‘We must save Bristol’s independent food scene from developers’

‘We’re losing our independents - it’s going to be awful for the future of Bristol’s food scene,’ says Wizzy Chung, owner of a ‘hidden gem’ Korean cafe in Bristol city centre which is set to close down to make way for two high rise blocks of apartments.

Ms Chung moved to Bristol to open Sky Kong Kong in 2014 after working in Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and London. The homely restaurant with a large back kitchen is in one corner of the two-tiered Haymarket Walk, by Bristol Bus Station.

She says she was attracted by the growing food scene, and quickly joined it with her unique restaurant which now only opens for eight months of the year. She doesn’t need to stay open year-round, says Ms Chung, who clearly has a loyal following of customers who come to dine around a large shared wooden table at her popular evening events.

She’s proud of her food. As we sit talking in front of a shelf of vinegar-filled jars pickling all sorts of vegetables, she says she uses dozens of different ingredients in each of her dishes, all of which she sources herself at markets and specialist stores across the city. A supermarket customer, she is not.

But times are changing. Plans are afoot to demolish the Premier Inn hotel next to Haymarket Walk, and replace it along with the shops with two tower blocks providing student flats and ‘co-living’ homes. It means Ms Chung, along with other businesses in the precinct, like Loot! and Mayflower Chinese Restaurant, will have to move on.

“The city centre is becoming a place for franchise restaurants,” says Wizzy. “What’s available is large purpose-built spaces with high rents that independent businesses cannot afford. We’re seeing the impact already with those businesses having to close. Some are opening outside the city centre, some aren’t.”

Independent food businesses which have closed in Bristol over the past year include The Sunday General in Clifton, The Burger Joint in Whiteladies Road and Assembly Bakery in Old Market. With the future of many stuttering retail zones uncertain in the face of potential for housing, it’s likely more businesses could soon be in the same position as Sky Kong Kong and May Flower.

“If the independents go, the city loses so much,” adds Wizzy, who believes she’ll have to close Sky Kong Kong next year. “I’ll see what is available elsewhere, but if I did find somewhere I think it could be away from the city centre. And that’s a shame.”

The plans for the Premier Inn would see a 28-storey high L-shaped student apartment block with 442 bedrooms plus an 18-storey block for ‘co-living’ homes aimed at urban professionals. Developer Olympian held a consultation in July. The next stage is a planning application. If approved, work could start in 2025 for opening in 2027.