At His & Hers, we have been ridiculously fortunate to meet some extraordinary people working in hospitality in the North West region. We wanted to highlight some of those who have made such a positive difference. Many in hospitality have kept on delivering the goods, as safely as they possibly could, in challenging times.
WORDS: Jean Hill
Nova in Heswall
Husband and wife team, Moyo and Jana seem, to me, to be on a mission to turn food into a culinary art form. They offer modern British cuisine, with more than a nod to classic French cooking. Moyo, an accomplished chef, has years of experience and is classically trained in French cuisine.
He is passionate about delivering a ‘gastro dining’ experience. His wife Jana ensures that guests experience a relaxing, friendly, welcome in a very stylish setting (when it is safe to do so again). It is a lovely balance. Nova is a fine dining experience in elegant surroundings. You feel like you have been somewhere special. This is a restaurant we loved to visit: and Moyo and Jana have put heart and soul into delivering fine food in a particularly focused way. I believe they shop for the best local meat and vegetables available. They must use a really good fish-monger because their fish dishes are sparkling, fresh with a flaky bite and old-fashioned flavour.
Jana and Moya have also run an outside catering business. All orders made for next day delivery must be ordered by 6 pm. Check online or call for details. All guidelines are included for heating your ready meals.
Call on 07852 553549 or email jana@novatheoutsiders.co.uk
Organico Juice Bar and Eatery
Sean Paul Redding is a fine chef, with that old-fashioned, Texan charm and authentic belief in hospitality. He loves the spicy kick of Tex Mex home cooking and once earned his living as a chef to the stars. This included members of rock bands and celebrities like Kate Moss. He was ahead of the vegan curve and in Vegan January, it is good to celebrate a chef who has championed vegan cuisine from way back when. When you visit this website, the banner message is: ‘feed your soul’. Works for us. I once ate the best mac’n’cheese ever, cooked by Sean. Check for delivery details. Deliveries were being organised by Uber Eats. Check for updates.
http://www.organicoliverpool.co.uk/
Elite Bistros
We first met Gary Usher, when he already owned two small restaurants, just as he embarked on an epic crowd funder that helped him to fit, furnish and open the wonderful Wreckfish restaurant in Liverpool. He is young, energetic, articulate, artfully tattooed and at heart devotes himself to delivering classic French cuisine.
He declares he would never mess with a classic, and I am really grateful, because Crème Brulée is one of my favourite desserts. And you cannot improve on perfection. He always spends more money than he intended on creating a new restaurant because he is almost as interested in interior design as he is in fine dining. He likes projects! He enjoys the challenge: I always thought there must be someone who likes to problem solve, on the hoof with a serious deadline looming. He appeared at launch night of Pinion, with a huge grin on his face: job done. Pinion is an interesting choice of venue. He took over a Betfred betting shop, in a row of shops in Prescot, where people had not expected to find fine French cuisine. The restaurant boasts a sparkling, overhanging chandelier that dominates the space. I talked to Prescot residents at the launch. They said they had waited years for such a restaurant to appear in their neck of the woods. Such excitement and great ambition involved in this venture.
Elite Bistros offer wide-ranging delivery, that happens on a Friday evening, and the food needs to be consumed within 48 hours.
https://www.elitebistros.com/product-category/elite-at-home/
Lunya and Lunyalita with the Kinsellas
The delicatessen is still open for shopping and click and collect, with many precautions to keep customers and staff safe. Take-away and the online shop are open. (Check on-line for details of which services are available.)
Lunya Liverpool is a Catalan deli, bar and restaurant in the fabulous Liverpool One, delivering the best of Catalan and Spanish food.
Lunya Liverpool and Manchester and Lunyalita (Royal Albert Dock) are labours of love for owners, Peter & Elaine Kinsella. Can remember meeting Peter, and him kindly explaining to me the difference between Catalan black pudding and the British not quite equivalent. The Catalan version, on offer from the Kinsellas is glorious, rich in-depth flavour, with intriguing, spicy undertones.
Tel: 0151 706 9770
Delifonseca: the vision of Candice Fonseca
Delifonseca Dockside is a modern version of the traditional European delicatessen. You can usually find fine cheeses, charcuterie, antipasta, salad counters and last but by no means least a mouth-watering cake and dessert counter too.
You can find produce from across the world, including local, regional, British and European food. You can often find goods from small independent producers. Edge & Sons, an award winning butchers hold an in-house concession. There are plenty of good reasons why Delifonseca keeps on winning awards
Candice Fonseca described her vision for the perfect deli: ‘a foodie’s Aladdin cave stuffed full of tasty goodies that help you turn the everyday into a plateful of pleasure…the ideal neighbourhood restaurant serving the type of food you’d do yourself if only you had the time and the training’.
In the early days you might have seen Candice Fonseca stood behind the counter waxing lyrical and thrusting tasty morsels at willing customers. The present staff share that foodie passion. His & Hers had a wonderful meal at Delifonseca at Brunswick Quay. The blackboard menu presents seasonal, evolving, creative, accomplished dishes. I can still conjure up the taste of a Persian stew: sizzling succulent, juicy lamb, with, I believe, turmeric, other subtle spices and dried limes enriching the dish.
0151 255 0808
Casa Italia
Casa Italia has an enviable reputation in Liverpool. This is a family restaurant that has stood the test of time with over forty years in the city. Only a year ago, I was eating vegan pizza and pasta in their restaurant, and it was a memorable experience. The flavours from veggie ingredients seemed accentuated, sharper and fresher than any meat based pizza I have tasted.
Food has traditionally been prepared on the premises daily, from the pizza dough to the home-made tiramisu. And you would be in good company when you order your meal. Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams have all eaten at Casa Italia.
There is a collection and home delivery service, that operates from 4pm until 9pm. There is an option to down-load the app or order on-line.
First instalment of restauranteurs. More to follow…
You may also enjoy: 5 of the Best Places in Liverpool to Satisfy Your Salt & Pepper Cravings
