Top chef stays silent on champers bar’s future
THE town’s highest-profile chef refused to comment on news his glitzy champagne bar is being permanently closed.
Eric Paxman, who made his name as one of the country’s top chefs and went on to provide private dining for a host of Hollywood A-listers including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert De Niro, opened Arborist in Lindley in late 2018.
The high-end champagne bar opposite his gourmet restaurant ‘Eric’s’ was said to have 33 different types of bubbly and an extensive list of cocktails.
It was named after the gold tree which runs right through the centre of the bar.
But while many pubs and bars have this week celebrated the re-opening of venues after lockdown it appears the end is nigh for Arborist.
A planning application to convert the Lidget Street bar into a coffee shop was submitted to Kirklees Council earlier this week.
Mr Paxman told The Examiner’s sister website, YorkshireLive, he could not comment on the proposal.
Documents submitted to the council show the applicant intends to do a full refurbishment of the interior and install a kitchen in the cellar. A new window will also be installed, if permission is granted.
The planning documents suggest the new venue will be called Coffee Lounge.
After a period of expansion to three businesses in Lindley in 2018, Mr Paxman has been scaling back in recent years.
He sold his Pax Burger business in October 2019 having backed out of a plan to open one in Mirfield 18 months earlier.