A POPULAR restaurant in the heart of the Avenues has been reinvented as a steakhouse.
Brimble's Bistro in Princes Avenue went up for sale in December.
New manager Josh Oxley, 28, said he wants to build on its reputation.
Brimble's is currently ranked the number two restaurant in Hull, on tourism website TripAdvisor.
Josh said: "I want to keep it high, and maybe even get to number one."
Former manager Alison Tansey will be staying on as head chef to help during the transition period.
The restaurant is reopening tomorrow as Brimble's Steakhouse, which Josh said was the obvious next step for the business.
He said: "Steaks are Alison's forte and three out of four people would order steak anyway, so it makes sense."
Josh only bought the business four weeks ago, and it's been a quick turnaround.
He said: "For the last month, it has taken over my life.
"At times, it's been very stressful.
"On many nights I've been here until 1am, painting or stripping the walls."
Living in Victoria Avenue, he knows how cherished the bistro was by locals.
He even worked a couple of shifts when former managers Dean Webster and Alison Tansey were in charge.
It was the fun atmosphere and "plenty of banter" shared between staff, which drew him in.
Josh said: "If I didn't like it before, I wouldn't have been interested in taking it over."
It's the first time Josh has tried his hand at running a restaurant. He has been in the pub industry from the age of 16 and worked his way up from glass collector to manager.
Mr Oxley said: "Hopefully, this will be even more rewarding because I'm doing it for myself.
"It's not just about being your own boss, there's so much more scope to do things."
Brimble's Steakhouse is holding a taster evening for Avenues residents to try out the new menu tonight.
It's already looking promising for the new business, as bookings are filling up for the weekend.
He said: "We've got some of the regulars who want to see what it's like and lots of people coming in for a chat."
"We want people to know it's still Brimble's but it's a new owner, new menu and a new concept."
Have you got a story for the Avenues? Email p.jackson- edwards@mailnewsmedia. co.uk or call Phoebe Jackson-Edwards on 01482 315058.
