BOURNEMOUTH-based restaurant business Koh Thai has revealed some more details of the new “lounge” venue set to open in the town.

The business will be next door to the existing Koh Thai Tapas restaurant on Poole Hill, in premises previously occupied by the nightclub Priva.

The company says Koh Lounge will be a pre- and post-dinner venue, enabling visitors to have the “full Koh experience".

It added: “Drawing on the success of the pop-up previously seen at events such as The Bournemouth Airshow and Christchurch Food Festival, the aura of Koh Lounge will be given permanent residency as a static concept at the Bournemouth Triangle.”

Chief executive Andy Lennox said the venue would have a “New York lounge bar vibe, heavily influenced by Northern Thailand and Chang Mai”.

The venue would be suited to live music, networking and events but would also be a day-time hub for meeting space and hot desking, he said.

No launch date has yet been revealed but the company is to issue a teaser video next month.

Mr Lennox, backed by equity finance company Alcuin Capital, last month bought out the partners who started the business with him in Boscombe in 2009.

The deal came days before Koh Thai launched its 12th restaurant, in Lymington.

The Koh Group has been announced as a finalist for two categories of the Casual Dining Awards, to take place at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel next month. It is up for Marketing Campaign of the year and Multiple Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year, against the likes of ASK Italian, Cosy Club, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Nandos, Pizza Express and Wagamama.

Mr Lennox said: “2017 is already an exciting time for the brand and this is enhanced further as we look to launch our Koh Lounge concept – a high-end Thai inspired cocktail lounge with its permanent residency in Bournemouth.

"The local and national award acknowledgements that we have received are a tribute to the hard work of the whole team. They truly are an inspiration. It demonstrates how the brand has continued to go from strength to strength as we have grown thanks to our local followers and our CDE (complete dining experience) customer focus, which we will continue to maintain.

"This is also why the newest addition to the brand should be born in Dorset and it means a great deal to me to bring this popular concept to life in Bournemouth, where it all started for us and an area where we have such a loyal following."