Meet the 'Salt Bae of Wakefield' who serves a £200 gold leaf tomahawk steak at his restaurant

Mr Shamchiyev opened the Three Flames restaurant, on Wakefield Road, in December of last year after not being able to find “somewhere special” to dine with his family in the district.

The businessman, who also owns The Codfather in Lupset, decided to launch the upmarket steakhouse after visiting Nusr-Et, one of the world famous restaurants owned by butcher Nusret Gökçe’s, more commonly known as Salt Bae, in Turkey, over a decade ago.

Salt Bae took the internet by storm back in 2017 when his special technique for preparing and seasoning his eye-wateringly expensive cuts of meat went viral.

Now, the Turkish celebrity chef has 22 restaurants around the world where people flock to try his heavily-marbled cuts and gold-leafed meals on offer.

And people in Wakefield can have a similar dining experience at Three Flames, with the restaurant serving a little slice of luxury in the form of 28 day dry-aged beef as minimum, with fancier Wagyu beef and gold covered tomahawk and t-bone steaks available for customers who want to go all out.

Mr Shamchiyev said: “I was inspired by Salt Bae, a famous Turkish chef, to open this restaurant. I went to one of his restaurants in Turkey, before he was famous, and the experience was amazing. The food was fantastic, the service was great and there was plenty to choose from.

"Salt Bae now has many restaurants around the world. We only want this one restaurant, but we want to keep improving and bring something new to Wakefield.

“When I want to go out for a meal, I have to go to Leeds, which is something I want to change. We only offer the best cuts of meat available on the market. It is purchased and prepared fresh daily, and the quality is apparent when you cut into and taste the meat.

"The restaurant is a place where people can come together and enjoy themselves. Our customers are amazed at the high quality finish of the restaurant and our aim is to treat every customer as well as we would in our own homes.”

The business owner currently employs just over a dozen employees and plans to expand his workforce in the future.

The restaurant also serves salads, burgers, lamb racks and chops, and halloumi and falafel burgers for vegetarians and a cauliflower steak for vegans, with plenty of starters, sides and desserts to accompany the main meal.

Mr Shamchiyev added: “Our goal is to be the restaurant, not just in Wakefield but in Yorkshire. We have the facilities to provide exceptional food and service, and we have exceptional plans to grow.

"We are listening to feedback from our customers and we are expanding our menu to include chicken dishes, a children’s menu and a Sunday lunch menu.

"We chose Lupset as it is an area that attracts people from the local area as well as surrounding towns and cities. It has great links to the city centre and the motorway.”

For more information or to book a table at Three Flames, visit https://threeflames.co.uk/.