Duke unveils plans for Fish Restaurant to open Valentines Day
Any villager who’s strolled into the Duke of Wellington recently has probably witnessed a few differences. The inside has been freshened up, a wider choice of real ales introduced and a light bites menu of offer with a distinctly fish bias. You can now enjoy oysters with prosecco as you chat to the regulars.
The biggest change will be launched on Valentine’s Day however, when the full restaurant revamp will be unveiled as ‘The Cork and Claw’. Peter and Rachel Sowerby are the new leaseholders and are a very experienced team having already made a success of The Woolpack Inn in Yeadon which follows the Cork and Claw format. Peter explained his plans to the East Keswick website recently.
The Cork and Claw at the Duke, as it will be known, will specialise in seafood, shellfish and fine wine. However whilst the emphasis will be on quality it will not be an overpriced fine ding experience but a cosy friendly atmosphere with a rustic relaxed setting. The theme will be one of a ‘fisherman’s lodge’ with a centrepiece fishing boat griddle where diners can watch their lobster and crayfish being cooked. However this does not mean that the menu will be exclusively seafood, just mainly seafood, so carnivores will still find some meaty dishes to their liking.
The seafood theme had its roots at The Woolpack in Yeadon where Friday and Saturday seafood nights were so successful that the complete seafood ‘Cork and Claw’ theme was developed. The Duke of Wellington will be their second base and probably the flagship in terms of its potential. Another outlet will open in Menston in late Spring and two more are expected to be added later.
With a catchment area covering North Leeds and the villages between Leeds and Wetherby, Peter and Rachel view the future with a mix of excitement and confidence. Bookings are already being taken on 01937 573259