One of Manchester’s biggest and most popular Indian restaurants is set to go on sale following a fallout between the owners.
Royal Nawaab – a buffet restaurant and banqueting hall on Stockport Road in Levenshulme – has been a hotspot for Asian cuisine, casual dining and pre-COVID large-scale events since it opened on the site of a former cinema back in 2003.
However, the restaurant has been at the centre of a legal dispute in recent weeks, according to a recently-published High Court document.
The High Court noted that the business has been “very profitable” during its run, but the founders, Tariq Mahmood Malik and Mahboob Hussain Junior, had fallen out within a few years of opening up.
Now, after years of bad blood between the founders, the judge has ruled that the property and 50% of the company must go on sale in a process bounded by terms set by the court.
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At the High Court hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre last month, Judge Stephen Davies explained that Tariq and Mahboob had begun as joint owners and shareholders in the business – but by 2007, Tariq stepped back from the business as his relationship with Mahboob soured. His son Asad – who is married to Mahboob’s daughter, Atikah – took the reins.
Over time, Tariq’s wife, Nusrat Tariq, and Mahboob’s wife, Mirza Begum, also became shareholders in the business. However, in 2016, Tariq fell out with members of his own family – including his wife Nusrat, with whom he was by then estranged, as well as his son Asad, and another, younger son, Usman, who by then were both shareholders in the business and were supportive of their mother.
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As a result of this fallout – which Judge Stephen Davies said “appeared to be irreversible” – Tariq was removed as a director.
A judge has ruled that the property and 50% of the company must go on sale / Credit: Royal Nawaab
With the future of the business left hanging in the balance, the judge stated that the “most sensible way forward” was to have an expert valuation on the restaurant premises so that Tariq’s interests and partnership assets could be sold – but Tariq then said that he wanted the Stockport Road property sold on the open market.
Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Tariq offered to buy out Mahboob for £2.2 million back in March, but this was rejected by Mahboob’s lawyers who said said it was “unacceptable” for any third party to acquire Mahboob’s share.
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The lawyers also said that they didn’t think it was a genuine offer “since Tariq had no obvious means of funding the purchase”.
With Tariq pressing for the business to be sold off, and Mahboob still wanting to buy Tariq out, Judge Stephen Davies decided on the compromise that the property should be sold according to the court’s terms, and that if no sale proceeds Mahboob should buy out Tariq.
Judge Davies ordered a “full and fair” valuation of the property and the business so that Tariq, Mahboob and any of the other defendants can make bids “as should any third party who wishes to do so”, adding however that any “independent” selling agent or solicitor charged with the “conduct of the sale” should be under “no obligation to publicise” it.
In order to “prevent injustice”, the judge set terms that mean Mahboob can acquire the property and the shares at the court’s valuation if others drop out after making bids above that price.
The buffet restaurant has been a hotspot for Asian cuisine since it opened back in 2003 / Credit: Royal Nawaab
“The court has a discretion not only as to whether or not to order a sale, but also the manner in which any sale should be conducted,” Judge Davies said.
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“That is particularly important in this case, since in my judgement there is a very real likelihood that Tariq’s true motive in pressing for an order for sale is to attempt to increase the price by engineering a bidding war, and I am satisfied that it is necessary to ensure that the provisions in relation to any sale should be tailored so far as reasonable to prevent him from doing so with impunity.”
Featured Image – Royal Nawaab
UK News
The new James Bond game is full of Easter eggs – including a nod to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Even if you’re not a big gamer, you may have seen that a rather popular new James Bond game recently dropped: 007 First Light – and if you’ve played it yourself, you will have no doubt come across many Easter eggs and references throughout, including one to Manchester United.
As we happen to be currently playing it for ourselves, we’ll admit that hearing any mention of our hometown or even just quintessentially UK nods that any Brit would enjoy was likely to result in putting a grin on our faces.
That being said, apart from whenever the next FIFA—sorry, EA Sports FC drops, we weren’t expecting to hear Man United brought up in one of the biggest video games of the year.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has this on their 2026 bingo card.
Credit: @CaptPierce93 via r/Manchester (screenshots shared to Reddit)
It may just be a slightly tongue-in-cheek throwaway line in a cutscene, but it’s still been enjoyed by many around the world.
As player ‘CaptPierce93’ writes in his caption of his Reddit post sharing the snippet: “The game has a good splash of product placements that don’t get overwhelming; an earlier portion of the game even has radio chatter of a Manchester City and Liverpool match as well.”
He’s right as well: we’ve come across lots of different little interesting nuggets and cameos during our limited playtime, and it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can spot.
While any Mancunian or true, dyed-in-the-wool United fan will no doubt squirm a little at the use of ‘Man U‘ (we’re thinking like when people ‘Manny’), it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.
You can see the specific scene in full down below.
Such a surreal few seconds.
There’s something very satisfying about hearing ‘Greenway’ – played by recognisable British actor Lennie James (Snatch, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner 2049) – utter the words “Stretford End”.
And before you ask, no, he isn’t a Red: the South Londoner is a Spurs fan and is also said to have a soft spot for Valencia, as it happens.
We’re pretty sure there aren’t any other Manc references to keep your eye out for, but we’ll let you know if we stumble upon more as we continue playing the game.
There’s something about videogame Easter eggs, in-jokes and refs like these that we never tire of; you just never know what little tidbits are going to inspire someone…
Featured Images — IO Interactive/Screenshots via Reddit
UK News
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
The Manc -
7th June 2021 
