He's at it again. Entrepreneur Sean Heather is well underway into plans to open a sister eatery to Salt, aptly named Pepper.

Extending to the far eastern end of Gastown to the corner of Alexander and Gore, the new location will boast an open concept room with daily chalkboard specials, similar to the Blood Alley tasting room. Salt is known for its tasty cheeses, cured meats and well-balanced wine selection, but with the additional space Pepper will branch out into serving hot eats.

Jay Jones, general manager of Salt, explained to me that Pepper will likely feature a large dining table in the middle of the room with high table and chair seating around the perimeter next to the large windows.

Initially slated to open earlier this year, plans for Pepper were put on hold when Sean and restauranteur partner Scott Hawthorn had the sudden opportunity to buy the Lucky Diner, previously featured here on Beyond Robson. We can now anticipate a summer opening for Pepper. Renovations are currently taking place in the old coffee shop building on Alexander, right near my home sweet home, and I'm keeping a close watch on the proceedings. Well, the windows are covered and there are bars on the door, but I'm still watching!

With all the businesses in the neighbourhood, this new restaurant addition will lkely be well received, especially if they decide to open for lunch as Salt does. There isn't much else around aside from Alibi Room and the Soup Etc! shop down the road.

I think the addition of Pepper in this particular block will go a long way in improving the 'image' of the area, especially with Alibi just a hop, skip and jump away.

Pepper, we anxiously await!