A new family-run Jamaican restaurant is set to open in Merthyr Tydfil. Oshie's Kitchen and Grill will open at former pub The Brunswick on Church Street on February 1.
It will be the third eatery opened by husband and wife Oshane and Rebecca Higgins, who have had a restaurant of the same name in Tenby since 2019. Prior to that, the pair ran Oshie's from a burger van on Penarth Road in Cardiff.
Customers can expect a range of traditional dishes including jerk chicken and pork, curried goat, BBQ ribs and wings, Jamaican beef patties and salt fish fritters. Oshane, who is originally from Kingston in Jamaica, said he was "excited" to bring "properly authentic" Caribbean food to the town.
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The 32-year-old, who moved to Wales in 2015, said: "I am feeling very excited and I have got that spark. I have spoken to a few locals and they are excited to have something new in Merthyr. Merthyr has been missing the Caribbean - there are Chinese, Indian and Italian restaurants here, but if you want Caribbean food you need to travel to Cardiff, Swansea or Tenby. [The Tenby restaurant] has been going well but it's a short season, so we are trying to hit the season all year around. Merthyr is a good place to open and it's not seasonal."
Speaking of his background in the food industry, Oshane said: "I have been a chef since the age of 14. I have travelled around and worked in all the hotels [including] St David's, the Hilton and the Celtic Manor as well as at Italian restaurants and cruise ships. I have worked all over but I have always wanted to open my own restaurant that is properly authentic."
Oshane said most of the venue's interior will be complete by this weekend with just a few finishing touches to be added in the week leading up to its opening on February 1. He said it will look similar to the Tenby restaurant with a jungle theme and children's play area.
Gareth Handley owns the building and said he was looking for a tenant who could bring something different to the town after the pub shut in August 2022. The 79-year-old, who has owned the building since 2004, said: "I had some applicants, but I was looking for something different. Oshane came along and I liked his idea. Merthyr has got a lot of potential with Bike Park Wales and the new ski resort that is planned. It's moving away from industry and into the tourism and service sector, which has got to be positive."
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