Chef Tony Rodd and former Jamie Oliver MD team up for Margate restaurant
‘Pomus’ will be a 40-cover venue with a downstairs tasting room and events space
Image by Harriet Langford
POMUS, a new neighbourhood restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop from hospitality entrepreneur Ryan Jacovides (ex-Jamie Oliver & White Rabbit Projects) is launching this spring in The Centre, Margate, this March.
The new 40-cover restaurant and wine bar (complete with basement tasting room and event space) derives its name from the Ancient Greek word for fruit tree - ‘pōmus’, which also symbolises ‘new growth’, and is the first solo restaurant venture from hospitality pro Ryan Jacovides (@ryanjacovides), who brings more than two decades of hospitality industry experience to the project..
Ryan is joined by MasterChef 2015 finalist Tony Rodd (@tony_rodd), who will head up the kitchen and oversee the food menu at Pomus. Tony and his wife Becky have relocated from London to Margate ahead of the launch, following the recent closure after five years of their beloved Copper & Ink restaurant in Blackheath Village.
FOOD
Taking inspiration from Kent’s bountiful natural larder, Tony's low-waste, gluten-free menu will feature creative, seasonal bar snacks, small plates and generous larger sharing dishes; showcasing the very best local British produce, from suppliers such as East Kent Growers, Whitstable Oyster Fishery, Northdown Butchers, Moons Green Charcuterie and Cheesemakers of Canterbury.
Dishes on the Pomus launch menu include:
Crab doughnuts with Marie rose sauce
Beetroot tartare, pickled beets, beetroot & rose jelly, baron bigod sauce (v)
Chicken karaage, buckwheat waffles & togarashi spice
Chorizo madeleines with manchego custard
Pea pancake, friggitelli peppers, burrata & sundried tomato tapenade (v)
Barbecued langoustine tails, razor clams, fennel relish & cucumber ketchup
Barbecued red mullet, wild garlic risotto & piquillo pepper sauce
Veal schnitzel, slow cooked hen’s egg & anchovy mayo
Peanut & banana bread pudding with rum & chestnut ice cream
DRINK
Located in one of England's most influential wine making regions, the wine list at Pomus will champion the best of British bottles from award-winning local producers, such as Chapel Down, West Well, Gusbourne, and Balfour; as well as showcase exciting new artisan wines from boutique suppliers, and offering a different drop available each day, for just £5 a glass.
The drinks list will also include a ‘made-in-house aperitif’, crafted using botanicals native to Kent, and seasonal cocktails such as a rose hip negroni or citrus rum punch, alongside a signature ‘house spritz’, also priced at just £5 a glass.
THE CENTRE
Margate’s The Centre has become one of the hubs of the town with an established food and drink selection that includes Modern Provider Bakery, Palms Pizzeria, Curve Coffee and Mariachi Mescal & Tequila Bar, while pioneering music and community venue Where Else? has led the ‘reasons to visit’ lists for years.
DESIGN
The main restaurant houses 40-covers in total, with a combination of counter dining at the open bar kitchen and banquet seating and a private downstairs tasting room for larger parties and events (hosting up to 12 guests); complete with a bottle shop and kitchen provisions store.
Hospitality sector specialists Chrisp & Waterhouse are leading on the interior design, having worked with Jacovides on multiple projects over the last ten years, including Pasture. Interiors at Pomus will be cosy and intimate, featuring organic shades of olive green and terracotta throughout. Sustainability is a key part of the refit for Jacovides, and will include recycled table tops and stool bases, sustainable cork, and repurposed kitchen equipment sourced from in and around Kent.
Jacovides said: “My family and I have been holidaying in Margate for many generations, and back in my more rebellious years I used to bunk off school and come to Margate with friends, to visit the old Bembom Brothers, which is where the Dreamland amusement park now sits. Even back then I said I’d open a bar here, and having now lived in Margate for a while, the time feels right to live out a long standing dream.
“I’ve been a fan of Tony’s food for a while, so when he closed Copper & Ink, I decided to reach out in the hopes he would be interested in heading up the kitchen at Pomus, and luckily, he said yes!
“Ultimately, I wanted to partner with someone that champions the industry, and is as passionate about it as I am. We’re also both half Greek-Cypriot, which is a strange coincidence, but perhaps something that has led us to this place together, where family and community are set to be an intrinsic part of the Pomus ethos.
“From the start, we agreed that great value and generosity were essential factors. At Pomus, we want to be led by community, with an accessible menu in a relaxing space, away from home and work.”
