Tony Rodd to oversee the stoves at new Margate restaurant
Pomus, which derives its name from the Ancient Greek word for fruit tree, is set to open later in the spring in the coastal town’s The Centre retail hub.
The restaurant marks the first solo venture for Jacovides, who is non-exec director of renowned Bristol-based Pasture restaurant group.
“My family and I have been holidaying in Margate for many generations, and back in my more rebellious years I used to bunk off school and come to Margate with friends, to visit the old Bembom Brothers, which is where the Dreamland amusement park now sits,” he says.
“Even back then I said I’d open a bar here, and having now lived in Margate for a while, the time feels right to live out a long-standing dream.”
Rodd’s involvement comes after he was forced to close his Copper & Ink restaurant in Blackheath, London, back in January as a result of ‘continued financial difficulties’.
His menu at Pomus will feature a range of small and large sharing plates, alongside a selection of bar snacks, and be both low waste and gluten free.
“I’ve been a fan of Tony’s food for a while, so when he closed Copper & Ink I decided to reach out in the hopes he would be interested in heading up the kitchen at Pomus,” continues Jacovides.
“Ultimately, I wanted to partner with someone that champions the industry, and is as passionate about it as I am.
“We’re also both half Greek-Cypriot, which is a strange coincidence, but perhaps something that has led us to this place together, where family and community are set to be an intrinsic part of the Pomus ethos.”
Dishes set to feature on the restaurant’s launch menu include crab doughnuts with Marie Rose sauce; chorizo madeleines with Manchego custard; pea pancake with friggitelli peppers, burrata and sundried tomato tapenade; and barbecued red mullet with wild garlic risotto and piquillo pepper sauce.
The drinks list will include a range of British wine labels including Chapel Down, West Well, Gusbourne and Balfour; as well as seasonal cocktails such as a rose hip negroni, and citrus rum punch.
Holding 40-covers in total, Pomus will feature a combination of counter dining at the open bar kitchen and banquet seating, with Chrisp & Waterhouse leading the interior design.
Alongside the restaurant and bar, the space will also feature a bottle shop and kitchen provisions store.
