The former Oli’s Thai has been completely gutted and transformed as it prepares to open as Elle’s Deli in June.

The owners of the hugely successful restaurant on Magdalen Road, which was featured in the Michelin Guide, Rufus and Ladd Thurston said that work is taking a bit longer than they anticipated.

The kitchen is being completely redone, the ceilings have been lifted so it is extremely airy inside, and the whole décor is being changed with exposed brick walls and a brilliant dash of yellow paint being the first clues at this stage.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Michelin restaurant Oli’s Thai closing

Mr Thurston said: “It’s not going to be a restaurant anymore; we’ve completely gutted it and a lot of work is going in to make sure it is done right.

“That’s why we’re not too worried about a deadline for reopening.

“When it’s done it's done.”

The couple opened the restaurant in 2013, and felt like it was time for a change, the idea for Elle’s Deli forming.

The Deli, named after their daughter Elle, who has been wondering why everyone keeps calling her ‘Ellie’, will sell an eclectic mix of Thai and Spanish food with some seating in the outside area.

There will also be monthly Oli’s Thai nights.

Ladd, who was born in Nakhon Si Thammarat in South Thailand said: “I’m really really excited to open, I want it done already.

“We will be able to experiment a lot more in the deli, so it's going to be a bit of a journey of discovery for us really.”

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