The happy meeting of east and west turned sour in the mid-Atlantic this summer as one of Bermuda's newest restaurants has seen a writ being filed among former business partners.

East Meets West Bistro has suffered the break-up of its cofounders and owners just three months after opening despite rave reviews. At odds are US chef Ian Friedman and Bermuda business woman Sharmila Gonzalves who collaborated to open the East Meets West Bistro - formerly the House of India - in the Bermudiana Arcade in May.

A writ filed on August 24 sets out the plaintiff and defendant as Ian Friedman vs Sharmila Gonzalves (trading as "Taste of India and/or "East Meets West") and the attorneys are Conyers Dill and Pearman.

Ms Gonzalves was abroad yesterday and her husband Jose said he knew nothing of the proceedings and did not want to comment. Mr. Friedman also declined to comment yesterday.

The take-out bistro opened its doors in May at the site of the former Taste of India and combined the tastes of California, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean with those of India, China and Japan. Before opening the new establishment, the old Taste of India restaurant underwent extensive renovations and plans were also in the works to open a martini/champagne bar with a tapas menu in Hamilton. The business had also established a niche selling ready-made picnic baskets as well as catering to corporate events and offering a service to cook dinner for private parties at customers homes.

Mr. Friedman is a graduate of one of the world's top chef schools, the Culinary Institute of America in New York and came to Bermuda with his wife who works with a leading insurance company on the Island.

For East Meets West, business is currently carrying on as usual.