New pan-Asian restaurant lined up for well-known location in Morpeth

Jaspers and Novo have come and gone since the former RAFA Club building on Dacre Street, known as Elm House, was converted for a change of use a few years ago – but a team led by Kelly Patterson, with support from her husband Paul, will aim to become a long-term success at this location if the details for taking on the property are finalised with its owner.

The couple took over the New Rendezvous in Ponteland, which first opened in the mid-1980s, seven years ago and they have continued its reputation for providing high-quality Chinese meals.

Rendezvous 1862 (this was the year Elm House was built) is the name pencilled in for the Morpeth restaurant and it would include high-quality Japanese and Thai dishes on the menu as well as Chinese.

A highly regarded chef from China has been earmarked to be the head chef. He has many years of experience with the various types of dishes.

As well as modern Asian fine dining upstairs, with a lighter menu available for the lunchtime period, a bar would operate downstairs that customers could use without having to go to the restaurant.

Kelly said: “With the proposed Morpeth restaurant we want to do something different, but with the same quality, and that is why it would have a different name.

“We would have a modern decor and would use the lovely amount of space that the building provides in a similar way to Lollo Rosso.

“We would be making it clear to people that we would be providing a modern fusion light lunch menu that would be different to the evening menu, so the food would not be as heavy as in the evening.

“And people would be able to just come to the bar if they only want cocktails, or something else from the drinks menu, and snacks.

“We have quite a few people from Morpeth, and even Alnwick, who dine at the New Rendezvous, so they would be happy if we open a restaurant in Morpeth.”

If the restaurant opens, a takeaway service would be introduced at a later stage once everything else has been up and running for a period.