The Bridge Inn on Douglas’s North Quay is set to become a new tasting-menu restaurant later this month, led by a Manx chef who has spent the past four years working in Michelin-standard kitchens in the UK.

George Harris, a former University College Isle of Man student who most recently worked at the Michelin-starred Source restaurant at the Gilpin Hotel in Windermere, has been appointed head chef at Flurt at The Bridge.

The new restaurant is due to open on Saturday, August 22, with bookings opening on Monday.

In a video announcing the plans, George said he was looking forward to bringing the experience and knowledge he had gained away from the island back to the Manx hospitality industry.

‘I’ve spent the best part of the last four years in the UK learning, working and gaining experience and knowledge in Michelin fine dining, sustainability, seasonality and foraging,’ he said.

‘Now I’m back here on the Isle of Man to bring you a taste of what I’ve learned.’

The restaurant will offer six and nine-course tasting menus rooted in local produce and influenced by Japanese cuisine.

George said the menu would be ‘driven by flavour, defined by the seasons and executed with precision’.

Dishes will include beef tartare, arancini, mackerel ceviche, squid tortellini, barbecue lobster tail and smoked potato sponge, with menus varying depending on the number of courses selected.

George previously completed a Level 2 NVQ in professional catering at UCM before moving to Devon to continue his culinary education.

The Bridge is owned by Okells but is operated through an independent partnership with Flurt Isle of Man, which also runs The Railway in Douglas.

The Bridge joins several other pubs operated through independent partnerships with Okells Inns, including The Railway, The Mines Tavern in Laxey and The Crosby in Marown.