A taste of Fifties America has arrived in Southend as a chip shop entrepreneur goes transatlantic.

Paul van Looy, who has run a string of successful seafood shops in the borough, has unveiled Grumpy’s Diner, in the former Apprenticeship Trust building, in Southchurch Road.

The building is decked out with human-sized American heroes, signs pointing to Route 66, and a jukebox blaring out the best the Fifties had to offer.

Since getting planning permission in May, Mr van Looy, who is also an Independent councillor for St Luke’s ward, has spent the past few months decorating the place Americana-style, at a cost of £150,000.

Mr van Looy said: “We opened not long ago and we’ve been booked out on Fridays and Saturdays. We’ve even had repeat customers come to us in the small time we’ve been open.”

He brought in the jukebox, booths and other items from the US and employs 11 people to serve 60 diners.

In time, evenings at Grumpy’s Diner will involve Buddy Holly or Elvis tribute events. The restaurant even has a marriage licence and its first wedding is due to take place next year.

As well as traditional American dining, the restaurant offers specially crafted cocktails and milkshakes.

Mr van Looy sold up his fish and chips business last year and this is his first foray into American dining.

He said: “Even though Southend has one of the highest number of restaurants around, this is something different and it’s in Southchurch Road, which is on the up.”

Fellow traders agree Southchurch is improving.

Louise Ross, manager at Powell’s Florist, in Southchurch Road, said: “It’s definitely nice to have something that fills an empty space, and it’s nice to have something different that will bring people into the area.”

Derek Kenyon, Independent councillor for Southchurch, added: “I drove past it the other day and I noticed how vibrant it looked – it’s a real breath of fresh air for Southchurch Road.”

The restaurant is open 3pm to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to 10pm Friday and Saturday, and 11am to 9pm on Sundays.

For bookings, call 01702 616831.

Or search for the restaurant on Facebook by searching 'Grumpy's Diner'

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Food review - from reporter Ian Burbidge

Easily the best 12 days I had this year was going out to Las Vegas.

While the debauchery over there was on a different level, I also have never eaten as well as I did out there since our plane touched back down in England.

So as an American food sympathiser, I couldn’t turn down the chance to sample the delights of Paul van Looy’s latest offering – an American diner in Southchurch Road.

The place is awash with blue and pink colours, with the walls adorned with the likes of Elvis and The Rat Pack, with a 1950s jukebox with a selection that reads like the Pulp Fiction soundtrack.

I went down the middle of the road and ordered a cheeseburger. It came flanked with the crispiest onion ring and a massive tub of coleslaw.

The burger itself was a joy, though. Well grilled, it came seasoned with fresh onions, salad, gherkins, and melted cheese.

It was the type of overblown burger the US is famous for, and the toppings mixed well with the tender beef. The burger also had a tinge of that grilled American taste which marks their food from English offers.

For a former fish and chips expert, I had high hopes for the fries and they didn’t disappoint.

Not quite French fries, but offering a distinct difference to traditional English chips served in many Southend outlets. Naturally, I leathered on the BBQ sauce.

The crown jewel was the strawberry milkshake served up beside it though.

Topped with fresh ice cream drizzled in strawberry sauce with whipped cream, a flake and a cherry, the smooth, rich, creamy taste set it apart from milkshake counterparts you get in England.

As well as looking good, it also felt like the milkshake had been put together impeccably with a fresh taste to it.

In all, that meal probably knocked off a couple of years of my life. But it was totally worth it.

 

Town goes upmarket

Once famed for its fish and chips, fine dining now seems to be the order of the day in Southend.

Paul van Looy, who has run several fish and chips outlets in the borough, seems to be changing his direction with his new diner. This follows Bobby Jo’s American-style restaurant on Southend seafront.

Just a few doors down in Eastern Esplanade, plush seafood and steak outlet, Bourgee, opened up in September, with the owners saying there is an appetite for fine dining in the borough.

Further down the seafront, Fisherman’s Wharf, in Western Esplanade, is going to be rebuilt in 2015, in an £1.8million move to bring it into the 21st century.

Development at Marine Plaza is also expected to bring more upmarket restaurants.