Update: Please read the following in the context of this
It might be surprising to hear, that during what has been described as the worst recession for over a 100 years, that someone would consider splashing out for a brand new restaurant in a sleepy seaside town, but news reaches our reporter this morning that celebrity chef, Rick Stein, may well be setting up shop in Ventnor.
King Stein’s signature dish of fresh lobster won’t be hard to achieve with so much choice on the doorstep. As well as the Blake’s Fishery, there are a plethora of other lobster suppliers around the Ventnor area, so he won’t be short of offers.
Cheetah Marine selling out?
Rumour has it that Mr Stein will be buying the space allocated for the family cafe in the Cheetah Marine development on the Eastern Esplanade.
As many readers will already know, Cheetah Marine managed to negotiate a fantastic deal with the Isle of Wight Council, paying rent on the land for just five years (totalling around £100,000) and securing an option at the last minute, to buy the plot for a pittance after that time.
Nice ‘work’ if you can get it.
We had heard that others in town had been asked to run a fish restaurant on the site, but obviously for one reason or another that fell through.
We have no idea what price the restaurant is being sold on for but perhaps Rick Stein’s arrival in Ventnor will produce the results that Cheetah Marine promised when they declared that their development was going to be great for Ventnor.
Let’s hope so!
Image: Copyright Rick Stein
