Exciting new eatery to open near Chichester

Sam Chan, from Southbourne, is the owner of Mamawu — a restaurant/café that is set to open later this month in Nutbourne.

The venue will take over from the former Chinese restaurant Beijing Palace in Main Road, which was run by the parents of Mr Chan, and closed its doors in January.

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He said: "It has been in the family for years and we are now re-branding. It will be a big change and at the moment we are concentrating on being a trendy café.

"We want to move with the times and be flexible with our menu. This new concept is all about being family friendly and it is really building something for the community for the next ten to 20 years.

"We have got all the facilities for babies and toddlers as well as dog walkers and cyclists who can use us a pitstop — it is going to be very community based."

The opening of Mamawu will create between ten and 20 full and part-time jobs, Mr Chan said.

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While prospective front-of-house staff have been very forthcoming, a number of chefs and a head chef are still being sought to fill roles at the eatery.

"We are very excited about opening. It's a big change from the old Chinese restaurant model which is dying. There's a skill shortage and it takes a lot of time for training.

"Everyone is very excited and there are lots of people who walk past and have seen out decorations. Everyone is messaging me about the menu."

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While Beijing Palace had a focus on Chinese cuisine, Mamawu will take influence from across the globe while remaining grounded it Asian cooking from Malaysia to Japan.

Mr Chan added that he and his team are 'still finalising things' but said the site would be ready to open in the next three to four weeks.

The kitchen is also being refurbished to make things easier for chefs to use, he said.

There are currently no plans for take-away food as its predecessor had done, apart from coffee and cake.