A couple's passion for food has inspired them to open a restaurant in Farnworth, which is undergoing a huge regeneration.

Abhishek Verma and his wife of 17 years, Monica, previously ran Lucknow Junction in Oldham for two years, but decided to relocate to Higher Market Street after looking for a bigger space.

Whilst this is mostly Monica’s dream, Abhishek  more behind the scenes while continuing his career as a software engineer.

Abhishek said: “We wanted a bigger place and to open longer hours.

“This is my wife’s passion.

“She left her job as a software engineer for this.

Asian Image: “We started small first to see how the public responded.”

The couple spent time trying different dishes to make sure they were just right.

The cuisine is inspired by both the couple’s culture in Lucknow – a large city in northern India - which they stress is distinctly different to southern Indian food.

Abhishek added: “Monica is really passionate about food and works hard to make it.

“Our food is different to any other restaurant, and we try to make the food the best we can.

“Monica used to go to every customer in the restaurant and ask them what they liked and didn’t like.

“We want people to have the best service and quality food.”

Customers can choose to customise their food to ensure that it is not too spicy.

Asian Image: Abhishek said: “A lot of people from India or the north of India have said they have not eaten these kinds of dishes because it gets changed a lot.

“Because of locations, spices change a lot.

“And in the north, we use sunflower oil instead of coconut oil, so it tastes different.

“We are trying to understand what hot means for our customers, and we try to make it suitable to their taste.”

All of the food is made from scratch, including sauces, and all vegetables are fresh.

Asian Image: Despite the smaller menu, the couple believe this will help ensure more quality.

Monica is the only chef at the moment, whilst they recruit more kitchen staff/

Lucknow Junction will become available on Just Eat and Deliveroo in the next week or so.

In the meantime, customers can dine in or collect from the restaurant, Monday to Sunday from 5pm-11pm, subject to change.

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