Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 15
/NEWS
Chef Paul Hymas (left) with Facilities Manager Nikki Rotheram
and Head Chef Steven Cartwright, along with a selection of
the delicious dishes from the new Smokin’ Burritos restaurant
at Planet Leisure
PLANET LEISURE LAUNCH NEW LUNCHTIME MENU
By Rachel Wright
One of the region’s biggest
leisure centres is getting ready
to launch their latest venture
and plans are well underway
for take-off.
Planet Leisure, which is situated on Maple
Way on Aycliffe Business Park, are about
to open their fully refurbished Tex-Mex
restaurant, ‘The Smokin’ Burritos’, and in
parallel have created a tempting corporate
lunchtime menu for the business park with
a mission to supply quality fresh food and
to excite the taste buds of their business
neighbours.
Owner Darren Peckitt said: “For the business
lunchtime menu we want to offer a range
of restaurant quality fresh food in a great
environment and at very competitive prices.
Planet Leisure has a team of talented chefs
based here and it makes complete sense to
utilise them to offer this service.
“The kitchen will take pre-orders so the food
is ready for the customers on the park during
their lunchtime and where possible we will
also deliver to their door to make us a very
convenient option for them.
”
Customers from the park can enjoy tasty
delights from the new menu such as burritos
or wraps, BBQ pulled pork, chilli beef and
homemade meat balls to name a few, all
served with coleslaw, salsa and wedges
for just £4.95 to include a soft drink of their
choice, or a cup of Twining’s tea or Lavazza
coffee.
The lunchtime offering is part of the exciting
new Tex-Mex theme at the restaurant and
complements the full evening menu, where
diners can sit back and enjoy a full range of
mouthwatering dishes such as chicken and
chorizo skewers, Cajun baked salmon, Tex
Mex sharing platters and authentic sizzler
dishes amongst other delicious options.
The restaurant has been fully redecorated
and enhanced with oak cladding and
new mood lighting to create an enjoyable
ambience for diners.
For the brave, diners can take up the new
‘Hot Hot Hot’ challenge where they have
the chance to take up their position on the
restaurant ‘Wall of Fame’ if they can conquer
the variety of food challenges such as
burning hot meatballs, stuffed chilli peppers,
red hot chicken wings, or the ‘beat the
burger challenge’.
Darren said: “I have always wanted Planet
Leisure to be a destination where there is
something fun and exciting happening every
night and this includes the new restaurant.
“We want it to be a dining experience to
remember, all the food is locally sourced,
including suppliers from the park; for anyone
who is fed up of fast food but want quality at
the same price come and give us a try.
”
The new menu has also been tried and
tested by the 30-strong team of staff at
Planet Leisure, who spent an evening
tasting the new recipes cooked by the chefs
especially for them.
Restaurant and functions manager Nikki
Rotherham said: “It was a great night, at
first the staff weren’t sure about the new
menu but once they tasted the food they
were just blown away and couldn’t wait for
us to launch it.
”
The restaurant service is being further
extended to provide both on-site and off-site
catering options. Planet Leisure has a fully-
equipped, 130-seat Function Room capable
of supporting a range of corporate functions
and events with packages starting from
£4.95 per delegate. For corporate customers
who require quality catering at their premises
the chefs are able to create an individual
menu to suit requirements.
Planet leisure was launched in 2011 and
started wit