Luxury restaurant opens in former Hull marina rope factory

IT WAS once one of the cornerstone buildings of Hull's bustling marina.

Now a former rope factory that supplied thousands of ships on the Humber Estuary has been given a new lease of life as a restaurant.

In a nod to the historic walls it sits between, 1884 Dock Street Kitchen has been so-called because of the building's past.

The new luxury restaurant features pictures of historic Hull and will show black and white videos from the past.

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Head chef James Allcock, who has trained under Gordon Ramsay, says old documents dating back to the 1840s were found in the building's attic when the restaurant was being constructed.

He said: "All the artwork on the walls are pictures and artefacts we found from that period. We blew up images we found in the attic, so that links us with the building.

"I recognise I am only one chapter of this building's history and we want what happened before us to play a huge part in the restaurant."

One of the restaurant's other key features is a dozen wine lockers, which have been bought for 12 months by local businesses.

Eskimosoup, DEN Architecture and Interior Design and SJS Flooring are just some of the businesses that have bought the lockers – all of which have been sold for the first year.

The lockers allow companies to keep exclusive wines at the restaurant and give a bottle to dining clients.

On entering the restaurant, which will open in Humber Dock Street on Friday, June 29, customers will use iPads to browse the menu and wine list – making sure the restaurant's nod to its past blends with modern technology.

There is also a raised VIP area and an area where diners can see the chefs in action.

Mr Allcock, 26, said: "This is the culmination of a year of work.

"I had a vision of what I wanted to do and was able to design the building to suit what I wanted.

"Getting the restaurant together has taken a year of my life, but it is the culmination of a ten-year career."

In his time as a chef, Mr Allcock has worked at locally-renowned restaurants such as the Pipe and Glass and even worked with Ramsay at his Petrus restaurant.

He said: "I've been lucky to work with some very talented people and, through that, I've gained some valuable knowledge and experience. The ideas, influences and techniques I've learnt along the way have been unleashed in 1884 Dock Street Kitchen, blended with my own spin on them.

"I will do my talking on the plate."

The restaurant will be serving British food, done well.

In researching his menu, Mr Allcock spoke to local farmers, fishermen and producers to decide what dishes to include.

But the menu is open to change and could be different from week-to-week or even day-to-day, depending on seasonal availability.

Mr Allcock said: "It was important to let the supplier write the menu.

"Restaurants sometimes have speciality boards depending on what the catch of the day was, or what is in season.

"But in my restaurant, the menu is the specials board."

A number of VIP nights are being held this week and the venue is almost fully-booked for the opening night, proving a promising start for the venture.