I'm bringing a new vibe to a Sunderland high street with my small plates from around the world

Nic Todd is a big fan of socialising with friends and family in restaurants, but noticed a gap in the area for small plates.

“We love eating out and my family has always been little foodies,” she said. “But when we eat out we always like different things and I wondered why you couldn’t just get everything in one place.”

Nic moved back to the area after a couple of years living away and spotted the empty unit in Sea Road, Fulwell, which was most recently a bubble tea shop.

“The unit was actually a bit smaller than I was looking for, but I knew I could do something different with it,” said Nic. “We’re not a cafe as there’s already a few good cafes here and we’re not a wine bar as there’s already the new Valelly’s over the road.

“We’re more of a bistro and we’re bringing a different vibe with our small plates. I know this building has changed hands a few times over the years, but we really want to be a mainstay here.”

Nic and bistro manager Sally Hern did the bulk of the building works themselves, bar the gas and electrics, to transform the space into Boca Chica, named after a beach in the Dominican Republic - meaning small mouth in Spanish - in reference to the small plate menu.

“We did a lot of market research before opening, asking locals and business owners what they’d like to see and we’ve been overwhelmed with how it’s been received,” said Nic. “We were fully booked three times over on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and they were our first full days of trading.

“We want this to be a place where people share, and talk over, their food, so we don’t give out WiFi codes here, we want people talking to each other. It’s a small, intimate space and we’ve already noticed tables talking to each other when the place is full, which is great to see.

“It’s the vibe I wanted - and it’s actually come to life.”

Nic added: “We fill a gap between the Blue Bell and Ocean Micro Bar and people have already been doing a route between us, the bars and Vallely’s.”

Boca Chica is currently open seven days a week, serving breakfasts, brunches and coffees, using locally-roasted Coffee Zone, in the mornings through to cocktails, bottled beers, ciders, wines and small plates in the evening.

On the breakfast menu, you’ll find options like shakshuka eggs, florentine muffin breakfast, veggie breakfast and more, with prices starting from £7.

On the small plates menu, you’ll find options like crispy halloumi; marinated tikka chicken; lamb shoulder taco; king prawn gambas pil pil; beef, oregano and ricotta meatballs; bao buns; pan con tomato; pizzas; flatbreads; loaded fries and more, with small plates starting from £7.

Moving forward, Nic, Sally and the kitchen team are planning themed nights, wine tastings and more.

They also plan to transform an outdoor area at the back of the site into an al fresco dining spot for the summer.

Boca Chica is the second new addition to Sea Road in recent weeks after Valelly’s opened in the former Lloyds Bank site in December, which you can read about here.

*Boca Chica, Sea Road, is open 9am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 11pm Thursday to Saturday.