THISTLE Hotels has reached another milestone in the development of its North-East empire with the opening of a new £500,000 restaurant and bar at its Newcastle hotel.

The new Gengis venue is the latest investment in the region by Thistle which has recently spent £8m on the refurbishment of its Middlesbrough hotel.

By next spring Thistle will have invested a total of £2m in the four star Newcastle hotel. The investment has included the refurbishment of the hotel's 115 bedrooms and eight meeting rooms.

The new Gengis restaurant is expected to attract hotel guests and local people seeking a new taste experience.

The group believes the restaurant offers a "taste revolution" which brings a new style of Mediterranean and Asian food to Newcastle.

The cocktail bar has been set up with advice from Alchemist, the London-based consultants responsible for the world-renowned Met Bar and the London Metropolitan Hotel and Che Bar, which was voted bar of the year in 1999.

This is the third Gengis restaurant to be opened by Thistle Hotels, following the successful launch of the concept in Glasgow and Middlesbrough.

Thistle Newcastle general manager, Norrie Oswald, said: "The North-East is an important market for Thistle Hotels and one which it is keen to put on the map with developments like Gengis.

"We believe the restaurant and bar will do exceptionally well in Newcastle because of the hotel's prime location in this vibrant city.