A plush new restaurant is set to have a rooftop bar with views over the Herne Bay coast, bosses have revealed.

Businessman Mehmet Dari is fitting out the old Le Petit Poisson site in Central Parade as he expects to shell out hundreds of thousands of pounds on the long-vacant building.

Punters will be served seafood and steak at the premises – which he says will give the seafront a significant boost.

The restaurateur, who owns Turkish chain A La Turka, believes the premises will be ready in time to start serving up meals in the summer – as he also eyes adding a rooftop terrace to the site.

“We’ll have a nice rooftop bar – we want to go to the next level,” Mr Dari told KentOnline.

“We will put a planning application in after we open. It’ll probably be £250,000 to £500,000.

“It’s going to look very nice. It’ll bring in people.”

Le Petit Poisson formerly had huge success as a fish restaurant - becoming the town’s first eatery to earn a place in the Michelin Guide, in 2011.

Construction is taking place to transform the premises, with workmen currently refurbishing the building’s bathrooms and exterior.

Mr Dari wants the proposed bar at the eatery, which will be called The Bay, to serve gin, wine and champagne.

“Construction always takes longer than you think, but we’re pushing for it to open in summer,” the magnate continued.

“The current renovation work is probably going to cost us around £100,000.

“We want to do a retractable roof for the front, but the planning application won’t stop us from opening.”

Mr Dari’s venture will cater for between 80 and 100 guests, employing about 20 members of staff.

He snapped up the building last year, shortly after purchasing a derelict site next to Herne Bay’s branch of A La Turka.

There, he hopes to build a £4 million boutique hotel, which will be equipped with a rooftop bar. But he does not expect to start moving ahead with the scheme until next year.

“We will start planning applications in 2023, and open it in 2024,” Mr Dari added.

“It will probably take a year. It will look unique and encourage Herne Bay to have more uplift.”

The entrepreneur hopes to open his fifth branch of A La Turka in Whitstable by May.

He also recently bought a Stour-side cottage in Westgate Gardens, Canterbury, which he aims to transform into a champagne tearoom.