JUST four months after realising their dream of opening a seafront restaurant in Sandown, the owners of Le Goût de la Mer have been forced to shut the business during what should have been their busiest period of the year.
The restaurant opened in April but has been temporarily closed since Wednesday, August 5, after receiving independent professional health and safety advice about the premises.
The closure is a blow to a restaurant launched with much fanfare.
The former Bandstand on Culver Parade was relaunched as Le Goût de la Mer — French for ‘The Taste of the Sea’ — in a prime seafront spot.
Owners Hana and Alexandre Bourgeois have reassured customers they are determined to reopen as soon as possible.
Hana told the County Press the closure followed advice about premises-related issues needing further expert assessment and ruled out it being related to any hygiene issues.
She said: "Our priority is the safety of our customers and staff and we remain fully committed to reopening the restaurant, as soon as we are satisfied it is safe and appropriate to do so."
Hana called the closure “absolutely heartbreaking”, coming at the height of summer when the restaurant was busiest.
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Customers with existing bookings are being contacted directly, with the restaurant promising further updates once a reopening date is confirmed.
In a statement on the restaurant's Facebook page, the couple posted: "As tenants of the building, circumstances relating to the premises outside our control mean we must temporarily close."
Hana and Alexandre lease the landmark building from Paul Rowling, who rescued the century-old bandstand with his late wife Donna in 2014 after decades of dereliction.
Following extensive restoration work, it reopened as The Bandstand in 2015, before closing again in 2023.
April’s reopening fulfilled Hana and Alexandre’s ambition to create “a destination restaurant by the sea”.
Alexandre, originally from St Malo in Brittany, is a chef trained in classical French cuisine, while Hana, from New York, previously owned a restaurant specialising in Caribbean flavours.
"We are contacting the relevant parties and working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible," the couple said.
The Isle of Wight Council said: "Le Gout de la Mer has not registered with the Isle of Wight Council as a food business and therefore has not been inspected by the council's food safety team.
"As a result, no Food Hygiene Rating has been awarded to the premises. Any recent closure of the restaurant was not the result of a food hygiene intervention."
The council confirmed that food businesses do need to register with them.
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