LIVERPOOL is to bid a sad farewell to The Asha – the city centre’s oldest Indian restaurant, having first brought curry to Bold Street in 1964.

The famous restaurant, owned by Calcutta-born Dipak Choudhury, is now on the market with agent Sutton Kersh, with offers invited in the region of £1.3m.

The sale has already generated interest and with the Grade II-listed building ripe for development, Mr Choudhury said he doubts whether a restaurant will ever occupy the site again.

Such is his affinity with the restaurant that the father-of-three, who lives above the premises with wife Chandana, is known as Mr Asha.

But at the age of 66 and with a world cruise beckoning, he has decided it is time to shut up shop and end what he describes as an “enduring love affair with the city of Liverpool”.

And while generations of the same family have enjoyed the Choudhury’s outstanding hospitality, his own children are pursuing careers as barristers and accountants instead of joining Mr Asha in the restaurant trade – leaving him with no choice but to reluctantly offer his beloved restaurant for sale.

He said: “When I first came to Liverpool, nobody had even seen an aubergine and hadn’t heard of things like green chilli or coriander.

“Customers would come in but didn’t really know what they were coming in for or what to expect.

“We had to take time to explain to them what each dish was and warn them that some were hot.

“But even then, they would order something and say it was too hot or wasn’t what they expected. Sometimes that was frustrating but I do see the funny side of it now.