Michael O’Hare’s The Man Behind The Curtain has closed its doors with plans to relaunch as brand new concept, Psycho Sandbar.
Leeds’ only Michelin-stared restaurant, The Man Behind The Curtain, has been paving the way for fine dining in the city for some time now.
Located on Vicar Lane, diners visiting the trendy underground restaurant can expect to embark on an experimental culinary journey consisting of 14 courses which encapsulate all the senses.
With dishes called Sex Wax, Macarons ‘Damien Hirst’ and Dali to Delhi – this isn’t just your average meal out.
But now, The Man Behind The Curtain as we know and love has closed its doors, with its final service complete on New Year’s Eve, and now will undergo a complete rebrand to adapt to the current climate.
Introducing ‘Psycho Sandbar’, a more accessible restaurant with a “surf shacky” feel with brutalist design.
The new venture will serve a “fish heavy” menu and move away from the current tasting menu format that O’Hare is known for.
Announcing the news on Instagram, O’Hare said the decision was made in response to the current restaurant landscape. He said: “Things need to change because the world has changed, I have changed…my team has changed, our outlook. Our ability hasn’t, our vision hasn’t, but the world has.”
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The restaurant will still be refined, but in a more accessible way. He added: “You can do six plates and have whole roast duck if you want, we just want to categorise things in a way that’s like ‘this is the product, that’s what we are going to do to it and that’s how much it costs’ and if you want it – and you really do.”
The restaurant will close for a few weeks to transform into Psycho Sandbar, but no dates have been announced as of yet.
“The in comes a new baby,” says Michael. “It’s the same team, the same building and company – these things don’t change. All that is changing is the name, offering and outlook.”
Read more: The Man Behind The Curtain launches new ‘Menu Rapide’ as a more affordable dining option
Featured image – The Man Behind The Curtain
