Macclesfield's new Mayor has visited a reopened restaurant, which also celebrated the recent Sikh festival Vaisakhi.

Located in a Grade II listed building on 122 Chestergate, FrenJabi have just resumed serving customers in the premises for the first time since Christmas.

This bespoke restaurant concept that offers a 'hybrid of French & Punjabi cuisine', welcomed guests back in style with a drag performance and a new menu.

Macclesfield Mayor Cllr David Edwardes visited with the Mayoress Natalia Belinskaya to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

He said: "Macclesfield Town Council is taking huge strides in regenerating the town".

"And the business folk of Macclesfield have put their money where their mouth is.

"So Rav, I salute you and your team and I thank you so much for inviting us down. May FrenJabi continue to go from strength to strength."

Chef-Owner Rav Khangura (42) was delighted to serve the Mayor and his partner. He also danced for them and FrenJabi's loyal customers.

He said: "We are very excited and highly privileged to have had the Mayor come visit, especially as he is newly elected."

"We are so pleased that he and the Mayoress chose to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary with us."

Reopening celebrations tied in with a belated celebration of the Sikh festival Vaisakhi - a harvest festival which celebrates the birth of the Khalsa, and the Sikh New Year.

The Macclesfield small business only opened in September 2019, so have spent the majority of their time as a business under the constraints of the pandemic.

During this time FrenJabi took on a non-traditional approach to offering a takeaway service by delivering fillet steaks, Lobster Thermidor, Crab Americaine alongside their authentic Punjabi curries to their discerning diners.

While in non-COVID times FrenJabi would seat 60 covers, they have reduced this to 40 for the safety of their staff and customers.

Their new menu comprises of dishes such as chicken ballotine stuffed with spiced veal sweetbread and an authentic Chicken Tikka Masala as well as vegan-friendly options.

"FrenJabi is a concept which takes the best of my background," Rav added.

"After the Second World War my father came to the UK with the British army, he taught me how to cook good Punjabi food and that grew my fondness towards hospitality.

"Subsequently, I went on to study Hospitality Management at University and achieved a Masters in Business Administration.

"I then succeeded to join the Management Graduate scheme for the Marriott Hotel Group and enjoyed a 17 year career with the company.

"During these years I was also fortunate to serve as a waiter at Michael Roux's pop up restaurant at Silverstone during the Formula 1 event, which grew my influence and fondness towards French cuisine.

"On 7th October 2018, my daughter Tamarnah was born and it was the same day that we moved to Macclesfield. A year later, FrenJabi was born on the same day.

"But for a restaurant to open six months before a pandemic and still be here is incredible.

"The positivity and support from our loyal Macclesfield customers through lockdown is amazing and they have all already visited in-person since our reopening.

"We have always wanted to deliver a one-of-a-kind exclusive hybrid concept to Macclesfield. We are really happy to be here and continue to grow this concept in Macc."

The French eatery with a dash of Punjabi influence has tables available this week.

You can book a table via phone, email or via FrenJabi's website.

The Macclesfield restaurant has over 4000 followers on Facebook.

Cllr David Edwardes will serve as Mayor for the next year. To find out more about him, we recently reported on his Mayor Making ceremony here.

Sign up for our Friday weekly newsletter containing the week's top 10 Macclesfield news stories. Just enter your email address into the shaded box.

Please follow Macc's online newspaper on your favourite social media platform. You can find us on Facebook or Twitter.