THIS WEEK’S FOOD AND DRINK NEWS

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is to open its first Kent bar in Canterbury this year. The international chain has confirmed it is launching in the city, with the location understood to be at the new £115 million Riverside complex. The company’s co-founder revealed the plan for Canterbury online, stating how the new bar will launch at some point this year. The city’s long-awaited Riverside complex, opposite Sainsbury’s, is due to open this summer, with about a dozen tenants primed to set up shop at the site off Kingsmead Road. No operators have been announced and the city council - which is running the project - has remained tightlipped over any speculation of who may be moving in. But a number of the units are under offer, and it is understood Brewdog will be one of the flagship tenants at the complex. la■

Ashford bar which has been shut since the first lockdown is set to reopen next month under new ownership. The Taproom in Bank Street has been taken over by Boutilliers, a Faversham-based independent brewery. Director and brewer Drew Harris says the team is aiming to reopen the site by the end of April after the previous incumbents were forced to close due to the pandemic. The brewers are subletting The Taproom from new owners SALT Beer Factory, and will be bringing their own branded beer as well as SALT’S signature drinks. There will also be wine, cocktails, and an “innovative” approach to food. lmore

restaurants are proposed to be added to Folkestone Harbour Arm. Plans have emerged to install a collection of shipping containers near the existing car park of the arm, offering diners views overlooking the English Channel. The Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) - which is behind the transformation of the Harbour Arm - said the new project, called Harbourside, is the most ‘significant investment’ at the site since it was first re-opened in 2015. And the Harbour Coffee Company, which will neighbour Harbourside when it opens, are also planning to expand this summer by adding a new roof top café serving drinks and brunch and lunch menus.