From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Rachael Woods, 25 March 2019.

Mumbai Gate in Bethersden will become The Pig & Sty after £1m refurb.

An Indian restaurant will be returned to a pub in a £1m transformation - more than a decade after the last pint was pulled.

The Mumbai Gate in Ashford Road, Bethersden, is being redeveloped by Elite Pubs and will be called The Pig & Sty.

It will be the ninth pub in the Elite chain and its opening follows that of The Herbalist, last May, in Maidstone town centre together with a late-night cocktail and music venue, Junipers.

The pub's name is a reference to Bethersden's 1000-year history of pig-breeding and the new owners will be forging links with the village.

Bosses are in discussions with Marc Stevenson of Bethersden rocking horse makers the Stevenson Brothers and are planning to name the pub's private dining room "The Rocking Horse Room", where there will be a display of the creations.

Elite Pubs said it planned to restore the former Royal Standard pub to a modernised country pub offering a menu based on locally-produced food and wine, together with craft gins.

It will offer 120 covers in the main dining room, 35 in the private dining room, 60 in the bar and 150 in the garden, while a covered terrace area with a burger shack will seat 50.

Work begins on the Pig & Sty.

The Pig & Sty will be family-friendly and its large garden is set to feature a play area.

A total of £1m will be spent on the transformation, the owners confirmed, with the official opening date on Saturday, September 21.

Family-owned Elite Pubs has been established for 15 years and also opened The Cow Shed in West Malling.

The Grade II-listed building, on the corner of the A28 and Standard Lane, originally The Royal Standard, was the Royal Spice Indian restaurant for five years from 2005 before being turned into a Chinese restaurant - called 1 Thirty Six - in 2010.

In 2013 it became an Indian restaurant once again, called Cinnamon Lounge, later becoming the Mumbai Gate.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Rachael Woods, 29 August 2019.

Mumbai Gate Indian restaurant in Bethersden becomes Pig & Sty pub.

Our exclusive pictures give a sneak preview into the county's newest pub, where £1.1 million has been spent.

Businessman Martial Chaussy is behind the lavish refurbishment of the Grade II-listed building in Bethersden, formerly Indian restaurant the Mumbai Gate.

The Pig & Sty opens its doors on the evening of Saturday, September 21 with a party, and is the ninth business in the Elite Pubs chain that also includes The Herbalist, which opened last May in Maidstone town centre, together with a late-night cocktail and music venue, Junipers.

Mr Chaussy will employ 30 people at the location and he is promising that the pub, the name of which is a nod to Bethersden’s 1,000-year history of pig-breeding, will be "a real cracker".

It’s a return to the building’s roots, previous incarnations of which included the Royal Spice Indian restaurant, Chinese restaurant 1 Thirty Six, the Cinnamon Lounge, and the Mumbai Gate.

Originally the Royal Standard pub, it’s more than a decade since the last pint was pulled, and Mr Chaussy says his aim is to restore a traditional British pub to the rural beauty spot on the corner of the A28 and Standard Lane.

“It’s a place where people can meet, chat and enjoy time with their families in a very informal way, which you can’t do in a restaurant,” he said.

“The British pub is where anyone feels welcome from the ordinary working person to the chief executive.”

The 47-year-old Frenchman, who believes there’s nothing quite like the British pub, honed in on Bethersden, saying: “I really like the location and the size of the building is important to what we want to achieve.”

Open fires, exposed beams and brickwork, together with rustic floors are intended to set the tone of the hostelry as a cosy retreat in which to sup a pint.

As well as the traditional bar, the Pig & Sty offers a large open plan "light-filled" dining room providing 120 covers and featuring a wood-burning pizza oven where customers can see their pizzas being made.

There will also be a private dining room seating 35, with a rocking-horse theme that has been created in association with the Stevenson Brothers of Bethersden.

A vast garden and children’s play area will feature, as well as a covered terrace area with a burger shack, seating 50.

Mr Chaussy said: “We are fully committed to delivering a real cracker.”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Rachael Woods, 24 September 2019.

Thousands at opening of Pig & Sty pub, formerly the Mumbai Gate.

The opening party for Kent's newest pub pulled in a crowd of 2,000 guests.

Celebrations were in full swing for the grand opening of the Pig & Sty in Bethersden on Saturday and a minibus was laid on to ferry pub goers to and from their cars parked in a field a mile from the Ashford Road venue.

Last month KentOnline was given an exclusive look around the venue.

It's the ninth in the Elite Chain that also includes the "Herbalist," which opened last May in Maidstone town centre, together with a late-night cocktail and music venue, Junipers.

Owner, Frenchman Martial Chaussy said: "There was such an amazing response to the "Pig & Sty" opening.

"The atmosphere was very friendly with kids running around and enjoying themselves. Everyone was very happy to be there.

"People even brought their own blankets to sit on the floor and have a picnic.

"A lot of people knew each other and were talking so it was a bit like a village fete."

Crowds in the garden of the Pig & Sty.

The businessman has splashed out £1.1 million to turn the site back into pub after it became Indian restaurant the "Mumbai Gate."

His mother Monique Chaussy, 82, cut the ribbon together with Ashford deputy mayor Cllr John Link.

Formerly the "Royal Standard" the last pint was pulled at the venue around 10 years ago and Martial said: "People said they absolutely loved the fact that the building had been turned back into a pub."

A bespoke private dining room has been given a rocking horse theme by the Stevenson Brothers of Bethersden, which was admired by guests, said Martial.

Featuring open fires, rustic flooring and exposed brickwork the "Pig & Sty" aims to offer traditional appeal with a modern twist.

Monique Chaussy, 82, cuts the ribbon with Cllr John Link.

It has a huge dining room offering 120 covers where guests can see their pizzas being made in a wood-burning oven; a covered outside terrace area with a burger shack and a children's play area.