A MasterChef finalist and a culinary connoisseur who worked under Jamie Oliver have turned their back on London in favour of Kent.

Ryan Jacovides and Tony Rodd are set to throw open the doors of Pomus, a trendy wine bar and restaurant in Margate in early May.

The pair, who have run venues in the capital in the past, decided to relocate after feeling the city’s market was oversaturated.

Mr Rodd upped-sticks to be at the kitchen’s helm, while Mr Jacovides, who will run front of house, says he would “never live in London again”.

Mr Jacovides, 44, who has lived in Kent for about three years and worked opening Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, said: “Margate has this place in my heart.

“I’ve been coming to Kent, especially Margate and Broadstairs on family holidays for years.

“From a business perspective, I really wanted to come somewhere and be part of the regeneration.

“In London, you are seen as an also-ran. You are one of a million things.

“It's a very transient audience of people that will just go to the next new thing.

“But here, there’s a real neighbourhood vibe.

“Whereas, you could open a bar or a restaurant in Covent Garden and never see the same two people ever again.

“I'm the kind of person who would rather be part of the solution.

“If we can open something, which means more visitors come to Margate and spend more money and help make other areas better, then great.”

The venue, which also houses a private wine-tasting room in the basement, is in The Centre shopping arcade, just off the high street.

Mr Jacovides notes that other trendy businesses often choose to settle in the more desirable Old Town or seafront.

He said: “I’ve spent the last couple of years looking for sites.

“When you're on the seafront, as amazing as it is in terms of views and everything else, it comes with other challenges.

“Locals tend to, from what I'm seeing, steer clear of it a bit when it's the high season in the summer.

“I wanted somewhere we can be an all-year-round business.

“We are going to complement everything that’s already in The Centre.

“If we were in the Old Town or the seafront, we would be competing with similar businesses for the same people.”

Tony Rodd, who reached the final of BBC’s hit cooking show in 2015, used to run Cooper and Ink, in Blackheath, with his partner Becky.

He had to close in January due to soaring energy bills and a drop in footfall, and took the Margate gig, uprooting to the coast.

The 43-year-old told KentOnline: “I had a restaurant in London and I was fortunate to be in a village within it and Margate to me feels like an extension of that same vibe.

“When I first came down here to look at the space and look at what else was happening in the area, what really struck me was that community feel.

“It’s being able to give back, rather than just being a restaurant in a massive city.”

The chef is so passionate about his profession, he has food and wine tattooed on his knuckles.

He has only been living in Kent for three weeks but says: “We hadn't considered moving out of London until we eventually moved overseas to retire, which was our long-term plan.

“I absolutely love it down here, so I'm really pleased we did it.”

Included on the menu will be local produce such as Whitstable Oysters and East Kent Growers.

Mr Rodd will be whipping up dishes such as chicken karaage, buckwheat waffles with togarashi spice and barbecued langoustine tails, razor clams, fennel relish and cucumber ketchup.

Visitors will be able to eat without a booking should they wish.

Kentish wines will also be served, and the businessmen’s partners Becky and Laura will be running some of the tasting events in the basement.

On future plans, Mr Jacovides commented: “It’s difficult to know if we would go back to London, but in reality, all of our talks about the next couple of years have just been about making this work.

“I quite like the idea of doing something amazing in Kent and then maybe in the future you go back to London.

“However, in the nicest way, I would never live there again.”