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| Harvey`s Wine Bar, May 2012 |
Licensees
Ian Fell and Simon Fell 1982 2004 +
Folkestone Herald
20-8-1982
Advertising Feature
Wine bars tend to have a snobby image where the customers
prefer to discuss whether wine grown on a north or south facing slope is
better, rather than drink. They`ve also got a reputation for being expensive,
where a credit card and not a wallet is the order of the day. But Ian Fell and
his brother, Mark, aim to change all that with the opening of their wine bar,
Harvey`s, in Sandgate Road, Folkestone. A wide variety of wines to suit
everyone`s pocket, with cheap and plentiful food, plus the cosy atmosphere of
the cellar bar add up to a great night out that will not cost you a fortune.
Harvey`s is situated in what used to be the basement bar
of the Norfolk Hotel, now renamed the Langhorne Gardens Hotel, and taken over
by Mark and Ian`s parents, Doug and Audrey. The hotel is undergoing extensive
renovations to change its image, under the watchful eye of Doug and Audrey
Fell, both veterans of the hotel and licensed trade.
Ian, too, has plenty of experience to call on, beginning
with three years learning the nuts and bolts at catering college. But the
day-to-day realities of the trade were learnt at the exclusive Cafe Royal in
London, where Ian spent seven years, ending up as deputy banqueting manager in
charge of a £13 million a year turnover. That included a drinks bill of
£250,000 a year! Despite the attractions of the Cafe Royal, Ian wanted to start
up his own wine bar. He hunted for premises all over London, but his search was
fruitless until his parents took over the Norfolk. The cellar bar presented an
ideal challenge, so Ian came back to the town he was brought up in. London`s
loss became Folkestone`s gain. “We felt there was a need for another wine bar
in the town, and Harvey`s gives us the sort of image we`re looking for”, said
Ian. The wine starts at 55p a glass or £3.30 for Ian`s own label house wine.
The selection is enormous, with wines from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal,
Spain and California, and even champagne for that special occasion. There`s
food too, from toasted sandwiches, ploughman`s lunch (75p) to a very reasonably
priced, locally caught, trout, with peas and chips, at only £1.95.
Ian hopes to get the population of Folkestone drinking
wine in a big way and plans to extend the wine bar later in the year to include
a cosy seated area at the back for diners. Cocktails are also promised in the
near future. It sounds like 1982 is going to be a very good year.
Folkestone Herald
24-11-1994
Local News
Drinkers at Harvey`s Wine Bar in Sandgate Road,
Folkestone, will be given a free packet of condoms with every round of drinks
they buy next Wednesday evening (November 30). As part of World AIDS Week,
November 28 to December 4, the wine bar is holding an AIDS awareness event
between 9 and 10 p.m. on Wednesday with information about the disease, quizzes
on condom use and HIV/AIDS awareness, with prizes for everyone, and free
condoms.
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