The Futurist cinema which held screenings for such iconic movies as Jaws has now been renovated into a lavish seafood restaurant and bar.
New restaurant Lobster Peninsula will open on November 17 in the historic building in John Bright Street after a £900,000 restoration.
The Futurist Cinema dates back to the early 1900s and officially opened in July 1919 as one of the oldest cinemas in the country.
Inside the upstairs venue, the past grandeur of The Futurist is clearly evident with the restored elegant high ceilings, pillars and the grand balcony - which will have outdoor heaters if you fancy popping out for some air.
Owners William Sui and Rob Yang have spent almost a million pounds in renovating and restoring some of the building’s original features which were hidden when it was more recently used as a lap dancing club
Peninsula Lobster co-owner William Sui told us: “The previous lease holders had done a lot of work to hide the original features of the building so when we got the keys earlier this year it was looking very ugly.
The impressive looking restaurant takes up half of the actual theatre space. There is also a large separate 60 seater bar area with a more casual decor for coffee and cocktails.
A glittery chandelier imported from France hangs over the staircase at the entrance of the restaurant and bar area.
The 88 cover restaurant will serve sharing seafood platters of lobster, crab, creole fish, prawns, calamari, mussels, as well as steak and chicken dishes.
Head chef is Saetang Saming was born in Thailand and will head of a team of nine chefs cooking dishes using seafood from the Bullring market.
Appetizers include lobster chowder - a delicious creamy soup with vegetables and chunks of lobster served with crusty bread (£9.95) which we tried during our sneak preview.
The main event is the fabulous sounding sharing platters such as silver platter - a variety of chilled seafood and tropical fruits (£25pp) And the most expensive is the gold platter - grilled lobster, calamari, prawn skewers, white bai, mussels, fries, spicy rice and salad. (£49)
There is also four meat dishes available which include pork ribs served with chips and coleslaw (£15.25) and Piri piri chicken - half chicken with house slaw or corn on the cob and chips (£16.50)
Manager Nuno Peres, who previously worked at Browns in the Bullring, told us: “ We are not trying to be a Michelin star restaurant.
“What we noticed was the lack of relaxed restaurants where you’re not restricted to a three course affair. We’re encouraging people to take their time and order a few appetizers or a sharing platter. Close to a million pounds has been invested to create somewhere where diners can enjoy the surroundings as well as the food.”
There is a varied wine menu but don’t expect a crazy cocktail list. Lobster Peninsula offers ten classic cocktails including Old Fashioned, Martini and Sidecar.
Upstairs there is a 200 square metres function room complete with bar which will be used as a club on Fridays and Saturday nights and open till 3am.
Lobster Peninsula is open Monday to Thursday 12pm to 11pm, Friday and Saturdays 12pm to 12am, Sunday 12 to 10.30.
74 John Bright St, Birmingham B1 1BN
