EXCITING NEW STREET EATS
MORE UPMARKET THAN EATING ON STREET... BUT THERE’LL BE NO PLATES
A street food chef is bringing tastes from across the world indoors as he opens the first restaurant of its kind in North Wales.
Store manager turned chef Mark Roberts – the man behind the popular Chuck Wagon BBQ – will turn the former Caffi Ffynnon Cybi ice cream parlour on Stanley Terrace in Holyhead into an international foodie “den” when it opens next month.
Simply Street Bar and Grill – part of Môn Social Enterprise – boasts a selection of Mexican, American, Korean, Asian and Italian street cuisine - all handmade and smoked on site. And you can even get a burger made with Jack Daniels whisky and Coke. The ‘Mine’s a double JD and Coke’ burger consists of two 6oz flame grilled burgers with Jack Daniels and BBQ sauce made with Coke and is served with fries and slaw.
Also on the menu is Mark’s famous chuckwagon 16-hour smoked brisket with caramelised onions, nachos, monteray jack cheese, pickled jalapenos and an onion ring stack, Asian Pad Thai Nachos Pad, and a pulled duck confit burger with caramelised onions, blue cheese and truffle honey oil on brioche.
Gourmets can also choose from five different American-style hot dogs including the Currywurst Dawg topped with mango chutney, the Dirty Dog with spicy chili, grated cheese, jalapenos and salsa and the Fat Dog with pulled pork, Carolina slaw and crackling.
Mark from Holyhead, who has travelled up and down the country with his 15ft portable American pit smoker for the last two years with family friend Gary Jones, is now bringing the concept inside.
He said he hopes the eatery will “bring the people back into Holyhead”.
“The town used to be the main place to go in the 60s, 70s and 80s but it’s not like that any more,” he said.
“There are loads of takeaways and a few Chinese and Indian restaurants in Holyhead, but there is nothing like this for younger people. Although it is a lot busier now, we want to bring the people back into Holyhead. It will be a little bit more upmarket than eating on the street but we won’t have any plates – all the food will be served in little baskets with our own branded paper inside.”
A dessert menu and a selection of milkshakes, cocktails and local beers are yet to be revealed.
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dishes will also be available.
The eatery will sit up to 40 diners at once and boasts a glass balcony and a cocktail bar. Mark, who now lives in Llanfair PG, added: “The idea is to feed young people, mainly between the age of 16-30 – I have three kids and they never go out to eat because it’s too expensive. We want this to be a place for people to come with friends and eat affordable food – we don’t want it to be a place where you go just for a birthday treat or a once a month payday meal out.
“We want it to be a young people’s den, somewhere they can go to chill out.”
The upstairs section which also accommodates up to 40 customers will house a brand new bistro – named after the former ice cream parlour – for a more sophisticated dining experience.
Mark will employ between 10 and 12 members of staff both upstairs and down, and the ambitious chef said he already has plans to expand the business by opening several more restaurants in student towns across the region.
The restaurant is due to open in mid July.