A new Indian restaurant is set to replace Fat Buddha in the centre of Newcastle as part of a new venture to transform the site under 55° North.
The pan-Asian restaurant, along with its sister bar Antler, entered administration at the start of the month before being acquired by the High Street Group’s hospitality arm.
Fat Buddha will now be replaced by a new restaurant called Purple Peacock, which is set to open in October.
The restaurant’s concept has been drawn up by High Street Group’s marketing director Sonali Craddock, who has used her experience of launching a high end restaurant in India as inspiration for the Newcastle eatery.
Ms Craddock, who lived and worked in India for almost 10 years, said: “The décor is unique, extravagant and bold, with a royal jewel colour palate and themed accessories to complement the restaurants colourful name. There will be a giant peacock, lots of feathers and bird cage features.
“We believe that visitors to the restaurant will be compelled to take photos and share these across social media. The food will be contemporary with an element of Asian/classic fusion and we plan a strong emphasis on vegan and vegetarian cuisine.”
The Newcastle restaurant will be the second Purple Peacock to be opened by the High Street Hospitality after the firm opened its first site at the Parkmore Hotel in Eaglescliffe. Since buying the hotel, the firm has invested £1m on its refurbishment to turn it into a dining, wedding and leisure destination.
While the Fat Buddha will be converted into Purple Peacock, its next door neighbour Antler will turned into a new sports bar.
The changes are part of High Street Group’s plans to transform the space under 55° North into a new hotel.
The High Street Group was established in 2006 by Gary Forrest and has grown to employ around 350 people. The company has plans to construct or acquire 15 to 20 hotels across the North of England over the next 10 years.
It has already established boutique-style hotels in Whitley Bay and Stanley under its Hotel 52 brand, and has also bought The Sea Hotel in South Shields and The Three Horseshoes in Washington. A sixth outlet is also planned at DurhamGate in Spennymoor, where the firm recently bought land.
Meanwhile, High Street Group has announced that champagne house Laurent Perrier has signed up to the sky lounge at its Hadrian Tower development, with the rooftop bar to be known as Three 60.
