Oyster & Chop House and Bridges Wine Bar & Restaurant open in Kent
With an emphasis on locally sourced, organic food, the 30-cover Oyster & Chop House opened last month under executive head chef Zhivko Mihaylov, who also runs the Mojitos Mexican restaurant in Bromley.
“Everything at Oyster & Chop House is locally sourced and organic,” said Mihaylov. “The maximum mileage that we’re sourcing from is 18 miles from the restaurant.
“We are taking produce direct from farmers, cutting out the middle-men. It is just good, honest, proper cooking - the place is fantastic. The sea is right in front of us and we’re surrounded by amazing producers.”
Bulgarian-born Mihaylov, who has previously worked at The Ritz as well as stints with catering teams at Sky TV and the Royal Bank of Scotland, spent around £50,000 on the refurbishment of the new restaurant.
Mojitos restaurant to be sold?
He went on to reveal his delight at Oyster & Chop House’s quick success and that he now has plans to move on from his other business.
“Without any advertising at all and no website, we’re doing amazingly well here,” he added. “The weekend just gone we were fully booked and yesterday, we were nearly full. So we’re very pleased.
“Customers have been leaving some great reviews on TripAdvisor which is also very promising - we’re definitely heading in the right direction.
“To be honest, I want to get rid of the Bromley restaurant because it has become too expensive to re-build. I want to only keep this one, I’m happy here. I would probably try to sell it soon. Bromley is a good business, but I want to be in one place.”
Dishes on the menu at Oyster & Chop House include Ox tail, homemade chicken sausage with blue cheese dressing, and pigeon breast with lamb bacon. Drinks are also sourced from local suppliers, including organic cider and Whitstable Bay organic ale.
Bridges Wine Bar & Restaurant
Meanwhile, thirty miles inland, Bridges Wine Bar and Restaurant has opened its doors in Maidstone town centre.
The120-seater restaurant features a large ground-floor bar area and an outdoor terrace with space for an additional 60 people.
Both of the new restaurants sourced table and kitchen equipment from supplier Kitchen to Table.
Mike Maloney, owner of Kitchen to Table, said:“It is so good to see new enterprises starting up now, sending an up-beat message not only to the business sector, but also to the local community too.
“Bridges Wine Bar and Restaurant and the Oyster and Chop House are also providing much needed jobs – a huge contribution in today’s economy. Where these establishments are able to source locally, they are supporting the local farmers, growers and suppliers as well – a real win-win scenario.
“Kitchen to Table has enjoyed working with both Bridges Wine Bar and Restaurant and the Oyster and Chop House, we look forward to working with them as they flourish and we wish them every success in the future.”
