Purveyors of Park Hill Punjabi cuisine, 5Tara, have announced their second Indian restaurant on Shalesmoor, near Kelham Island, opens Thursday 28th March, and we got to have a sneak peek inside the finished restaurant before the big day.
Ahead of opening, they’ve also revealed a new lunch menu from 12pm – 2 pm, including Thali’s, bheega naan and samosas, as well an evening menu featuring many of your favourites from their Duke Street restaurant, as well as new dishes like Truck Driver chicken curry, sev tamatar nu shaak, and dhal makhana.
Co-owner Amanpreet Bawa’s mum sadly passed away in February and as a tribute to his late mother, all the dishes on the new Kelham Island menu come from her original recipes.
There’s no need for fans of the Duke Street 5Tara to panic either, as the OG restaurant will continue to cook up authentic Indian dishes, but with a new focus on street food classics.
The slight tweak is necessary as their current award-winning operation consists mainly of husband and wife team, Amanpreet Bawa (front of house) and Shivangi Kheironiyan (head chef).
In order for Shivangi to head up the new venture in Kelham, Aman, a chef in his own right, is taking on the cooking reigns over at Duke Street.
Ahead of opening, he said: “Shivangi will head up Kelham because we can’t be everywhere, but the style won’t change because I don’t think I can improve what she’s already done.
“Everybody has a different style of cooking, but the style that we adopted here, people are loving. Rather than put my personal touch on it, I will follow what’s already working, that’s the intelligent move.
“I’m a chef as well, and I love making street food, and previously worked in a street food restaurant, so we’ll be making Duke Street an Indian Street food joint, on a bigger scale than it is already.
“Kelham will offer more starters and main courses. We want to show people how starters are different from street food – they’re not the same thing.
“We’ll also be doing more vegan and gluten free dishes, while keeping our classic meat dishes -especially our lamb curry, which comes from our 101-year-old recipe. People say it’s the best lamb curry in Sheffield, and I can’t deny it.”
There will also be new additions and seasonal changes to the menu, and Aman tells us that both venues will offer tweaks to how the food is served, while retaining that original ethos of beautiful, home cooked, authentic Indian food.
He said: “Our excitement is not just for Kelham, it’s for both places, as we’ve created new menus in both.
“We’ll be changing how the food is served, using classic thali and tiffin, as well as tweaking how the food looks, but always keeping this in mind – we will still be serving home cooked food.”
Aman tells us the feel and décor of the new place invokes ‘vintage Indian’, heavily inspired by old Delhi cuisine that offers a nostalgic, homely experience for guests.
Much like Duke Street, where they display artworks by Joules Rain, the Kelham interior will also be used to promote local artists.
“We want 5Tara to be a combination of something that can excite people, something that will educate people and something that will give a nostalgic feel.” Explains Aman.
Following a successful couple of years on Duke Street, which has seen them shortlisted, as well as triumphing in numerous awards celebrating their food, Aman and Shivangi now feel confident to expand.
“I think we’ve now got a base and we’re prepared to go for the second place. There have been tough situations, but I think that has helped us to get a bit tougher.
“It’s exciting, tense, everything all together, but we want people to know it’s the same 5Tara, just an improved, authentic Indian journey. It’s a big leap for us, but the idea is to make Kelham a new spot for people who think we are a bit far away in Park Hill.”
5Tara Kelham opens on 28th March, but will host a special ceremony on Wednesday 27th March, from midday. Give them a follow on Insta for more deets.
