Norse to launch crowdfunding campaign to relocate

The fine-dining restaurant currently acts as an after-hours pop-up at Scandi-inspired café Baltzersen's, meaning chefs have to prep downstairs during the day before carrying the food and equipment upstairs to the kitchen.

Norse owner Paul Rawlinson told BigHospitality the team has secured an agreement on a new site and £50,000 from a private investor, but need to raise a further £20,000 to cover extra costs.

The Kickstarter page will go live on 5 February, and if successful, could see the restaurant open as early as April this year.

The new site will have around 40-covers, while the extra kitchen space will be used to develop dishes and allow Norse to serve lunch for the first time.

Head chef Simon Jewitt,who joined Norse in 2014, will be a partner in the new venture.

“Our current site has been quite inefficient but we’ve always just dealt with it,” said Rawlinson. “It’s going to be great for the chefs to have a proper kitchen set up and have more time during the day to focus on the food.”

Though Norse was featured in both the 2016 Michelin Guide and Good Food Guide, Rawlinson added that the team was not interested in chasing a Michelin star.

“The chefs cook at a high level, but we just want to create a nice restaurant where people can come on a regular basis, and that offers something different to the area,” he said.