HOSPITALITY
PERFECT PINTS AND PIZZAS
Refreshed – Oven owner Tarek Thoma BEM with the restaurant ’ s new stateof-the-art beer dispensing system .
Oven diners enticed by draught beer system and authentic Italian food
A
popular Middlesbrough restaurant has become very “ draughty ” – and the owner couldn ’ t be happier .
For the “ draughts ” in question involve Oven ’ s new state-of-the-art beer dispensing system , which ensures diners get the perfect draught pint every time . And its installation comes at a time when the popular Linthorpe Road venue is celebrating a turnover up 25 per cent even on pre-pandemic levels .
Oven owner Tarek Thoma BEM has installed a new beer cellar , from which six lines of draught beer and cider flow . It means diners can now choose from Estrella , two varieties of Shipyard ale , Erdinger , Poretti Italian lager and Kingstone Press apple cider .
And Tarek says the hi-tech SmartDispense system he ’ s using ensures every pint is perfection .
He said : “ We had a tremendous demand for draught but never really had a proper offering , just two varieties from a barrel under the bar .
“ We decided to have a proper set-up for it , so we ’ ve invested up to £ 50,000 on a new cellar and a system delivering six new draughts . It ’ s what we needed to meet the demand .”
Tarek said of the SmartDispense system : “ It can ’ t supply a flat or warm pint . It works on computer chips , so the chip detects any change in atmosphere , temperature or pressure – if there ’ s a problem , it tells you what the problem is and you can deal with it . Also , the lines clean themselves and maintain the temperature from the barrels to the taps . It ’ s an amazing system really .”
Egypt-born Tarek and partner Lisa opened Oven on the corner of Linthorpe Road and Southfield Road in 2015 . In those six years , its mix of Middle Eastern and classic dishes have pleased the palates of thousands of diners – although things ground to a halt during the initial Covid lockdowns .
But rather than do nothing , Tarek generously transformed Oven into an emergency food hub , providing thousands of free meals for local charities and staff at James Cook University Hospital .
His gesture , to his amazement , earned him a British Empire Medal – quite an accolade for a man who came to England in 1990 as an art student before switching his career to food .
And it ’ s that passion for food which has provided Oven ’ s latest success story – its new Italian menu .
Intrigued by the opportunities Italian food offered , Tarek – who famously cooked for Tony Blair and US president George Bush at the Dun Cow in Sedgefield – took time in lockdown to research and develop his knowledge of Italian cuisine . And the result has paid off spectacularly .
Favourites so far include arancini –
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
T : 01642 200900 . W : ovenrestaurantmiddlesbrough . co . uk
delicious fried risotto balls – and pizzas as near to Neapolitan authenticity as you ’ ll find .
Tarek explained : “ A lot of research and development has gone into it . We ’ ve gone that extra mile to make sure it ’ s authentic – the extra 3,000 miles to Italy , in fact !
“ We use a three-day matured , fermented pizza dough which provides immense strength so you can stretch it until you can almost see through it , but it still holds in the oven , and San Marzano tomatoes . And we don ’ t use buffalo mozzarella , because it ’ s too wet . We use fior di latte – basically soft cow ’ s mozzarella , but it ’ s not wet , so it melts really well .
“ We use the identical ingredients they use in Napoli – the home of pizza – and we ’ ve had an absolutely phenomenal response . In just a couple of months it has developed a cult following .”
Tarek says a key issue the hospitality industry is facing post-Covid is a shortage of staff . But he ’ s confident that as more people venture out again , Oven ’ s classic dishes , Italian offering and now its draught beers and ciders will continue to prove a winning combination .
He said : “ If things continue the way they are , and especially when we get the students back , we are projecting another 15 or 20 per cent increase , on top of the 25 per cent we ’ ve already seen , so it ’ s all very positive .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 115