Coventry viral Indian fine dining restaurant that's like 'being transported to a new world'

A brand-new Indian restaurant has opened in Coventry with the aim of creating an "unforgettable experience" for diners in the city. Jhoom on Foleshill Road went viral on TikTok with over 260,000 views from one video - and owner Aftab Mahmood says it has been fully booked ever since.

The halal restaurant, which opened five weeks ago, serves everything from curries, burgers and steaks to platters and karahis. There are also mocktails and desserts, served in an elegant and refined setting.

Luxury touches inside the restaurant include marbled tables and floors, black and silver diamante leopards, plush seating, sculptures, and floral decorations. Aftab describes it as giving "the feeling of being in Dubai" and said he wanted it to be almost like "being transported to a new world".

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Aftab told CoventryLive: "I always wanted to open a restaurant and have my own business within the food industry. Within Foleshill, there's not many fine-dining restaurants around here, so it's always been a passion to have my own."

Speaking about the interior inspirations, he said: "My brother Maytab likes interior design so we worked together on how the place would look. There were a lot of changes as we'd put something up and take it off if we didn't like it, but we had a vision. I designed things myself and sketched it how I wanted it to be done, and overall it took two years to build the restaurant to how it looks today."

The first week of opening was quiet but has picked up massively since the viral video. The response has been "good" so far with the food and service, Aftab says.

He added: "It has become very busy and the last two weeks, we've been at full house capacity despite people booking in advance, to the point where queues have been forming outside. I'm happy with how it's going, we've had good feedback so far, it's important that the food and service are on point because if that fails, no one will come."

The slogan for Jhoom is "good food, good people, good times" and its owner says the restaurant strives to be "different" from other eateries. Aftab's ambition is to make it the "best of the best".

He said: "The property became available on Foleshill Road and I thought 'let's have a go'. With business, you have to take a gamble as it's a part of life. The road is well-known for its ethnic shops, and where we are located is not as busy compared to the other, there's plenty of parking and the city centre is only down the road.

"When people come here, I want them to feel comfortable and enjoy the fine-dining atmosphere alongside delicious food and impeccable service. We cater to everybody with Indian dishes like biryanis and handis but also have a world menu with fish and chips, lamb chops, and pan-fried seabass so whether you come in a couple or with your family, there's something for everyone."

In terms of what Aftab thinks of the restaurant scene in Coventry, he said: "Coventry is improving and since the city is in the middle, people from London, Manchester, and Birmingham visit us. We've had a lot of customers from London lately which shows that you've got to make the restaurant look good and be comfortable so people who make the journey have a worthwhile visit."

The restaurant's most popular dishes at the moment are the Lamb Sooka Bhuna, a succulent lamb cooked with onions and tomatoes in a "flavourful" sauce. Steak options including T-Bone, Pepper Steak, Sirloin and Ribeye cuts have also proved to be a hit.

Aftab said: "We'll keep the menu the same for a year, and see what's not selling well and replace it with another dish, but since we are quite new, we will test out what dishes are working well with customers. Food is very important, any restaurant you visit, it doesn't matter how expensive it is, as long as the food and experience matches to high expectations, it's worth going to."

Aftab says the main aim for Jhoom is to "bring customers in" while the restaurant is still brand-new. The restaurant currently seats 100 and there are plans to expand upstairs as well as a potential shisha lounge in the next few years.

Take a look inside in our gallery below of Jhoom:

Where to find Jhoom Coventry:

• Location: 457 Foleshill Road, Coventry, England, CV6 5AQ

• Opening times: 4pm-11pm Sunday to Thursday, 4pm-12am Friday and Saturday

• Bookings: To make a booking, visit the Jhoom website.

Social links for Jhoom: Instagram - @jhoom_restaurant and TikTok @jhoom_restaurant.

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