New restaurant owners on plans for bar and restaurant that will ‘hit on a market that Beeston is missing’

A new restaurant has been announced for Beeston which will take over the former Ottimo spot underneath The Arc Cinema. The restaurant, called Glass Orchid, announced that it will open in the autumntime with a selection of 'world tapas'.

It's all hands on deck for the team who are excited to bring something new to Beeston. Gemma Brown has worked some of Beeston’s best pubs and bars including the star inn, the Beeston Social and The Commerical but she is looking forward to making the new location her own.

“I’ve always been a general manager at places so myself and two friends saw the lease and thought it would be a good opportunity to do a bar meets restaurant and hit on a market that Beeston is missing,” she explained. “There are great tapas bars in the local area already and cocktail bars but nothing that is a restaurant and bar.”

“I always found that going out with my friends or partner, I would want to go and have a meal but never decide where to have a drink afterwards. So we thought we would give a bar and restaurant in one a go.”

Gemma is joined by Shaz Manzoor who will be the bar manager and managing director and Thomas Winter who is the new operations manager. The three friends are excited to be launching Glass Orchid in the first week of September.

The new restaurant will be a complete change from the previous Italian venue. Ottimo restaurant which was operated by a completely different team. Nottingham food scene fans were shocked after the venue announced its closure suddenly earlier this year.

The closure of the 150-seater restaurant left the unit empty for seven months before now. The restaurant will be painted deep greens and is undergoing a transformation ready to open in autumn.

“We’ve had to go in and start from scratch so we have an interior designer who has helped us to get the concept. We had a vision of how we wanted the venue to be so its all golds and greens with warm amber lighting to help open it up.”

She added: “We’ve had to work out what sections we wanted the restaurant and bar to have so we have panelling which will help to split it up. We wanted to cover the walls to make it feel a bit warmer as there is no natural light at the back, the only windows are at the front. So we have had to spend time playing to get the final ideas together.”

It has been difficult designing a concept for the new bar meets restaurant but Gemma is confident they have hit on the right design.

“It's been difficult changing it from Ottimo to Glass Orchid. We are independent and this is an identity we haven’t worked with so the concept has just been in our heads and how we have wanted it to look,” she explained.

“I think it's been hard to get the Italian vibe of the previous restaurant to a warm bar. Everyone has known this at Ottimo so we are changing the whole identity which is difficult.”

The most important question is what can Beeston foodies look forward to on the menu?

“It’s going to be world tapas but we are currently writing the menu at the moment so I can’t give too much away. There will be things like Swedish and Australian dishes along with English classics. There will be a bit of Italian and Spanish with options for vegans and veggies too.”

When it comes to opening day, it can be really nerve-wracking but Gemma has this in her stride. She is thankful for the support from other independent businesses locally.

“I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for 12 years and I’ve opened a few places so I know what to expect. I’m more excited than nervous,” she said.

“I’ve had lots of support from people and other businesses including independent restaurants. The people involved in them have been really supportive too. I’m more excited than nervous as it stands but that might change if you ask me again in two weeks.”