What to expect from The Muddler as it heads to Sunderland

Authentic Asian food with flair and theatrical cocktails are on the menu as plans forge ahead on Keel Square’s newest restaurant.

The Muddler, already one of the most-popular restaurants in Newcastle’s Grey Street, will join The Botanist and Keel Tavern, who’ve had great success since opening in Sunderland’s new public square - with Keel Tavern welcoming 40,000 people through the doors in its first eight weeks and The Botanist becoming one of the best-performing in the country.

It’s an increasing footfall in the city centre that bodes well for The Muddler, owned by The Danieli Group, who already know the Sunderland market thanks to their Stack brand, which has a successful branch at Seaburn.

It was announced that the hospitality group would open their second Muddler in Sunderland last year, with the restaurant now moving closer to coming to life after the submission of a planning application.

There’s no exact date as yet, but it’s set to open in 2024 and the team are already planning to bring the corner unit beneath Holiday Inn to life.

The restaurant will accommodate more than 150 diners, with a cocktail bar area for those just wanting to enjoy drinks, spread across the ground floor and first floor levels along with an outside seating area for 110 covers.

The new Muddler will be three times the size of the original, which occupies two units in Grey Street, and Danieli Group food operations director, Jo Kennedy, said Sunderland can expect real attention to detail in the dishes.

“We can really take things to the next level in Sunderland,” said Jo. “We’ve recently launched a new menu in Newcastle, which gives people a flavour of what to expect in Sunderland. It’s been a real journey since we first opened in 2018 and we’ve really listened to customer feedback on this menu.

“We’ve really thought about the look of the food, the garnishes, whilst also offering the best value. Our customers love the small plates, that sharing experience of Asian tapas, so that’s also guided the new menu.”

The new menu features small plates options such as gyoza (£8.75), Pork bulgogi bao (£11.75), crab and pork soup dumplings (£8.95), chicken katsu (£8.50), coriander beef skewers (£14.95) and more.

There’s also large plate curry dishes and a whole section dedicated to sushi and dim sum, as well as set menu offers.

Cocktails are also a speciality at The Muddler with options such as Pineapple Mai Tai, Lychee Ginger Collins, Yuzu Basil smash and more, as well as a range of mocktails, beers and wines.

Head chef Ian Puso has worked his way up the ranks at The Muddler and says he’s looking forward to bringing some of the brand’s signature Far East flavours to Sunderland.

“We’re going to be bringing some great pan-Asian flavours to Sunderland, from countries like Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, China and Korea,” said the chef. “It’s very vibrant food and we use great ingredients. I like to pop up from the kitchen to get people’s feedback on the food, and people seem to really like the new menu.”

The opulent Great Gatsby-esque decor of the Newcastle branch will be echoed at the Sunderland site, with construction work expected to start in the coming months.

Kate Thompson, sales and events manager at Danieli Group, said there’s already been a lot of interest in their forthcoming Wearside venture.

“The new Sunderland site will be a challenge as it’s more covers, but it’s really exciting and we’re really looking forward to opening there - it’s a great square, especially with the outdoor area.

“A lot of our customers here have been asking about it and we’ve even had people ringing up to ask when we’re opening in Sunderland.”

The Muddler will create a number of new kitchen and front of house jobs in Sunderland, with more detail on recruitment announced closer to the time.

An announcement is also due on the fourth unit beneath Holiday Inn, facing on to High Street West, which is also expected to be a bar.