A landlord is quitting his traditional village pub to focus on a high-end tapas bar offering a more ‘bougie’ dining experience.

Nicholas Maclennan is giving up pulling pints at Wye’s King’s Head to do something which is more “his vibe”, having been described as “extra” by some who know him.

The dad-of-two has overhauled the village’s Wife of Bath restaurant, formerly run by celebrity chef Mark Sargeant, turning it into No 4 Wine Bar and Tapas.

“I think my vision and my vibe suits this place better than the King's Head,” Mr Maclennen told KentOnline.

“Something quirky and less traditional suits me better.

“I've been described as extra, and that's kind of what we want to do here.

“I want it to be relatively ‘bougie’. There are four pubs in the village - and the King’s Head is just another one.

“It's hard to do anything different from the others so we are letting it go, and this will be our main focus.

“I think this will need to be. It's been so busy.”

No 4 Wine and Tapas Bar offers a wide array of small dishes, ranging from braised Tuscan pork belly to treacle glazed venison loin, complete with optional wine pairing.

The 39-year-old believes his new spot at Upper Bridge Street taps into a gap in the market, with Wye’s pub scene already crowded out.

Yet Mr Maclennen needed to take a “thick-skinned” approach while striding forward with his plans in a village with “some people who don’t necessarily like change”.

“We have had backlash on social media,” he said.

“I think it’s an asset to the village and many people will support it, I understand that it’s not going to be for everyone and we appreciate that.

“So, we just have to draw a line under it and move on.

“Not everyone understands that actually dark, warm, no light, no natural light – that's what a speakeasy is.

“It's a hidden room somewhere you wouldn’t expect it.

“You have to have a thick skin and realise you're in a village where some people don't necessarily like change.”

As part of the revamp, Mr Maclennen set up a hidden room with the restaurant inspired by the 1920s prohibition-style speakeasies, concealed by a large mirror which opens up.

Following a successful opening on February 7, he hopes to run magic nights, potentially live music and other events.

He says staffing issues at the Shepherd Neame-owned King’s Head in Church Street means the venue is operating with reduced hours.

KentOnline reported last week how the King’s Head has been put up for sale for £525,000.

“Wye is a small village but there’s a lot of other villages around that people come in from,” he added.

“I felt something like this was missing.

“It works quite well that there are certain restaurants or pubs that you can go to, and you can kind of hop between.

“I feel like we kind of filled a gap in the market.

“You have large cavernous spaces in a lot of the places in Wye. So that's why I think it works well here.

“There were a lot of people that wanted a relaxed environment to just go and have a few glasses of wine, where it felt intimate.”

The team will be headed by himself, alongside head chef Jordan Mallory - who got his first AA Rosette award aged 21 - and “dedicated” manager Amelia Jones.

Mr Maclennan has partnered with Chapel Down and most of the wine selection will be locally sourced.

The Wife of Bath closed in August 2022 after the Rocksalt Group decided to focus on their other ventures.

Headed by Mr Sargeant and Josh De Haan, son of billionaire Roger De Haan, it remained empty until No 4 opened up.

The bar and restaurant will be open till 10pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.