Stephanie Whalley reports. Find her at Hungry Harriet.

One of the nation’s favourite Indian restaurants has landed in the lovely land of Liverpool and we were lucky enough to be on the guestlist of the grand opening.

The Barton Rouge brand began life in Chester back in 2011 with a stunning venue near the river. Fast forward six years and it is enjoying the acclaimed success of a second venue in Heswall and excited to be bringing traditional Old Delhi cuisine to Liverpool.

The launch follows a two year search for the perfect city centre location and the one which stole the heart of founder, Amit Kumar was the former Anderson’s Bar on Exchange Street East in the city’s buzzing commercial district.

After injecting a 500,000 investment into its new ”cosmopolitan postcode”, Barton Rouge’s latest culinary venture is looking super smart with plush velvet interiors and ultra-modern light installations to boot. A mezzanine bar overlooks a stylish downstairs dining area, where specialty cocktails are crafted to perfectly compliment the traditional and modern dishes on offer. 

Ahead of the launch, Barton Rouge was promising its signature charcoal pit and a contemporary interpretation of the popular street food trend and we certainly weren’t disappointed. Moving away from the conventional ideas of the Saturday night takeaway, Barton Rouge is all about finesse.

As well as filling our stomachs with tasty morsels and delicious cocktails that are sure to make a serious impact on the Liverpool food and drink scene over the coming weeks, it was also great to hear that the new Barton Rouge branch has generated around 30 city centre jobs.

Showing no signs of stopping there, Kumar hints at plans in the pipeline to continue his expansion across the country’s most prolific destinations to add his unique stamp to the UK Indian food market. 

Kumar commented: 

”Having established the brand back in 2011, Barton Rouge has evolved to become an Indian foodie establishment that blends traditional home cooking, which has been passed down through centuries, with a refreshing splash of modern-day culinary precision and visage.

”When it comes to Indian restaurants, our ethos is to shy away from the takeaway culture and instead capture the true essence of fine dining.”

He added:

”As part of on-going company developments, we plan to expand across the nation’s most prominent cities to create a never-been-done-before franchise of new-age Indian cuisine.”