On the Hoof Bistro

[On the Hoof]

Dear All,
We are delighted to let you know that, after a long wait, a planning permission (A1 to A3 change of use) for our new development was granted yesterday. With full licence already in place, we are now able to start putting a kitchen in and complete the project. We would like to thank all the wonderful people (you know who you are) who contributed to this success and supported us right from the beginning of this journey. Thank You All, Forum readers, for your interest and support as well. We hope that at least some of you will find this new addition to the high street a useful place to escape the daily stresses of life and just a comfortable place to relax, meet your friends or read a book. Have a cup of coffee, glass of wine or a bite to eat. Open from 9am to 9pm, On the Hoof Bistro will offer quality, wholesome, simple, home made food and interesting wines and beers. With main dining area on the ground floor, wine cellar and soft sitting in the basement and children play area in the courtyard.

While waiting for the planning permission to be approved, we have been lovingly restoring the shop's interior, bringing it back to its former glory. Uncovering old, Victorian floors, tiles and wall panelling and preserving their original period paints and colours. All this done with a massive help of local professionals and friends, most of them our regular customers who, took a great chunk of their time to help.

With everything going according to plan, we are hoping to open our doors in July, with the full kitchen opening in early August. Once again, thank you all for your support and we look forward to welcoming you later this summer at No 23 Sydenham Rd. Ela, Jeremy & All of the On the Hoof Team.

[Manwithaview1]

WOW Fantastic news. Keep us informed of how things are going.

[angela53]

Great news, really looking forward to the opening

[sydres]

Really great news! Can't wait until the official opening and my first glass of wine.

[BelindaLester]

Great news - can't wait to see what you've done to the place

[G-Man]

Brilliant stuff. All sounds very exciting and can't wait to see what you've done with the space. Particularly looking forward to seeing what beers you have on offer.

See you in July!

G-Man

[Cwebby76]

Amazing news, well done guys! Is this the old opticians?

[MissBee]

This is indeed very exciting news Any new 'bistro-like' addition to the High St is very welcome amongst the sea of takeaways and chicken shops. Love the sound of your renovations to uncover the original Victorian features, too.

[Manwithaview1]

Amazing news, well done guys! Is this the old opticians?

Yep the same place just by the traffic lights.

[michael]

Congratulation Ela. I wish you every success with the bistro.
But you're not going to call it 'On the Hoof Bistro' are you?
You want people to stay rather than hoof it. Hopefully you will consider calling it 'Chewing the Cud'.

[JMLF]

Cue long list of bovine related puns

Concur with all other replies - very excited and a much needed and hopefully welcome addition to the high street as not really anything of the like in the area in my eyes.

Have been really excited and impressed by all the positive development in the short time since I've been in the area - I realise it hasn't always been like this and probably will not always be like this also but the last 3 months or so have been great since being here and the community, projects and developments have been a huge part of that. Long may it continue!

Jon

[Tim Lund]

Congratulation Ela. I wish you every success with the bistro.
But you're not going to call it 'On the Hoof Bistro' are you?
You want people to stay rather than hoof it. Hopefully you will consider calling it 'Chewing the Cud'.

Or to get the lads in, "Bull Session"?

[Bunty]

Great news! If your wine and food as good as your coffee it will be a great success. Cannot wait!

[FromCtoShiningC]

Forgive the rather late response…..

I agree that this is a great bit of news.

I'm thrilled to see:
a) an empty shop being turned into a (hopefully) thriving local business
b) a fresh addition to our High Street which will give options for the night time economy (albeit to 9pm)

I wish everyone involved the very best of luck. I look forward the the shop front transformation and I hope it will inspire others in the area to smarten up their shop fronts too!

[sydenhamboy]

A good looking bistro on the highstreet ? - you're onto a winner!

Love your coffees at the station (and brilliant staff too!)

I think your venture could kick-start a much better looking bunch of shops and amenities ... good luck guys.

SB !

[Gaddison]

That is great news, and very excited to here that it will be a bistro. Good luck with the rest of the preparations, looking forward to July!

[On the Hoof]

Dear All, thank you very much for your most generous and kind comments. We hope, you will not be disappointed.
JMLF - as local residents, our goal is to fill the gap in the market and at the same time not to affect existing businesses. Create something different and, with a new product, create a new market.
CWebby 76 - yes, it is the old Jay's opticians. Inheriting quite a few optical gadgets left behind by the former occupier, we are planning to use them as part of interior design. One of the projects associated with this is to take and display black & white portraits of local residents wearing glasses or looking through the many different optical lenses we have to choose from. We would like to invite you all to participate in this project but will post more info and details in separate topic. Many thanks again.

[robbieduncan]

Got a menu to post up here? Genuinely excited at more options locally

[southernmoose]

Sounds great, and nice idea to invite people in for a sneak peak and to take part in a photoshoot too.

Looking forward to visiting when it's open - you've definitely spotted a niche in the market!

[G-Man]

Had a peak in through the window today. It looks fantastic. Really can't wait for you to open.

G-Man