Blue Water Café bring boost to city centre dining scene

The Lord Mayor Councillor Sean Chaytor outside the Blue Water Café and Patisserie with (from left) Pat Brook, Julie Greatrex and Kathryn Shillito.

A CITY centre café is set to make a splash for City of Culture after its refurbishment, relaunch and reams of five star reviews!

Blue Water Café and Patisserie is already welcoming visitors from out of town ahead of Hull’s year in the spotlight, and Lord Mayor Councillor Sean Chaytor said the venue is a big part of the food and drink offer.

He said: “It’s magnificent and it has a great location. This is going to be one of the key areas for drawing people in for City of Culture. We have our top quality shopping offer and this will be part of our top quality eating offer.”

Pat Brook and Julie Greatrex bought the business in Princes Dock Street, Hull, in November 2015 and set about planning a transformation. Cost and time scales convinced them to take a more hands-on approach, and they celebrated completion with family, friends, customers and guests from the business community.

Julie said: “We received some quotes that were far too high and were told we would have to close for two weeks so we project managed it ourselves. It’s taken a bit longer than we planned but we have spent nothing like as much, we only had to close for two days and we have enjoyed it. People have seen something new every time they’ve come in and it’s been fun.

“The aim of the launch event is to introduce ourselves now the refurbishment is complete, celebrate that and show people we are here. We are proud of what we have done and we want to put ourselves out there and tell everybody to come and try us.”

Blue Water has also revamped the menu, adding such delights as prawn and crab thermidor, home-made chicken Kiev and a range of daily specials and setting out to earn acclaim for the array of cakes.

Pat said: “We want to attract ladies who lunch, people who want afternoon tea and cakes, business people, people who want to sit in the sun or inside and enjoy themselves as if they’re on holiday. It’s a patisserie as well and we want to build a reputation for really good cakes.

“What’s exciting for us is that even now we are getting a lot of visitors from outside Hull and it’s really fantastic to welcome them, look after them, create a good atmosphere for them and present Hull in a good light. What’s it going to be like next year?”

HullBID city centre manager Kathryn Shillito said: “Pat and Julie had great ambition and vision when they took the place over and they’ve created a lovely café bar in a thriving position for the food and beverage sector.

“The city is undergoing change because we need to be prepared for City of Culture and for a million extra people coming here. Establishments like this, that offer great food and quality service, will give a really good impression of the city.”