Work on a new venture by Newcastle's Michelin star chef Kenny Atkinson is gathering pace in Newcastle with all the signs pointing to a spring opening.
The House of Tides restaurateur is opening a second restaurant called Solstice with his wife Abbie in the former premises of her acclaimed Violet's Cafe on The Side.
The new sign for the restaurant is now up, alongside a gold plaque on the outside wall and the city food scene is eagerly awaiting its sparkling new addition.
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In an update on Instagram, the couple shared images of the restaurant's sign as well as its "Danish-designed sunburst wall lights", inspired by the shapes of old vintage glass.
Describing them as mouth-blown with a hand painted edge, the post added that "the effect when lit is stunning and ties in perfectly with our restaurant logo".
Solstice is taking shape inside the small former home of Abbie Atkinson's Bib Gourmand award-winning bistro-style cafe Violets which closed early last year, sparking speculation about what the couple would come up with next.
Their combined talents at Solstice, described as a "sister restaurant" to The House of Tides further along the quayside - which won Kenny the Michelin star - will see diners treated to fine dining experiences.
The intimate Solstice - named after the twice-yearly celestial event, which alternates with the equinox as transition points between the seasons - is set to have an open kitchen serving a daily-changing seasonal tasting menu from April, catering for just 14 customers, according to the Big Hospitality website which quoted Atkinson as saying: "Solstice will allow me to push my skills as a chef and that of my team.
"We will also change our approach to sourcing," it added. "Securing very high-end produce for restaurants that do up to 400-covers can be challenging but with a smaller restaurant we can work with suppliers to secure small amounts of the very best produce."
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