Jacovides and Rodd working on new restaurant concept

A new restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop from hospitality entrepreneur Ryan Jacovides will open in Margate this spring. 

Jacovides is joined by head chef and MasterChef 2015 finalist Tony Rodd, who will oversee menu and kitchen operations at Pomus. 

The restaurant will be located in The Centre, just a10-minute walk from Margate train station on the Kent coast. 

The 40-cover venue, complete with basement tasting room and event space, derives its name from the ancient Greek word for fruit tree – 'pōmus' – which also symbolises 'new growth'. It is the first solo project from Jacovides, who brings two decades of experience to the concept, having served as non-executive director of Bristol-based restaurant group Pasture and ex-managing director for White Rabbit Projects and the Jamie Oliver Group respectively. 

Rodd and his wife Becky have relocated from London to Margate ahead of the launch, following the recent closure of their restaurant, Copper & Ink, in Blackheath Village five years after opening. 

F&B at Pomus

Inspired by Kent's natural larder, Rodd's low-waste, gluten-free menu will feature creative, seasonal bar snacks, small plates and larger sharing dishes. 

Signature dishes include crab doughnuts with Marie Rose sauce; beetroot tartare, pickled beets, beetroot and rose jelly with Baron Bigod sauce; chicken karaage with buckwheat waffles and togarashi spice; chorizo madeleines with manchego custard; pea pancake, friggitelli peppers, burrata and sundried tomato tapenade; barbecued langoustine tails, razor clams, fennel relish and cucumber ketchup; barbecued red mullet with wild garlic risotto and piquillo pepper sauce; veal schnitzel with slow-cooked hen's egg and anchovy mayo; and peanut and banana bread pudding with rum and chestnut ice cream. 

Set in one of the country's celebrated wine-making regions, the wine list at Pomus will champion British bottles from local producers, on top of showcasing new artisan wines from boutique suppliers. 

The drinks list will also include a 'made-in-house aperitif', crafted with botanicals native to Kent, and seasonal cocktails such as a rosehip negroni or citrus rum punch, alongside a signature 'house spritz' priced at £5 a glass. 

"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, and luckily, he said yes!" says Jacovides. 

"Ultimately, I wanted to partner with someone who 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."

You may also be interested in…