Wirral Life September 2017 | Page 29

W FOOD & DRINK L THE ART SCHOOL LAUNCH THE CHAMPAGNE & WINE CELLAR This month sees the opening of The Art School Cellars - a bespoke Champagne and wine cellar, where Chef Patron Paul Askew and the team will share their handpicked selection of premium Champagnes, fine wines, British cheeses and artisan Charcuterie - all of which can be enjoyed in an environment of comfort and relaxation. Inspired by the Pinchos of the Basque Country and the Deli’s of Italy, they want to encourage the culture of ‘gastronomic grazing’ in the hospitable city of Liverpool. With over 300 different wines on offer and an extensive cocktail list coupled with fresh bread and small dishes available to order. All food is prepared daily by The Art School Restaurant team. As part of this exciting new addition to Liverpool, they also have a private Tasting Room. Suitable for up to ten guests, you can enjoy a journey through matched foods and wines, whilst The Art School Sommeliers are on hand to give a detailed explanation for each pairing. Their hope is that you enjoy their Liverpudlian warmth and friendliness whilst experiencing world-class food and drink consumption in sumptuous surroundings. Speaking of the imminent arrival of the Art School Cellars, Chef Paul Askew explains how the new project came about and what guests can expect: “I wanted to expand on the Art School brand and the realisation that our lovely little restaurant bar is simply too small to accommodate all of our guests pre- and post-dining. It also highlighted the fact that a bar like this was needed in the city – a feeling that we needed a Champagne bar version of the Art School to continue the gastronomic journey and the food culture in the city. My other passion, apart from food and drink, is travelling to find out about more food and drink and discovering food culture around the World. For example, at Peck in Milan, there is every possible cheese, piece of Charcuterie, mushroom, desserts. It is just astonishing, their wine cellar and every level you go up reminds you of the depth of culture and food knowledge and desire that there are in countries like Italy. Then you go to the Basque Country, San Sebastian or Biarritz and there are little Pinchos on the bar that you could win a Michelin star for and a little simple glass of wine but when you put the two together, the sun comes out, the clouds part and everything is wonderful. So, for me, it was trying to capture some of that and put it into an environment that offered that but in a Liverpool way and also in a ‘come and try what this is.’ Just as I want the restaurant to be Le Gavroche of the North, I want the new bar to be the Dorchester or Ritz of the North with the style of service. An international standard of service with food, drinks, product knowledge and environment. We want it to be an exemplar of what the Liverpool food and bar culture can be and I think people want that. The restaurant has demonstrated that the market is there if you do it properly. The key thing is that yes, of course it is for pre and post dinner drinks at The Art School, but we do have a front door so if you’re going to see a show at The Philharmonic, you can pop in and have a glass of wine and a plate of cheese or Charcuterie. These are smaller dishes, the Pinchos are basically miniatures of what we create in the Art School. This gives Gianfranco the opportunity to demonstrate downstairs what we do up in the restaurant. We hope this will lead to guests trying the Tasting Room to sample them with five different wines and Pinchos or try the full Tasting Menu upstairs.” For more information, call 0151 230 8600 or visit www.theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk wirrallife.com 29