Chris Hicks and Alex Bagner to open The Blue Pelican in Deal

Chris Hicks and Alex Bagner will launch The Blue Pelican, a Japanese-inspired restaurant and natural wine bar set in a seafront townhouse with views over Deal pier.

Positioned on the ground floor of the townhouse, the restaurant is based on a Japanese izakaya born from the owners’ shared love for Japan and its cuisine.

It will have a 10-seat kitchen counter, with additional seating downstairs for drinks in the wine cellar. There will also be a private dining room for up to 10 people on the first floor and a garden courtyard for drinks in the summer months.

The kitchen will be headed up chef Luke Green, who led the kitchen at The Rose under the mentorship of Nuno Mendes and who has spent five years in Tokyo. He has created a menu of small plates that will include housemade sesame tofu with daikon tops; and smoked eel with tamagoyaki and sansho pepper; alongside grill dishes such as dry-aged rump cap with Tokyo turnips.

There will also be a selection of sharing dishes including pork katsu with castlefranco and sesame dressing; and roast chestnut and rainbow chard clay-baked rice donabe.

The wine list has been put together by Tim Toovey of Uncharted Wines and will focus on low-intervention English and European vineyards, while the cocktail menu will feature Japanese-inspired flavours with coastal herbs and seaweed, alongside a selection of hot and cold sake and Japanese whisky.

Interior elements will include a blue woodwork theme, hand-painted chequered floor, and bespoke artwork in the dining room by local artist Tom Mariniyak.