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REVIEWS
NOVA , HESWALL by Nicky Rigby-Smith & Si Hall
Situated in Heswall , Nova is a delightful family-run gastro restaurant offering a very clever take on modern British cuisine . Seated at our table , we were offered a complimentary amuse bouche to warm us up . It consisted of mini Lamb and Beef Burgers with pesto and broccoli . What a great start , beautifully presented and delicious .
To start , we ordered the Salad of Quinoa , Baked Beetroot and Celery dish . We paired our starters with a South African wine – Freedom Cross which was a light Chenin Blanc and reasonably priced at £ 17 per bottle . Our starters arrived and the presentation was out of this world . The simplicity of the menu hugely underplays the amount of attention to detail and creative thinking that Head Chef Moyo Benson applies to his unique dishes .
The Baked Beetroot was a wonder of colours and smells . Lots of roots cooked using different methods ; heritage , pickled , salt-bake and roasted . The Goat ’ s cheese and honey dressing complementing the dish perfectly . The Salad of Quinoa served with fresh crisp Red Mullet , avocado and Aji sauce was light , delicate and tasty . The Celery dish – Nova ’ s take on the Waldorf salad was divine – clean , fresh and full of flavours - our favourite !
Having experienced the starters , we were intrigued to see the main dishes . We opted for the Pollock , Braised Fennel and Pork Belly . The Pork Belly arrived and where do we begin ? There were so many different elements to the dish – this wasn ’ t just your typical Pork Belly . It came served with a black pudding scotch egg , crackling and creamed leeks . Truly amazing and a piece of art . The Braised Fennel was served with sweet potato , puy lentils and aged garlic . This was the first time we had tried aged garlic – which is served
black . Chef Moyo explained to us that the process took 255 hours ! Very rich and delicious . The Pollock was served with a daikon salad , fregola and miso . Again this dish was cooked to perfection and the flavours worked wonderfully together !
For dessert we ordered Date Pudding , Selection of 5 Sorbets and Treacle Tart . The dishes arrived and oh did we have fun ! The selection of 5 Sorbets were all home-made and consisted of Beetroot , Lager & Lime , Pineapple , Passion Fruit and Tamarind flavours . Each sorbet sat on a base of either powder or crumbs ! Put simply … exquisite . On your next visit to Nova , see if you can guess which sorbet is which ! We scored 2 out of 5 ! The Date pudding is a must for any whisky lovers ! The dates had been soaked in whisky and the dish was accompanied with whisky ice cream . The Treacle tart was served with crunchy dried orange segments - this dish was absolutely perfect .
Overall , we had a wonderful experience . The dishes served provided a unique and genius take on British cuisine – the planning , thought and preparation that is applied to each and every dish is truly impressive ! Chef Moyo and his team are warm and welcoming - if you do get the chance to chat to Moyo , he is a fascinating guy , as well as a culinary fine artist . Five stars .
To book a table call 0151 342 9959 .
Web : novarestaurant . co . uk Facebook : / NovaRestaurantHeswall Twitter : @ NovaRestaurant
Nova also provide outside catering : www . novatheoutsiders . co . uk
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