City restaurant transformed

ROBYN EDIE/The Southland Times

NEW LOOK: Invercargill chef and restaurateur Graham Hawkes with bangers and mash and a pint in his former seafood restaurant Flannagans, which has been refurbished to become a pub.

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An Invercargill businessman has transformed his seafood restaurant into an English pub.

Chef Graham Hawkes has turned Flannagans into the Paddington Arms.

The Bainfield Rd business has had its interior completely refurbished and menu remodelled.

Mr Hawkes said the decision to change his restaurant was because there were no English pubs in Invercargill.

"Anyone who travels will tell you the best food is served at English pubs."

He would not reveal the cost of the transformation, saying it was commercially sensitive, but it included installing a bar complete with special thermostat technology that keeps the beer at 10degC, removing carpets to reveal original floorboards and fitting gas fires.

Mr Hawkes said Paddington Arms would serve a mix of hearty English pub-inspired food with his own personal Southland twist, at a reasonable price.

The new menu included English favourites such as bangers and mash, yorkshire puddings and real gravy. Traditional Sunday roasts would also be on the menu.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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