'This is just the start!' New Turkish restaurant to open in Shrewsbury next week after success of C21 revival

Lee Ozturk, who re-launched Shrewsbury's C21 nightclub and Peach Tree restaurant earlier this month, is set to open a new Turkish-inspired grill restaurant next week.

Mangal will officially open on Monday (September 22) on Abbey Foregate, just weeks after the re-opening of the night-club and restaurant in the same building.

The new restaurant will be serving up a variety of authentic grilled meats and fish dishes, as part of a menu inspired by Lee's Turkish origins.

"It's going to be a proper Turkish restaurant," said Mr Ozturk. 

"We've got a full charcoal barbeque which we're already set up in the kitchen, and we've got lots of dishes ready to go. It's going to be called Mangal and it's going to be nice and fresh - we're doing grilled meats, pan meats and grilled fish, I think we're the first in Shrewsbury to be doing fish in this way.

"It's very exciting for us to be able to bring this to Shrewsbury and we can't wait to get started."

The original C21 closed suddenly last September, leaving a gap in the town's nightlife offering, with the popular Peach Tree restaurant and cafe also closing at the same time after previous tenants The Shire Collection vacated the premises at short notice. 

But following a full refurbishment, both venues have now re-opened under new ownership. 

The re-launch of C21 in August was followed by the return of the Peach Tree last week, with owner Lee saying the two businesses have got off to a great start after a marquee opening.

"We opened last Monday and we've had a really great reception from the customers. They're really happy and we've had some great feedback," add Mr Ozturk.

"It's a bit nostalgic for people and the reputation has made it easy to bring people in, a lot of people are coming down and they're loving seeing the Peach Tree back open. The weekend was great for us, we had a big night on Saturday - and we've had loads of bookings for over Christmas: more than 500 now.

"We've tweaked the menus a bit, we've made it even better than before and we're still working on it, there's more coming and this is just the start for us. I'm very happy with how it's gone so far, and I'm sure it'll keep getting better."

The latest opening comes on the back of a whirlwind period for the new owners, who stepped in at the beginning of August and completed a full refurbishment in a matter of weeks prior to the nightclub re-opening on August 22.

A shisha bar is also set to be launched at the premises later this year.

Owner Lee, who also runs cafes Peaberry's and Daily Brews in the town, says the refurbishment process had been a "hands-on" process, which had left him and his team with more than a few sleepless nights.

"We were working day and night to get ready and you can see the result now. It's a big relief now we're open but we're not finished yet, there's still work going on and we have a planning application going in next week for a roof garden which we're hoping will be really nice once the weather comes back next year.

"It's too busy at the moment! I try and get a couple of hours sleep in. There's no holidays or anything but hopefully it will settle down a bit.

"When I see the comments it makes me want to work even harder to be honest. We're getting great support from our customers in Shrewsbury and we appreciate it from our hearts. It's been a big investment for us and it makes it all worth it."