Caribbean tastes as Belgian cafe says bye
A town centre restaurant has closed its doors for the final time to make way for something new.
Café Bruges Bistro at 31 Market Buildings, rated 4.4 stars on Google Reviews, recently served its last customer.
The eatery, which offered traditional Belgian food and beer as well as more unique twists on flemish dishes, had been in the County Town for only a year.
Previously the site was home to café and art gallery called Art Lounge for five years.
But following the closure of Café Bruges, the unusual looking building is set to be occupied with another restaurant offering a different international experience.
Opening at midday on Friday, October 5, Jerk Shack boasts a range of dishes showcasing Car- ibbean cuisine.
The owner has not yet released the menu but posts on Instagram suggest it could include jerk chicken, jerk pork, curry goat, and famous Jamaican Red Stripe beer. Around 1,000 people have liked its social media posts so far.
To mark the grand opening, the first 10 customers are being offered a free meal.
Once open, diners will be able to eat in, take away, and order food for delivery via Deliveroo.
It will also be the County Town’s first Caribbean restaurant.
An American restaurant is also set to open just a stone’s throw from Jerk Shack as family owned Hancock’s announced they will start serving food from Saturday, September 15.
The chain, which already has a restaurant in Chatham and Camberley, will offer diners the chance to pick the music they want to listen to as they eat at the Earl Street venue through a mobile phone app. Plans to deliver a £50 million retirement village have been kick-started after the land was obtained by a new operator.
Inspired Villages Group (IVG), a developer of so-called ‘later-living’ accommodation, announced its acquisition of Ledian Farm in Leeds from the Gallagher Group earlier this year.
The site, off Upper Street, was first given planning permission in January 2014, but no work had yet begun. The number of parking spots at the village is set to be increased following discussion with planning officials and the old farmhouse will also be retained.
The planned village would provide 115 homes, as well as a range of amenities including a restaurant, shop, and leisure facilities, which would also be open to the wider community.
The seven-acre site will be aimed at meeting the needs of the over-65s and work will begin thanks to the financial backing from Legal and General which was finalised in August.
A village shop, bistro and deli are all set to open at the Ledian Farm retirement village along with a clubhouse and pool,
A spa will also be available to members of the village.
The first phase of 53 new build apartments is scheduled to be completed in August 2020. The rest of the one and two-bed properties are due to be built during later phases.
A spokesman said: “The Inspired Villages concept is about creating beautiful homes and thriving communities that are age appropriate and can support people in making the most of their wellbeing as they move through later life, allowing people to live a more independent and active life.”