Restaurant relocates

A RESTAURANT in Henley is set to open in new premises this weekend.

The Spice Merchant is moving from Thames Side to the former Thai Orchid premises in Hart Street.

Owner Bashir Islam said the old premises were not attracting enough customers to fill the space and he had considered moving away from the town.

“Financially it wasn’t viable,” he said. “At the weekends we were filling it but on weekdays we weren’t.

“We’ve moved to a smaller-size place and we’ll see how it works. We’re keeping the same people, same standards, same team.”

Mr Islam said some things would change, including the introduction of tapas-style simple plates for lunch, and customers would no longer need to book for afternoon tea. The online delivery service would continue to run as normal.