Newport man Ashad Miah, backed by two local businessmen, is set to open an Indian buffet restaurant at Friars Walk in November.

Mr Miah, who is Newport born and bred, will be creating up to 20 full and part-time jobs at the restaurant, which will be called Tawa, named after an Indian cooking pan.

He said about 10 of the jobs would be front of house, with the others in the kitchen.

And he said he expected to recruit all his staff from the local community.

Tawa will be opening in the unit in the Frairs Walk food court which previously housed Frankie and Benny's.

Mr Miah said the restaurant would be bringing a new offering to the city centre, with traditional and modern Indian food served buffet style from 11am to 11pm.

He said the restaurant, which is planned to be opened on November 14, would give diners the opportunity to try dishes they may not have had the opportunity to taste before.

The new restaurant will be a boost to the city centre shopping and leisure centre, which recently saw Gourmet Burger Kitchen closing its doors and Mission Burrito also closing.

Mr Miah said he was excited to be bringing an Indian cuisine restaurant to Friars Walk to give diners more choice.

He said: "There is Portugese food, Italian food, French food, and Mexican food all ready among the restaurants at Friars Walk and I always thought, where is the Indian restaurant. We don't think we will be competition for the other restaurants, more like creating a food hub for the people of Newport.

The city centre is set to see a new hotel opening at nearby Chartists Tower and news that the tolls on the Severn crossings were being abolished on December 17 has also led to speculation that Newport will see an influx of people moving to the area from Bristol to take advantage of the cheaper housing.

Once open Tawa will serve a selection of about 18 main dishes, with about seven side dishes and a large selection of starters and deserts.

Mr Miah said it would be a la carte quality at a buffet price.

Friars Walk centre director, Simon Pullen, said: "I’m delighted that Tawa Indian Buffet will be the newest addition to Friars Walk.

"We’ve got a fantastic food and leisure offering at the centre, with cuisine from around the world, and Tawa will really add to that with their range of tastes and flavours from across the Indian subcontinent.

"Everyone at Friars Walk is very much looking forward to welcoming the team from the restaurant to the centre and I’m sure that it will prove a real hit with the people of Newport."