Trio Of Signings Confirm Mermaid Quay's Leading Position On Cardiff Restaurant Scene Three new restaurant lettings at Mermaid Quay have underlined the Cardiff Waterfront scheme's pre-eminent position as Wales' top restaurant destination. Strada, Café Rouge and GARÇON! (an upmarket, locally owned French Bistro) have all taken units at Mermaid Quay, which already boasts more than 20 restaurants, cafés and bars. The 14,000 sq m (150,000 sq ft) retail & leisure scheme developed by Sovereign Land and Schroder Exempt Property Unit Trust is located right on the water's edge in the heart of Cardiff Bay. Summing up the thoughts of all three operators, Café Rouge property director Phil Derbyshire said: "I have known Mermaid Quay over many years and was involved in some of the very first lettings to bars and restaurants. I have seen it develop and mature as a top destination and in the last few years it has really come into its own. The opening of the Wales Millennium Centre next door, the growth of the area as a 'must visit' location for tourists and day trippers, plus all the new offices and apartments that have been, and are still being, built have completely transformed the atmosphere on the waterfront into a buzzy, family-friendly destination." Café Rouge have taken a waterfront unit of 4,264 sq ft arranged over ground and first floors. The "Parisian café" style bistro is due to open later this month (in June). Steve Segar of Strada added: "Cardiff Waterfront in general and Mermaid Quay, in particular, is now well established as a very successful and completely separate market from the city centre - a market we wanted to be part of. Our research showed that summer footfall in Mermaid Quay is extremely good and getting better with many of the restaurants already turning over £30,000 per week plus and continuing to do great levels of business throughout the winter months. The bottom line is that we believe we can generate a lot of sales here and are very much looking forward to the opening of our new restaurant this summer." The new Strada at Mermaid Quay, the chain's first outlet in Wales, will open in July. It will be located in a 3,200 sq ft ground floor unit overlooking the quayside. GARÇON! is a new French brasserie run by two well established Cardiff-based restaurateurs - Peter Dewey and Francis Dupuy. Fitted out in traditional brasserie style - with dark wood bar, marble table tops, claret coloured walls and posters for Dubonnet and L'Opera - the 2,700 sq ft, first floor venue recently opened for business and, according, to Mr Dupuy is already trading at as much as double the anticipated turnover. The restaurant, which can seat up to 120 people inside, also features a 30-cover balcony terrace with fantastic views across the Bay. If all continues to go well, it is anticipated that this will be the first of a chain of GARÇON! restaurants. Tim Binnington of Sovereign Land said: "Mermaid Quay's location on Cardiff Waterfront has long proved attractive to restaurants, cafés and bars and they have always traded well. These latest lettings clearly demonstrate that the area has now come into its own and by providing a completely different - more family friendly, more sophisticated - experience than the city centre can offer has created its own, highly successful market. In the last 5 years, top rents have moved from £25 per sq ft to almost £40 per sq ft but remain extremely competitive in respect of other comparative locations around the UK - reflecting the exceptional trading figures achieved."   top