Top eatery rebrands and drops anchor at old location

HIGH-end restaurant Tedford’s is to return to its former home with a new name, new head chef and revamped menu — just two months after relocating.

The business, housed within a historic former ship chandlers’, has taken inspiration from its heritage and will be renamed Chandlers Seafood Belfast.

It will open at the beginning of next month.

It will focus on seafood with fresh local scallops, mussels and oysters added to the menu alongside other fish dishes.

Owners Sharon and Alan Foster, who also run Tedford’s Kitchen on Lanyon Quay, which opened in 2015, decided “it was time for a change and refreshment” as the original Tedford’s celebrates 18 years in business this year.

“We had been concentrating on Tedford’s Kitchen and decided it was time for a refreshment of Tedford’s,” said Sharon.

“We were never exclusively seafood and that was a theme that was difficult to get away from.

“We originally branded as Tedford’s Steakhouse but everyone still thought we were a seafood restaurant because of the restaurant that was there before us, but

Tedford’s Kitchen (left) and the former Tedford’s restaurant (right) which reopens under a new name next month

we only ever had a choice of a couple of fish dishes.”

And so, embracing the establishment’s reputation as a seafood restaurant, the couple have gone with a new theme with more local fish on the menu.

The rebrand also includes the refurbishment of the back of house and kitchen area of the premises.

It will be headed up by new chef Patrick Franklin whose previous roles include chef de partie at the prestigious Il San Pietro di

Positano restaurant on the Almafi Coast in Italy. Most recently Mr Franklin was head chef at Harry’s Shack in Portstewart.

Some of the managers at the restaurant’s sister establishment will transfer over to Chandlers Seafood Belfast and up to 10 jobs will be created when the venue opens in two weeks.

In February the Fosters decided to relocate Tedford’s to their more casual restaurant on Lanyon Quay.

Talking about the name

change, Sharon explained: “We had been toying with loads of different names and because the building is listed as a ship chandler, with that above the door, we decided to go with that.

“And because we’ve always been known as a seafood restaurant, we put that in the name.”

Sharon believes it will also appeal to visitors.

“We are seeing so many more tourists in Belfast and they love trying local fish dishes so it will work well,” she added.