Sticky Walnut founder Gary Usher, invites Liverpool diners to decide the cost of their bill with innovative pop-up and potential fourth restaurant.
Chef and restauranteur, Gary Usher, doesn’t sit still for long. Having opened the doors to the much anticipated, latest venture, Hispi, in Didsbury, South Manchester, to massive success, plans were recently announced on Twitter for a fourth restaurant opening in a derelict 19th Century watchmakers in Ropewalks, Liverpool.
The project will be another crowdfunding venture for Usher set to launch in March, however, this time, he is offering the people of Liverpool the chance to sample the fruits of the new venture before they invest any of their hard-earned cash. Usher and his team will be hosting a series of pop-up dining events at the location from 15th – 19th February, where guests will be invited to sample the food and get a feel for the venue, while setting their own price… a pretty big task for a space that currently has no water or electricity.
Usher comments: “This pop-up allows the customers to decide what they want from a restaurant in their area… we’re just going to have to be a bit creative with the logistics! Each of our restaurants has their own defining characteristics, from the style of venue and fit out to what goes on the menu. We wanted to be able to gauge if people want a Hispi, Burnt Truffle or Sticky Walnut in Liverpool. When the bill comes, diners will be able to pay what they want, which will go straight into the crowdfunding pot.”
With many of Usher’s followers already keen to book in, reservations are limited to 30 people per day and will be available one month before each sitting, with the first date opening for bookings on 15th January. Alongside his team, Gary himself will be serving dinner on Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th evenings and Sunday lunch on 19th, with dishes such as Stone Bass Cerviche, Venison with pickled white cabbage and mushroom and Chocolate tart, hazelnut mousse and honeycomb.
Usher continues: “We want the experience to be totally raw- yes the food will obviously be a focus but ultimately it’s the immersive experience we want the diners to enjoy. We’ve had amazing support from local businesses who have offered everything from kitchen equipment and water pipes to chef’s offering to pot-wash. We’re not a faceless, corporate business, we just want to offer local neighborhoods amazing food and the chance to grow with us, which is why we’ll also be looking for Liverpool chefs to ultimately join Wreckfish.”
The restaurant will follow in the footsteps of the renowned Sticky Walnut in Chester, named the AA Guide’s 2014 Restaurant of the Year, Burnt Truffle in Heswall on the Wirral and Hispi in Didsbury, realising Usher’s vision to bring this relaxed style of bistro and multi award-winning food to Liverpool.
Like all of his restaurants, the Liverpool venture has already been announced, discussed, critiqued and named on Twitter, the go-to medium for all of Usher’s advice. ‘Wreckfish Bistro’ is a name that has been a hot topic on social media channels since the announcement, but as one avid follow said: “Does it really matter, just tell us where we can book and give you our money…”.
Reservations open on Sunday, 15th January for dinner on Wednesday, 15th February. To book click here