Suited and booted by a spend of £350,000 for a 10-week top-down refurbishment, a pivotal hospitality venue in Gloucester has reopened its doors – and Punchline-Gloucester.com Editor Mark Owen was invited in by owner Dorian Kirk to find out more about this exciting new addition to the city's food and drinks scene.

Located in the heartland of Gloucester Docks at the imposing Kimberley Warehouse, Dr Foster, which was formerly known as Dr Foster's Waterside Bar & Restaurant, was acquired by Herefordshire and Worcester restaurant group A Rule of Tum as the group's seventh venture and its first foray into Gloucestershire business.

The new pub and restaurant is also the group's biggest venue, with 350 covers, which includes 90 in the bookable upstairs restaurant and 150 downstairs, as well more in the outdoor courtyard and dockside seating areas.

The venture benefits from the momentum and acumen of Dorian who along with his original co-founder brother Edwin and executive chef Rupert Davison and design director Adam Edney, has gathered a string of accolades and awards for previous ventures across the border, including Worcester's Maneki Ramen and Hereford's Burger Shop, as well as The Bookshop and Leaven Pizza. The Group's latest turnover was posted at £4.5m and the business employs more than 120 staff across throughout its restaurants and bars.

Furthermore 25 new jobs have been created through this investment in the city.

Mr Kirk told Punchline he couldn't image anywhere better than a table on the dockside in the warm autumn weather, watching the sun go down.

He said: "We found that this place already had a great reputation and we just wanted to build on that, upgrade it and make a place where people can come and enjoy drinking great beer and eating fantastic food."

A key decision has been to bring in chef Callum McDonald, who worked with a wide range of Michelin chefs across the country before joining A Rule of Tum at The Bookshop in Hereford.

Driven by a passion for creating memorable dishes from local ingredients the reimagined venue''s new menu certainly promises to cater for all, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, with hearty brunch dishes such as Foster's baked eggs with yoghurt, Nduja sausage crumb, Dukkah and sourdough, to evening meal classics such as chicken, thyme and leek pie, served with A Rule of Tum's famous buttered mash potato – a recipe which went viral when last year when more than two million people sought the details.

The pub also features dry-aged Hereford Heggie's steaks, cooked over coal, and a selection of delicious, local beers and cocktails, with the best brews of Deya Brewery, Wye Valley and Gloucester Brewery all available in the curated drinks menu.

Beyond excellent food and drink, Dorian said that working with the existing building had been a labour of love which he hoped would show in the results: "It's a gorgeous, gorgeous building and as a big building the cash was swallowed up but it was well worth it and I think we've done it justice. Church pews, oak furniture and wall-to-wall natural materials ensure the while the building' sense of space is honoured, "it keeps the vibe as a pub".

A variety of zones to the experience include a conservatory and a courtyard, which "needed a bit of love", Dorian said, but he added that creating a mix of "cosy" intimate space and areas for bigger gatherings and celebrations had been the guiding principle.

Dorian added: "We are really passionate about this area and we want to champion the small growers and suppliers as we grow the business as well. We already have a mix of different styles, places from all-day restaurants to brasseries and bars, burger joint and sourdough pizza restaurants... and that's how we want to grow."

But the crucial element of Rule of Tum's business approach began in the kitchen: "Our approach is chef-led. It's what could be called a 'chef-preneur' business. Chefs can get a raw deal and they have to work long hours, but we want them to feel that they are working hard to having something of the business as well, and that means the quality, consistency and passion is there, because it is their business, too."

Within the next few years, Rule of Tum has a target revenue of £6.5m in its sights, with the success of Dr Foster, as the showcase new venture, being key to that.

Dorian has his eyes wide open to the challenges the sector faces, but given the quality, charm and confidence of this bold reimagination of what a Gloucester pub can offer, Punchline shares his confidence. Given its proximity to Greek on the Docks, Settebello, the Food Dock and, just across the water, Gloucester Quays, Dr Foster is already taking Christmas event bookings. We think it may well be busy.