A seafront restaurant is set to open overlooking the beach at Seaburn following a £250,000 investment.
Ben Wall and Neil Bassett, who have overseen Sunderland’s Mexico 70, Holmeside Coffee and The Ship Isis, were last year picked as preferred tenants for the Bay Shelter on Seaburn’s Lower Promenade. The entrepreneurs are now days away from launching the resulting high-end seafood eaterie, North, which will also create 10 new jobs.
The restaurant will have a “soft” launch this weekend before its official public opening on January 4, when it will unveil its full menu. North will serve seafood dishes, natural wines and craft beers and is set to be the city’s only dedicated seafood restaurant, following its six-figure restoration.
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Mr Wall said: “We are delighted to finally be opening and we can’t wait to welcome the public through our doors. Both Neil and I live and work in Sunderland, so we knew as soon as we saw the shelter hit the market that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean, how many restaurants are there in the North East where you can step out of the door and immediately be leaving footprints in the sand?
“Both the venue and the menu have been developed to nod to the city’s rich coastal heritage and we’re delighted with how it’s panned out and the feedback we’ve received from the public so far.
“Our vision is to create an all-day seafront restaurant, showcasing contemporary dining in a stunning but unstuffy and unpretentious environment, serving brunch in the afternoon and meals into the night. A number of new venues have opened up across Roker and Seaburn in recent years, helping establish the seaside as a destination in its own right, and we hope the opening of North will add to that and see an entirely new proposition introduced to its ever-growing offering.”
The restoration of the Bay Shelter has been supported by the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) which, together with funding from Sunderland City Council, is helping breathe new life into a series of heritage buildings at Roker and Seaburn. Lease income generated from the buildings will also be used to support the Sunderland Seafront Trust, which operates the Roker Pier and Lighthouse tours and help it to broaden its activities.
Sunderland-based commercial property firm Lofthouse & Partners helped secure the letting on behalf of Sunderland City Council.
Meanwhile, the city’s Sheepfolds scheme has announced that its latest tenant will be Resinn, a coffee shop with a difference, with a Swedish and Victorian England theme. Resinn will be a multi-concept business in the converted stables, run by partners Erik Öhrström and Kate Blower, which will serve up food and drinks alongside workshop space to host coffee brewing classes, floristry workshops and creative get-togethers, as well as selling pieces for the home and garden.
The business, which will create 10 jobs, has been supported with its plans by Sunderland City Council’s business investment team.
Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “There is a level of confidence and ambition in Sunderland that is fuelling the city centre’s regeneration. We are seeing more and more brilliant new businesses wanting to be part of Sunderland’s transformation which is really exciting.”
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