By Brad Barnes

brad.barnes@jpimedia.co.uk

An African and Caribbean vibe will be added to Peterborough city centre’s Cowgate with the opening of a new restaurant and bar next month.

Embe will breathe new life into what was for many years Topo Gigio’s - and latterly Mania Pizza restaurant which closed last year.

The “soul food and drink” restaurant is a new venture for well known city chef Nick Rutta - who has been bringing a taste of Afro-Caribbean street food to the people of Peterborough from his Embe2Go stall at the City Market for the past couple of years.

So food lovers who like something a little, hot, spicy or exotic can expect a mouth-watering taste of Africa and the Caribbean with a menu boasting the likes of jambalaya, Afro chicken pot stew, Yassa chicken, curried mutton, jerk chicken, as well as fish, steak and burgers cooked over charcoals.

And look out for his curried goat on the special board.

There will also be exotic rum cocktails, spirits, beers and wine.

“The plan is to open as soon as possible, probably the end of May,” said Nick. “The kitchen is functional but needs adapting to our needs, and the decor will be changed to be more in keeping with the food and the music - laidback soul, jazz, reggae and Afrobeat.

“And we will be familyfriendlythere will be a children’s menu - and vegan friendly of course. I began cooking vegan food at Embe2Go a couple of years and now everyone is doing it!”

Nick, who has had restaurants outside the city centre in the past, says it was always the plan to return once he found the right venue.

“People coming to the market stall to eat are always telling me I should open a restaurant but it was always going to be when the time was right and I found the right place,” he said.

“Hopefully those people will now also come to the new restaurant. I will have favourites such as jambalaya and

@PTbradbarnes

boneless curried mutton on the menu and curried goat, which I get asked for all the time, will be on the specials from time to time.

“We will open for lunch and dinner - and we will even be doing breakfast with a Caribbean twist.

“There is a great drinks menu coming together - with lots of exotic rum cocktails, spirits and beers with Red Stripe on draught plus bottled beers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Guinness from Nigeria.”