AN experienced and passionate head chef is aiming to “bring a bit of holiday to Leigh” with a new restaurant opening in the place of the former Pizza Pizza.

Mila’s, a Mediterranean-Latin restaurant is replacing Pizza Pizza in 83 Broadway after it closed suddenly in January after two years of delighting diners.

Food lovers have nothing to fear, as Mila’s head chef Kieran Temple believes the new restaurant, set to open at the end of July, will offer a worthy replacement with “produce head and shoulders above what people are used to.”

Having eight years of experience in restaurants in and around Leigh and Southend, such as the Roslin Hotel and Pasta Nostra, now Tutti, Kieran wants to bring a nostalgic “holiday” feel to the Broadway that he feels will set them apart from rivals.

He said: “What makes us stand out is the food, the produce we use is head and shoulders above what people are used to, the restaurant is a passion product.

“Our whole thing is to be a relaxed environment, the food is Latin and Mediterranean, we want to bring a bit of holiday to Leigh and I think people will resonate with that.

“We are doing all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner and we aren’t making it expensive too, my style isn’t really on the Broadway.”

Mr Temple added that his personal style is low-waste and focuses on preservation, meaning they use different cuts of meat frequently sourced from high end suppliers though experience.

“We use underused cuts, things often wasted on other menus,” he said.  “Lamb ribs for instance are great and no one uses them, our octopus is also a standout and we use a smoked chilli and fermented pepper sauce.

“That is a nostalgic sauce that will remind you of getting away.

“We really focus on good food and good service, no stone goes unturned for our service, our décor and people will resonate with it.

“It will be as good as we can make it, everyone is here to do something worth being proud of.”

He added that the current plan is for an end of July to early August opening.