W FOOD & DRINK
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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
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