A NEW restaurant in Grays that is turning heads the the culmination of a 20 year journey for a Romanian businessman who has given Thurrock a new venue that is already turning heads.

Feast, at 18 High Street, offers a mixture of cuisine including Mediterranean dishes; pizza, pasta, grill and steaks.

The doors have been open for a week, but the official opening takes place tomorrow (Saturday, 15 August, when the Mayor will be attending.

The concept of Feast was created by Dacian Keran, who came to the UK 20 years ago and is passionate about his ambition to breathe new life into Grays.

This is his first venture into hospitality but he is determined to ensure the hallmark of his business is quality and he has spent six months getting the premises exactly how he wants it before opening - and this week's 'soft-opening' was planned to ensure his team, which includes an experienced chef from Morocco and a highly-regarded English sous-chef, are on top of their game.

The venue has already attracted many excellent reviews.

Dacian says: "We wanted to bring something different to Thurrock and we have thought very carefully about the type of food we will be offering and how we serve it.

"We wanted to bring something to Thurrock for local people of high quality and we hope that our venture will become a very popular one and help bring people back into the town."

You can hear Dacian's views and learn how the restaurant came about in our video interview.

And you can learn more about Feast via its Facebook page or website which includes these thoughts on Grays and how a restaurant might be a catalyst in breathing new life into the town.

Ambitions on the High Street

"Grays High Street has changed over the years. Looking through some old photos from the 1920s, you can see how different things are now. The style of the shops to the architecture reimaged to this so-called modern look, has created, in my opinion, a dull sense cheapness and characterless. When I look at these photos and look at what the High Street is now, I cannot help thinking, has it changed for the better for the people who live here?

"Some would say yes, as the town has evolved from a tiny English town to a modern progressive multicultural hub.

"But some would say no.

"Now, I'm not against the idea of progression or having a multicultural town but what I do not agree with, is the attitude and apathy that this town has accepted to be the norm.

"As a community, we have allowed our town to lose its culture and characteristics that have made Grays what it once was. Should we just accept it and not make any further attempts to put life back into the local economy? Or, should we create a better environment so that people will want to come to the High Street?

"I'm looking forward to the reaction it will cause and hopefully bring in more enthusiasm and prosper to the High Street. We need more independent thinking and dare I say energy back into the community. If we support more of local business and encourage more to invest in Grays, I'm sure we will see the High Street back to its formal glory and be the place to be from here and now on."