A PLUSH new restaurant and cocktail bar on Southend seafront will finally throw open its doors in just eight weeks’ time.

Bosses of Zinnia, an Asian-influenced restaurant and cocktail bar, will open in July in the £125million Clifftown Shore development.

Management of the new venue revealed it will offer the “ultimate vibrant dining experience” in the “beautifully-designed” venue.

The £125million development, including 51 luxury apartments and penthouses, will be fully completed once the restaurant opens its doors after years of work on the site.

Alongside the airy, dreamy dining space, Zinnia Southend will boast a lounge bar, exclusive dining and an outdoor terrace where people can enjoy the food in the company of sweeping sea views.

Echo: Inside one of the plush Elysium Group restaurantsInside one of the plush Elysium Group restaurants (Image: Elysium Group)

Food fans can indulge in foods from a Pan-Pacific-inspired menu, designed around the “culinary fusions of the western North and South American shores, the Polynesian islands and the shared kinship with eastern Asia and Australia”.

Served up will be a “melee” of “fresh, colourful and complex dishes”, such as a California sushi roll, beef sirloin tataki and wagyu beef sliders, perfect for a “small plate sharing” or devouring alone.

Ash Afzalnia, managing director of the Zinnia restaurant, said: “We expect it to be early to mid-July.

“We have started our recruitment campaign for all front and back of house positions.

“There will be 30 full and part-time positions.

“We look forward to delivering what promises to be an iconic and stunning venue in Southend.”

The restaurant - owned by the Elysium Group - has been hit with a series of delays with Mr Afzalnia stating this was down to “contractual matters”.

The firm also operate two other similar styled restaurants in Essex.

Customers who visited Pavilion in Colchester and Chelmsford’s Zinnia have been quick to praise the restaurants, with both highly rated on the TripAdvisor website.

Many commented on how “fantastic” and “amazing” the food and cocktails were, whereas others touched upon how “expensive” it is.

As well as dinner, the Southend property will offer a range of breakfast and brunch options.

It will be open from 8am, seven days a week.

The Clifftown Shore project stands to the left of the Cliff Lift in the place of the old Esplanade pub and the Marriott’s fish restaurant.

Those interested in joining the team can apply online where they can upload their CV and indicate the position they wish to apply for via the website.

For more information on the Clifftown Shore development, visit www.clifftownshore.com/