Restauranteur Paolo Ferrucci is set to start operating on the upper level of the O'Hagan's site on East London's beachfront before the end of the month.
And it's proved an expensive exercise as he signed a restraint of trade when he sold nearby Gabriella's restaurant in the Aquarium complex last year.
He was forced to buy it back.
"I signed the restraint as a deterrent against going back into restaurants but in the end I had to buy it back so I could open here," he said yesterday.
The site, with its sweeping views of the sea and harbour, opened as O'Hagan's in the early 1990s. Its name changed to Shenanigans in 2004 but it closed at the end of that year.
Ferrucci decided it was the ideal site for a restaurant. "I thought it would be an easy conversion but it has become a lot more of a project than I expected."
The main dining area would continue serving normal steakhouse and pub fare, while a separate section of the restaurant will be more plush and feature a retro 1960s-style menu.
"In those days when people went out to eat it was an occasion and we would like to see some of that sort of style come back.
"Now people eat out and they might as well not have left home or the office with cellphone calls and big screen entertainment."
Although the retro menu is still a secret, Ferrucci said a number of the items on it used to be popular but disappeared from menus decades ago. The outside terrace will feature light meals and snacks.
He intends to open by March 23 or earlier if he gets the liquor licence he applied for five months ago.
Daily Dispatch
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge