Tim Bacon; chairman and co-founder of Living Ventures died on Saturday April 30th, 2016 at the age of 52 following more than a decade long battle with cancer. Tim had been fighting lymphoma for 14 years, and more recently in 2014 was diagnosed with advanced melanoma.
The Australian born businessman, who started his working life at a young age as a child actor in the popular Australian soap Sons & Daughters, came to the UK in 1986 and started working in the Hospitality industry as a TGI Fridays employee. After rising through the ranks he left to set up on his own, with his knowledge and experience culminating in him becoming the co-founder of popular and cutting edge casual restaurant and bar group Living Ventures.
Spanish Restaurant Pinch Launches In Liverpool City Centre
A new Spanish restaurant has launched in Liverpool city centre after securing financial support from HSBC and Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF).
Pinch on Castle Street is the latest venture from Tony Burns, a local entrepreneur who previously owned McGuffies bar on the same street.
Pinch sells pinchos, also known as pintxos, which are small tapas-style dishes popular in northern Spain and the Basque Country. The menu includes cod fritters with chilli sauce, chicken thighs in spicy Basque ketchup, prawns in hot oil, and mussels in garlic and wine.
The business serves breakfasts, light lunches, coffees and alcoholic drinks with an extensive cocktail menu.
The Good Food Guide has announced its 2016 top 50 restaurants and top 50 pubs but there’s not much for Liverpool to boast about.
In the top 50 restaurants, just one Manchester eatery has achieved a rating: Simon Rogan’s excellent “The French” is rated at 17th. Looking towards Merseyside, the Michelin starred “Fraiche” has achieved a top ten place for the first time, coming in at 8th place.
The only other North West restaurant representatives on the list are “The Freemasons at Wiswell” in the Ribble Valley (42nd) and Nigel Haworth’s Michelin starred “Northcote”, near Blackburn (50th). It doesn’t come as any surprise to us that the top rated UK restaurant is, for the third year in a row, Simon Rogan’s wonderful “l’Enclume” at Cartmel in Cumbria.
The list of the top 50 pubs contains no Manchester or Merseyside names and only three from the North West.
The one bright spot is that the Best Pub in the UK is named as the Ribble Valley’s “The Freemasons at Wiswell”, which also features on the restaurant list. We’ll be making the short trip out there pretty soon to check it out!
At 35th place is another Ribble Valley pub, “The Duke of York” at Grindleton, near Clitheroe, and in 41st place is “The White Hart” at Lydgate, near Saddleworth.
An Italian Wine Cafe is set to open it’s fourth store in Liverpool’s bustling business quarter, creating 10 new jobs. In the spring of 2013 something extraordinary happened. Two Italian guys in their twenties randomly met in Manchester to find out that they shared a unique passion they both loved and missed, the Italian Aperitivo; the ritual of drinking, nibbling and relaxing after work. A daily occasion to share moments of happiness with friends and family.
By the end of that very same year, Veeno opened its first store in Manchester. A place where both beginners and experts could enjoy great wines and the most authentic Spuntini ‐ mainly platters of meats and cheeses strictly imported from Italian producers. Veeno’s wines come from the family vineyard back in Sicily where Nino’s great‐grandfather Antonio planted the first vines in the 19th century. Since then, they have been working hard to ensure that the quality and tradition flows from the bottle to the glass.
Following successful launches in Manchester, Leeds & York the guys are now bringing the concept to Castle Street Liverpool where they will create 10 new jobs. Nino Caruso, co-founder & director of Veeno said “We’re delighted to be introducing the concept of Aperitivo in a setting as cultural as Liverpool, our current venues have really created a buzz and we feel that Liverpool is really missing out!”
Veeno will open its doors at 46 Castle Street on Thursday 13th August.
The R Bar & Brasserie in Liverpool has launched light refreshing new menu for the summer months. The restaurant, which can be found at the Grade II Listed Richmond Hotel on Hatton Garden, has given its lunch and evening menus a refreshingly light feel for the warmer months.
Under the direction of Head Chef Damien Flynn, the menu has been updated and expanded to tempt the most discerning palate, and vegetarians are very much catered for with an enticing selection of dishes. Damien has introduced three platters for diners looking for a light bite. The choice is from bread and oils, cheese, or meat, and all come with a selection of freshly made bread, baked daily in-house at The Richmond.
For a more substantial meal, the new Table D’Hote has a choice of tempting plates. The starters include crispy squid with slow cooked pork belly and homemade chilli mayonnaise; salmon rillettes with pickled cucumber, horseradish, cheval chantilly and rye crisp breads; or ham hock and black pudding terrine with capers and cornichons, soft boiled hen eggs with brioche.
Main courses include smoked and slow cooked daube of beef with horseradish, served with mustard dumpling and pomme puree; roasted chicken breast cooked in a smoked paprika spiced rub, served with grilled baby gem, red onion, green beans and new potato salad; butternut squash and blacksticks blue risotto, served with a pear, walnut and red chard salad.
Damien has been Head Chef at The Richmond for eight months. His impressive CV includes working at 60 Hope Street and The London Carriage Works. He explained: “I’ve enjoyed learning about our customer base and meeting guests since I joined The Richmond team. We have a nice mix of staying leisure guests and business clients, as well as day delegates, so I wanted to create a new menu which would excite people, not intimidate them. I thoroughly enjoy creating more traditional, slow cooked dishes, so I’ve added in elements of this into the new menu. My aim is to offer plates which will encourage diners to try something new, take them out of their comfort zone a little. Presentation goes a long way, but the dishes, tastes and overall flavours have got to compliment that – and we feel this new menu does just that. The team are enjoying working with the new menu, so come along and sample it for yourself.”
R Bar & Brasserie’s Table D’Hote is £14.95 for the main course; £19.95 for two courses; or £24.95 for three courses. Specials are available and the dessert menu changes daily. Specific dietary requirements are also catered for upon request. The new menu also includes choice of British and Local Classics including The Richmond Burger, and no menu in Liverpool is complete without Scouse, served with beetroot and bread and butter. A selection of hot and cold sandwiches is available daily from 12pm. R Bar & Brasserie also serves breakfast and Afternoon Tea daily. Diners can also enjoy Sunday Lunch with live Jazz music.
Restaurant & Bar Vincent, located at the Exchange Flags building in Liverpool, owned by ex-Liverpool player Steven Gerrard, is being taken over by well-regarded Scouse Chef Aiden Byrne. Since Aiden is a proud Liverpool fan, it seems like a natural passing of the torch. The new venture is set to become a grill type establishment. ~ Apr 19
International burger joint Five Guys is to take up tenancy in the old Rat and Parrot building at Liverpool's Queen Square. Five Guys will take up the 3,850sq ft unit on the ground floor of the building and will be the first of the brand’s restaurants in Merseyside, with the only other North West venue at the Trafford Centre, in Manchester. ~Oct 15
Liverpool's Tratorria 51 is now offering a menu of dishes, 95% of which are free of gluten. “Gone are the days when gluten free food has to taste bland and quite frankly boring,” said Trattoria 51 owner Attilio Sergi. ~10 Mar
Just as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard prepares for a move to Los Angeles, his Southport based restaurant is to close its doors, with a view to echoing it's owner's move. Gerrard's eatery is set to relocate to Liverpool city centre, in a new operation to be called Vincent Café and Cocktail bar. Its site is currently a secret. ~ 02 Feb
Michelin starred chef Jean Christophe Novelli is set to put his name over the door of a restaurant at Liverpool's Hilton Doubletree hotel. The restaurant will be French brasserie style and will house around 120 covers. Recruitment is now taking place, with all staff set to complete their training at JCN's academy. ~ 26 Jan
The rapid expansion of the New Moon Pub co is continuing with their first site in Liverpool city centre, on Hardman Street in May. ~ 26 Jan
This year's Good Food Guide regional award winners have been announced with Delifonseca in Liverpool scooping the Best North West title and going forward to the final for the best in the country on June 19th. ~ 21 May
