‘City-style’ café will open in Sidmouth tomorrow

Milsons Point opens in Sidmouth on December 18. Picture: Fay Bland (Image: Archant)

A 'city-style café in a seaside town' will officially open in Sidmouth tomorrow (December 18).

Milsons Point, a café and bar, will throw open its doors at 8.30am - just months after its owner, Fay Bland, snapped up the town's former Browns' Kitchen.

The High Street-based eatery is the second eatery to open under Fay, who owns Mango's Café in Exeter.

The 24-year-old businesswoman was on the market for another venue when it was suggested she consider Browns, which was put up for sale in June this year.

Miss Bland said: "Mango's Café was doing well and I loved running it.

"I was looking around Exeter for places but it was saturated with cafés and businesses which were all doing well."

A regular customer at Mango's suggested to Miss Bland that she considers looking at Browns'.

Despite being unsure initially, she visited the eatery and fell in love with it on the spot. Since she took on on the building, the interior has been refurbished with LED lighting, grey tones - and a new kitchen to boot.

Miss Bland said: "I lived in Sydney for a little while and I got different ideas from there.

"I pulled all of those ideas from the bits I liked from each café I visited and put it into what I would like in a café."

The revamp at Milsons is not quite complete - the conservatory and garden area will be tackled in February to offer evening seating for customers.

Miss Bland said Milsons will be heavily focused on serving up breakfasts and brunches alongside a lunch menu.

An evening menu, serving antipasti, tapas and drinks, is also being considered in the summertime, should Miss Bland see a demand for it. She said: "The café was designed start to finish by myself and my dad, who has re-constructed the building from scratch alongside members of the family.

"We want this to be a relaxed space - it will not be a restaurant. I want everyone to enjoy it."

An existing manager from Mango's had made the move to Milsons, and Miss Bland revealed that many of the staff at Browns have accepted positions with Milsons.

She said: "I understand it (the venture) is going to be a big challenge and Browns was a popular café before, and there are people in this town who have a big attachment to it.

"However, I want to take it and offer something a little bit different that is perhaps more of a city-style café in a seaside town."