Plans have been unveiled for a major development at one of the North East’s flagship leisure sites, thanks to a new partnership between two hospitality leaders.
PAGH Ventures has been set up by Gary Hutchinson, founder of Chrysalis Leisure Group and Piers Adam, chairman of the internationally renowned Mahiki Group, which has sites across the globe.
And now the new company has revealed its plans to invest more than £750k to transform the Fat Buddha site at Newcastle’s 55 Degrees North, with a concept which will eventually be rolled out nationwide.
Newcastle City Council this week gave the green light to the licensing application, which will allow the operation to serve until 3am on Thursdays to Saturdays.
And that means the exciting plans for the city centre site – which will create around 60 jobs - will begin immediately, with the opening scheduled for May.
The Asian style restaurant will remain but will undergo a rebrand and move to the upper floor of the site, although it will be business as usual while the transformation takes place.
And that will leave room for the ground floor to be transformed into Antler – an alpine ski lodge inspired bar and restaurant.
Among the plans are the provision of an exclusive brand of Tank Beer and Alpine- themed home cooked food, along with the creation of an in-house bakery.
At the same time Antler will feature a regular programme of live entertainment in a rustic and authentic setting, which will also feature a heated, outdoor alpine garden which will be open year round.
The plan to form the new company came after a chance meeting between Hutchinson – who set up Chrysalis Leisure Group six months ago - and Adams.
The Mahiki Group has been a huge success story over the past decade, opening its first site in Mayfair in 2007.
Its Polynesian theme caught the imagination of London bar goers and it has regularly been voted the Best Bar in London.
This led to further locations in Kensington and Manchester, followed by openings in Dubai, Marbella and Sardinia.
“Mahiki is without a doubt one of the most exciting hospitality brands in the world and it is their style and ethos which people will see at Antler,” said Gary.
“We will be offering their well-known drinks brands such as Mahiki Rum and Copper Dog Whisky as well as the signature Mahiki cocktails which will be something entirely new to the North East.”
The first floor Asian restaurant will see some of the current favourite dishes remain, but at the same time incorporate a number of new concepts and along with Antler will offer the full Mahiki cocktail range.
“Antler will be something entirely new for the North East and is the first of many plans for PAGH Ventures,” said Hutchinson, “And we are hopeful of opening our next site before the end of 2018.”
His words were echoed by Adams, “I’m so excited for the project in Newcastle. I’ve always enjoyed the energy of the city and its people, who are arguably among the nicest in England.
“While I’ve always wanted a presence in the city, I always hesitated until I met Gary Hutchinson of the Chyrsalis Leisure Group. He personifies everything that is great about the North East and most importantly he passionately cares about improving standards in the food and beverage sector.
“We will start this partnership in Newcastle and have big plans together for the months and years ahead”
Antler is already taking bookings for cocktail classes, private events and a range of packages suitable for everything from corporate team building to special celebrations.
Gary Hutchinson has long played an active part in the North East leisure scene. During his time at SAFC he was responsible for bringing some of the biggest entertainers in the world to the region, including One Direction, Rihanna and Take That.
