'We’ve always tried to be different': Owner plans to sell popular bar in Harborough and start yoga retreat in India
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Tyrax Ventura, a composer whose credits include Bollywood’s Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis, reflected on his journey from an “eclectic bohemian lifestyle” to life in Market Harborough, running the bar Fifty Eight.
He said: “I was composing movie soundtracks and opened a restaurant in Saint Antonin, in the southwest of France. But then I met my girlfriend—now wife—and ended up settling in Market Harborough. I’d never even heard of the town before!
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Hide Ad“Running Fifty Eight has been fun, even though we opened just a year before lockdown. We’ve always tried to be different, and that’s perhaps why we’ve become a bit of a destination venue, [attracting high-profile musicians and even Leicester city football players].”


Now, Tyrax says he is ready for a new chapter. “The time is right to sell. I’m starting a yoga retreat in Rajasthan, India—the birthplace of yoga—and dedicating the rest of my time to writing. It’s a natural progression that ties into my experiences as a restaurateur and bar owner.”
Tyrax’s forthcoming book, A Person of Indian Origin in France, revisits his time in Saint Antonin and explores its connection to the Hollywood film The Hundred-Foot Journey. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey and starring Helen Mirren, the movie mirrors elements of Tyrax’s own story.
“What makes this unusual,” he explains, “is how my story inspired the film, and now I’m writing about my life and the film itself. It has come full circle.” The book is due to be released in the coming weeks at an event held at Fifty Eight.
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Hide AdFifty Eight, located alongside the River Welland with a terrace overlooking the former Cattle Market (now Sainsbury’s), has a rich history. The building was previously a mechanic’s garage and a gym before its transformation into a bar and restaurant. The business is now on the market with six years remaining on its lease but will continue operating as usual until a sale is finalised, with Tyrax’s daughter Helena as manager.