Ambition to 'break the mould' in city centre dining; SUCCESSFUL COVENTRY RESTAURANT BOSS PLANS TO TURN LANDMARK BUILDING INTO A HUGE INDIAN AND THAI FOOD EATERIE.Byline: HAYLEY CUTHBERTSON AWARD-WINNING chef Rois Ali says he cannot wait to get started on the challenge of turning one of Coventry's old landmarks into a top- quality restaurant. He beat three other bidders to take the lease on the empty Victorian building as soon as planning consent has been granted for his proposed use. And he has hopes that Bar Zooka - the provisional name for the restaurant - will "break the mould mould, n See mold. mould mold. " in terms of food, presentation and atmosphere. He said: "I am thrilled that the city council has decided to go with my idea to create something very special in the centre of Coventry. "The former fire station is a true landmark building and we intend to create a venture suitable for this wonderful location." The ground-floor wine and cafe bar is to be open all day, serving coffee and snacks. Mr Ali also plans to make a "finger version" of the full menu available all day long, adding: "Rather like Spanish tapas, it will allow people to get an appetising idea of what the full restaurant has to offer." The first-floor restaurant, which will seat 150 people, will also feature a mezzanine level Mezzanine level The period in a company's development just before it goes public. . Mr Ali says he is already working on dishes for his new menu, which is set to be an exciting new fusion of Thai and Indian food. And once work is under way, he hopes to travel to Thailand to recruit chefs. Top chefs are set to make guest appearances, and an added feature will be a huge plasma screen showing diners Diners can mean:
Mr Ali said: "We would not have even considered put-ting together a business plan if I did not have faith in the city centre. "We have succeeded in Tile Hill Tile Hill is a suburb in the west of Coventry. The railway line linking Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham goes through Tile Hill, and Tile Hill railway station is within Tile Hill near its eastern border with Solihull. , and believe that we now have the track record and expertise to be as successful on a bigger scale in the city centre. The Phoenix Initiative is transforming the city centre and we believe it will attract a great number of people both in the day and evening. I am just looking forward to getting started." CITY councillors have described the plans for the old fire station as a "big piece of the jigsaw A Web server from the W3C that incorporates advanced features and uses a modular design similar to the Apache Web server. Jigsaw supports HTTP 1.1 and provided an experimental platform for HTTP-NG. See HTTP-NG and Amaya. " in the regeneration of the heart of Coventry. Cllr Dave Batten bat·ten 1 v. bat·tened, bat·ten·ing, bat·tens v.intr. 1. To become fat. 2. , cabinet member for regeneration and neighbourhood renewal, said: "I am delighted that our old fire station is going to be transformed into a top quality restaurant and bar, and that a local Coventry and internationally - renowned chef is expanding and growing in the city, proving that with a bit of imagination and flair, a top quality restaurant is popular with local people and can be a real success." He said the Phoenix Initiative was entering its most exciting stage now, and real changes were being made. "This is another big piece of the jigsaw slotting into place as we work to create a vibrant and exciting city centre for everyone," he said. COMMENT, Page 12 CAPTION(S): LONG-OVERDUE CHANGE: The old firestation, surrounded by rubble created by work on the Phoenix Initiative, is ripe for redevelopment |
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