From the
https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Liane Castle, 11 January 2022.
Cappadocia Turkish restaurant and jazz bar to open next to Ashford
International station.
A new Turkish restaurant with a jazz bar and a kebab van is
preparing to open next to Ashford International station.
Named Cappadocia after the region of Turkey famous for scenic
hot-air balloon trips, the site in Station Road – most recently
known as Otto Bar and Shisha Lounge – promises to serve traditional
cultural food.
While an opening date is yet to be confirmed, bosses hope the
restaurant will be ready as soon as next month.
In the meantime, the kebab van which sits just outside Cameo
nightclub is set to open on Friday.
Owner Serkan Gungor, who has worked in catering for 20 years, said:
"The middle bit, as well as the terrace, will be an eating area
where we will serve traditional Turkish food.
"I have done my research and there’s no jazz bar in Ashford, and I
like jazz music, and I wanted to do something different to stand
out.
"In total we can cater for about 100 people so it's quite a big
venue.
Colourful lighting features in the jazz bar.
Staff say the site can cater for about 100 people.
The kebab van is set to open on Friday.
"We also have a kebab van outside the nightclub which we hope to
open by the end of this week if all goes to plan."
The site next to Papa John's was famously occupied by The "Kent Arms"
for more than 50 years.
Greene King took over and re-named it the "Fat Fiddler" in the early
1990s.
In 2011, it was then converted into the Ashford Business Centre and
a wine bar called "Platform 5."
The "Breeze Bar" then took over but moved out in 2017 after spending
less than a year in the building.
The restaurant will serve traditional Turkish food.
It was then vacant until 2019 when Mr Gungor and his brother opened
Otto Bar and Shisha Lounge.
However the pair have now decided to redesign the business after
issues with Ashford Borough Council regarding outside space.
The 37-year-old said: "They confirmed I could provide shisha, then
all of a sudden they changed their mind.
"I believe everything happens for a reason and that’s the way I'm
going to look at it.
"I can’t just give up, I want to find a different way of making it
work."
Shisha is a way of smoking flavoured tobacco, which is usually
burned using charcoal and filtered using a pipe and water. |