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102-106 High Street
Gumtree are looking for staff for a new restaurant - Côte.
Looking at their website, they appear to be a chain of french style bistros.
Their website is http://www.cote-restaurants.co.uk/
Does anybody know where they're going to be?
It could hardly be that tiny unit next to Pizza Express, could it?
If so, a bit of a duff choice. Not an attractive building at all.
The fine interior of L'Esperance building on the Ewell Road beats it for ambiance hands down.
Unless this new crowd are looking to take over the L'Esperance building.
Any news?
Comments
I think this could refer to the new Cote Brasserie that is opening in Esher. It's already been fitted out so no need to trawl through the planning apps! It's up near Layla, the Lebanese restaurant.
On the corner opposite Kentucky ???? -
Afaik, you can't put a restaurant that corner site without getting planning permission for a change of use from retail to restaurant.
If they're already advertising for staff, they're looking to open soon.
So their new site must be an existing ( or previous) restaurant/pub site.
There is a planning application for change of use !
Hi Anon,
thanks for the reply, but I can't see any application on the council's planning website.
Whilst browsing, I did see a change of use application from A1 (retail) to A2 (financial services) on Victoria Rd (no 8) getting refused because the council don't want the number of shops declining any further. Their new policy is to have Victoria Road at least 70% retail, but it's way short of that, and the % has been declining over recent years. That applicant is appealing, and it'll be interesting to see how Central Govt planning rule on the appeal.
As things stand at the minute, if a change of use has been applied for the old Dolphin / Moben shop (again I can't see any evidence on council website), then there is every chance that it will be refused, initially anyway.
http://maps.kingston.gov.uk/isis_main/ImageViewer/Image_Menu.aspx?strSys...
Just tried the new Cote in Esher. The room is bland (Gordon Bennetts without the 'Rustic Charm') and if you don't get a window table it is a bit claustrophobic due to low ceiling. The minute steak on the set menu (£9.95 for 2 courses) was very flat, as if a panel beater had had a seriously good go at it. It tasted quite nice but I couldn't make out if that was the large dollop of garlic butter or the steak. It had 'chewy bits' all through it which even my highly expensive dental implants couldn't cope with, so I had the very uncool task of secretly getting the balls of debris from mouth to the plate. unfortunately this was made even more embarrassing as there was nothing else on the plate to hide the stuff behind as the chips were in one of those ridiculous 'chip holder/mini urns'. I can just imagine the accountant that heads up the venture capitalists owners rubbing his hands in glee thinking how many chips per portion that this little contraption saves!
The wine prices seemed reasonable but there didn't seem to be much in the glass. Worst bit, as usual, is the trite 'is everything alright with your food'? intrusion. 5/10
Apparently Cote won best restaraunt 'chain' (as in I want to hang myself on one) last year.
PS. I have been going to Pizza Express for 30 years or more and have despaired at the decline wreaked on it by the various Venture Capitalist owners as they 'sweat the assets' with their ever more penny pinching ideas - but - last week in the Surbiton one I witnessed a new low. The ham on my La Reine was not strips or lumps of ham, it was what I can only describe as 'twists' so small that they resembled the icing on top of those little biscuits that I had as a kid. The waitress said that they are only allowed to put a certain number on each pizza (5 in my case). Total ham saving in the UK per day £10,000. Venture Capitalist's salary extra bonus per year £365K. Marvellous!
The sign on the ex-Mobens is for a liquor sales licence for Ex-Cellars wine merchants. Anyone would think that we Surbitonites like a drink! Unwins, Majestic, Laithwaites, ex Oddbins, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Londis and a few pubs.
That's strange as Ex-Cellar have the old Oddbins shop in the station building and have recently gone bust! Even if they are reopening the business, this would seem a strange shop to take.