A RESTAURANT in Alresford will close its doors at the end of this month, leading to several redundancies.

The town’s only Japanese restaurant Dashi, in Broad Street, will shut for the final time as owner Miff Kayum saying he is devastated to have to make the decision.

“We have had a terrific response from people in Alresford and the surrounding area and the chef and staff have been incredible since we opened, Miff said.

“I think we had a great restaurant - we have five out of five on TripAdvisor - but the fact is there is so much competition across Hampshire in the fine dining sector and we just couldn’t make enough to keep it going long term in Alresford.

“It’s been a very difficult decision and I’m devastated because, in financial terms and certainly in the long term, Dashi had the potential to be a success. It’s just the short to medium term that has come into play.”

The lease for the premises is now up for sale and Miff said its cost was not a factor in the restaurant closing.

“The major factors have been the huge initial investment for refurbishing and modernising this beautiful property; and the costs of staff and top-quality produce that I wanted to serve. The lease’s terms are actually very reasonable,“ he explained.

Miff added he would now be concentrating on moving forward with the other Japanese restaurant he was involved in – the award-winning Kyoto Kitchen in Winchester’s Parchment Street.

“I Look forward to working with chef Shunji and the team to help develop the eclectic menu with traditional and modern Japanese cuisine”.

Allan Pickering from Goadsby will be acting and managing all enquiries.