Tapas Bar, South Street
The new Tapas Bar in South Street seems to be doing well. It is based at the former unit that was Cafe Rialto. I walked past on Saturday night and it was very busy. The decor is great, quite 'funky' for Dorking but they seem to have really gone for it. Great front signage too.
I really hope this bar does well, we need a bit of alternative nightlife in the town and it all seemed very civilised.
posted by The Cockerel @ 11:27 PM
5 Comments:
Have been a few times into the new tapas /wine bar and it seems to be attracting a very nice crowd. Prices are not too steep and the owner and his staff go out of their way to make your visit worthwhile. I hope that this new venture will continue to attract a good clientele and that it will survive against the competition of the other restaurants and pubs.
Anyone else notice that the Cockerel on the Deepdene Roundabout was splattered with pinkish paint over the weekend?? I wonder how much this will cost to get removed!
I have also paid a visit to the wine bar - my girlfriend loves it!! She does not have to worry about the thick fog (ie. cigarette / cigar smoke) that descends in most of the pubs in Dorking, dodgy clientele and the thuggish brutes who go out to get pissed making sexist, racist remarks all night. The wine bar seems to be female friendly, the staff are well trained and there seems to be a good feel to the place (ie. with candles on the table etc.) and a extensive list of cocktails.
As it has been said before, the food is a welcome change from the stereotypical Italian, Chinese and Indian restaurant. I have also noticed that it tends to be crowded most evenings. Good luck to the owner of this wine bar - I sincerely, hope it works out, as it is a refreshing change from the smoky, male dominated pubs of the town centre.
DORKING Dan
Town Centre Managers' Report (taken from meeting which was held on 12th March 2007 at Pippbrook):-
Please note that I have added my comment in with a (*)
Vacant / On the Market - 19 premises
- Harley Davidson, 285-293 High Street - lease reverted back to owner, speculation on development
- Robin G Renee, 300 High Street - changed agents again (*I have heard from the agent, that this unit is under offer!)
- Dawn to Dusk Tanning, 286 High Street - in negotiations
- Puccino's, 228-232 High Street - Town Centre Manaagement has passed enquiries from two parties onto agent (*Have heard from agent that this unit is under offer AGAIN!)
- Co-op, 236 High Street - appointing new agent (*New agent has been appointed)
- Gallery 238, 238 High Street - offer fallen through
- W H Smith, 101-103 High Street - will remain closed as part of larger residential redevelopment
- Nightingales, St Martin's Walk (SMW) - was let for short Christmas lease
- Baby Boom, SMW - gone into liquidation
- Studio RT, SMW - no movement
- Scribbles, SMW - owner decided to stop trading
- Vandevi, SMW - lease expired
- Simply Nails, SMW - lease expired
- Rear corner unit, SMW - strong interest
- Harmans, 19 West Street - closed for redevelopment, ready November 07, some interest
- Pizza Piazza, 77 South Street - strong interest (*I hope so as this building is looking really rundown at present!)
- Swale Insurance, 43 South Street - some interest (*planning application has been submitted to Mole Valley for change of use to a wine bar)
- FW Mays, 105 South Street - interest from a national chain in negotiation
Vacant but under offer - 3 premises
- Contessa, 176-180 High Street - in legals
- Surrey Gourmet, 61 High Street - in legals (*Noticed on window of premises that they are looking for a short / long term let, in other words, deal must have fallen through!)
- The Vineyard, 78 South Street - in legals
Vacant but recently let / sold / refurbishing - 4 premises
- Immo, 4 High Street - Costa Coffee opening w/c 19 March
- Halfords, 111-113 High Street - confirmed that they are returning to site, legal agreement signed
-Acanthus Antiques, 14 West Street - opening mid-March as garden furniture & ornamental shop
- Cafe Rialto, 55 South Street - being refurbished (*Now the Gossip Tapas / Wine Bar!)
Retail vacancy rate is 9% (8% in February)
Costa Coffee has also agreed to provide their premises in the High
Street for a Friday evening coffee meeting place for young people on a ten week trial basis. Work was ongoing in respect of the Youth Cafe project and there would joint working on both of these projects.
(* All in all, I find this report above to be very worrying. Very few of the units are under offer and considering the economy is apparently very strong, it does not bode well for the future. Since this report, a few more shops have closed or relocated.)
Very impressed with the new wine bar / fusion tapas restaurant in South Street. It is a welcome addition to the nightlife in Dorking with its interesting range of food with a hint of sophistication and trendiness thrown in for good measure.
The manager is very friendly and the staff are first rate. The food looks delicious and is competitively priced. There is also a large range of cocktails, wines and lagers. There is also Old Speckeled Hen if you like your beer (ale). I am so pleased that someone has had the guts to open a wine bar and is really keen to make a real go of it. Yes, I know there have been other so-called wine bars that have opened in the past in Dorking. Unfortunately, they turned into havens for underage drinkers and promptly closed due to lack of custom and thuggery!
Whilst, on the topic of extortionate prices of drinks in pubs, I was charged £3.00 (yes, £3.00!!) for a pint of diet coke at The Black Horse in Reigate. I confronted the barman, who made a snide remark saying "that is what all the pubs in Reigate charge." I refused to pay that amount for the pint and promptly left it behind, never to return to that public house again. Noticed that the soup of the day was also £5.00!! Did a quick survey of a few pubs in Dorking to see what they charged for a pint of diet coke - £2.00 at The Lincoln Arms (near Dorking Station) and £2.40 at The Cricketers on South Street. The landlord of the Black Horse should be ashamed of himself as he is inadvertently promoting drink driving with his ridiculous prices of soft drinks. ~AP~
Charging £3.00 for a pint of diet coke is simply criminal. I have been to The Black Horse in Reigate and it advertises itself as a 'gastro pub'. The food is overpriced and is not much better than the microwavable Wetherspoons variety. As for the pub itself, it has no atmosphere and reminds me of an antique furniture shop. The pubs between Dorking and Reigate (The Jolly Farmer, The Arkle Manor and The Black Horse) go all out to rip the customer off as much as possible. AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE!!
DORKING Dan
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