Michael Caine returning to restaurant business

Michael Caine is plunging back into the London restaurant business.

"I have been out of the restaurant business for quite a few years," the 71-year-old actor said Thursday. "This particular project is the first venture that has excited me enough to get back into the business, and I am really looking forward to it."

Deya, his first Indian restaurant, will open later this month in one of the historic buildings on central London's tony Portman Square. It will offer a "light and healthy" alternative to the usual curry house menu, he said.

Caine's The Canteen, which opened in 1992, closed in 1999. He also previously had an interest in Langan's Brasserie, founded by flamboyant restaurateur Peter Langan.

He said his head chef, Sanjay Dwivedi, and head barman, Massimo di Paola, had previously worked at Zaika, one of the first Indian restaurants to receive a Michelin star for fine dining.