New independent restaurant set to open in Nottingham

(L-R) Jasmin Barlow-Wilkinson, Kevin Wright and Naomi Wright outside of the Urban Kitchen site

A new independent restaurant is set to hit Hockley in Nottingham city centre later this year, say it will provide a “unique dining experience” and breathe life back into a forgotten city centre building.

Urban Kitchen, which has just secured planning permission and licenses, will be located on Goose Gate in Hockley, with renovation work already underway ahead of its opening and launch this autumn.

The team behind the new venture are Kevin Wright, a former director of a large German company who are famous in the UK for Vileda cleaning products, his daughter Naomi Wright and Jasmin Barlow-Wilkinson, founder of Nottingham’s successful Homemade Café.

Between them they have almost 25 years of experience working in the food trade in Nottingham. All three were born locally and live in Nottingham, and chose the building, in Goose Gate, for its “considerable potential” and “great location”.

The building, which has stood derelict for a number of years, dates back to the early 1900s and was a haberdashery and later a greengrocer during the 1970s-80s. The historic property will be sensitively restored to enhance Hockley’s reputation as a hot spot for independent bars and eateries, while adding its own splash of personality with a contemporary, industrial edge.

“We are thrilled to have secured the building as it has amazing potential. The sense of space hits you as soon as you walk in with the wow-factor of 4.6m high ceilings, exposed brick walls and original flooring,” said Kevin.

“We intend to add standout features such as an open kitchen to keep it casual for daytime but also create atmosphere in the evening. However, the most significant aspect is the incredible amount of natural light which we plan to maximise in our refurbishment.”

The restaurant will offer affordable yet high quality dining in a casual inner city setting, making it the perfect spot for brunch, grabbing dinner after work or enjoying a great meal during a night on the town at the weekend.

Kevin added: “’Nottingham has some great restaurants with plenty of variety and I feel Urban Kitchen will really add something to Nottingham’s great choice of eateries. Having spent some time living in Brisbane last year, a place with a great reputation both for the quality of its food and for the experience it creates, I was inspired to bring some of its cool, casual dining with exciting yet affordable food across the world to Nottingham.”

Jasmin, of Homemade Café is in charge of creating the bespoke menu. She said: “We are currently working really hard on the menu, which will be influenced by our international travels. The focus is on delivering an exciting food sharing experience, full of familiar ingredients that are both healthy yet appetising.

“We are very passionate about locally sourced ingredients and intend to only use the freshest, high quality produce.”

Naomi added: “We are very excited about the possibilities for Urban Kitchen. Hockley is already a favourite spot with Nottingham locals and with a great reputation for independent restaurants, we really hope we can add something special and exciting to the area.

“We also think the work that Nottingham City Council is doing to rejuvenate that part of Hockley and create a flow down to Sneinton Market is fantastic and we can’t wait to be part of the community.”

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