenal Abhyankar and Dhanya Kalathil are opening a new restaurant close to Liverpool waterfront creating a ’minimum’ of 35 jobs. Tony McDonough reports
Two doctors and long-time friends are to open a contemporary Indian restaurant close to Liverpool waterfront in May.
Meenal Abhyankar and Dhanya Kalathil have been friends since they met as parents at the school gates. Both have spent more than 20 years working as doctors in Liverpool city region balancing demanding careers in medicine with family life.
Now the pair are putting their passion for food into White Tiger, a new venture located at Kings Dock close to the M&S Bank Arena and Exhibition Centre Liverpool. It will create a “minimum” of 35 jobs.
Meenal and Dhanya first met at the school gates as their children became friends, quickly bonding over shared experiences of building lives in Liverpool and a mutual love for authentic Indian food and the flavours of home.
While continuing their medical careers, the duo began developing White Tiger during their time off, driven by a desire to introduce something new to Liverpool’s dining scene.
Despite their love for the city, they felt there was a gap in the market for Indian cuisine that truly reflects the breadth and complexity of dishes found across the subcontinent.
At the heart of White Tiger will be a standout menu created in collaboration with two award-winning, internationally renowned Indian chefs, Shipra Khanna and Anahita Dhondy.
Meenal said: “Dhanya and I have both built our lives and careers in Merseyside and feel incredibly grateful to the city region, but we always felt there was something missing when it came to Indian food.
“We wanted to create a space that truly reflects the variety, depth and elegance of the dishes we grew up with.”
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The name White Tiger reflects the ethos behind the brand – something “rare, distinctive and powerful”. Dhanya Kalathil added: “This has been a journey built on friendship, trust and a shared vision.
“We didn’t want to create just another Indian restaurant but an offering that feels thoughtful, expressive and true to its roots, while still being welcoming to everyone.”