An exclusive look at Akbar's new £400k location in Blackburn

Lancashire Post

Ahead of its official opening to the public on Friday, I managed to get an exclusive look inside the new restaurant in Blackburn.  The popular Indian chain has been hard at work transforming what used to be Blakey’s underneath King George’s Hall into a beautiful restaurant.

Transcript

00:00 Hi, my name is Sam, Digital Reporter for the Lancashire Post. Come with me as I get an

00:06 exclusive look inside Ackbars, a popular Indian restaurant chain which will be the flagship

00:12 restaurant in Blackburn's new £50 million cultural quarter.

00:18 So I jumped on the next available train to Blackburn where Ackbars is located and took

00:23 the short 10 minute walk from the station to right underneath King George's Hall where

00:29 the restaurant is based. For months, contractors have been transforming

00:35 the former Blakeys building into something truly spectacular. Inside, there was high-end,

00:41 vibrant decor offering a riot of colour. The bold interior makes for a perfect juxtaposition

00:47 with the heritage and grandeur of the Grade II listed King George's Hall where it's

00:52 located. Inside the brand new Ackbars was a sight to see. The Blackburn restaurant will

00:59 be taking up the prime position as the flagship restaurant in Blackburn's developing £50

01:04 million cultural quarter. You'll usually find Ackbars in major cities right across

01:09 the country, including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham to name a few. From

01:15 humble beginnings as a small 28 seat restaurant in Bradford, there's now 12 successful Ackbars

01:22 employing more than 65 talented chefs and 300 members of staff with some of the best

01:28 set to relocate here. While the striking interiors are a draw, especially for the Instagram crowds,

01:35 it's the food that's the real selling point, bringing customers back time and time

01:40 again. Ackbars has nationally been awarded the King

01:44 of Curry title eight times by the likes of English Curry Awards, the National Curry Awards,

01:51 Asian Restaurant Awards and more. From old school favourites including Dan Sacks

01:57 and Biryanis to their special Balti's and Chef's specialities, the menu is extensive.

02:04 And for the real curry lovers out there, there's two chefs challenges to have a go at. One

02:10 for someone willing to take on a large meat feast and the other for a customer brave enough

02:15 to try the hottest dish their kitchen can prepare. That person will need to be very

02:20 brave too, as it's described as hotter than a dragon's breath.

02:26 Ackbars owner Shabir Hussain has been overseeing the opening of the new Blackburn restaurant,

02:31 carefully planning every last detail of its £400,000 transformation. And I could see

02:37 that a lot of effort and minute details had gone into the transformation.

02:44 From their colourful flower walls to their swanky seats, not to mention their lovely

02:50 dessert bar, it really was a feast for the eyes and I would recommend anyone in the Blackburn

02:56 area to give Ackbars a visit following its official public opening this Friday.

03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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