news Archives - Da Noi Chester

Eat and drink in Chester

In this week’s post, I wanted to share some of my favourite places to eat and drink in our wonderful hometown, Chester.

Chester has abundance of incredible restaurants, bars and pubs so it was hard to choose which places to include. So if you are a Chester bar/restaurant or pub and you are not included – no we do not dislike you, these are just the spots we are loving at the moment!

APERITIVO…

Paysan https://paysanwine.co.uk/ If you are ever in Chester looking to try a new wine, Paysan is the place to go! The cheese selection is divine and you will be in safe hands with wine and cheese pairings. The venue itself is really interesting, set in the historic Chester rows.

Cavern of The Curious Gnome https://thecavernofthecuriousgnome.co.uk/

Not only does this pub have a great name, it also has a wide selection of German, Belgian and British craft ales. The decoration inside the pub is described as ‘bonkers’, and we couldn’t agree more!

Both are located on Bridge Street Row.

That Beer Place https://thatbeerplace.co.uk/

Absolutely amazing amount of craft beers from across the world to choose from. It’s always a treat visiting That Beer Place as you never know what will be in stock. I would definitely would recommend the great range of Weiss beers!

Chester’s Indoor Market (relocating on Foregate Street)

Vin Santo https://vinsantochester.co.uk/

Located in Chester’s historic 13th Century crypted cellars on Watergate Street, Vin Santo is a wine shop and wine bar run by four friends with a passion for good wine. You can tell from the moment you enter that everyone there loves wine! A must place for any party.

Watergate Street

DINNER WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS…

Stile Napoletano https://stilenapoletanopizzeria.co.uk/

Watergate Street

Pizza that transports your tastebuds to the narrow alleys of Naples! Quick and tasty food place, which everyone must visit in Chester. Giacomo is undoubtedly a talent and I would recommend the pizza buns – two deep fried mini pizza buns with mustard/mayo sauce, smoked mozzarella, raw red prawn, courgette chips.

Hamayuu https://hamayuu.co.uk/

Watergate Street

Japanese food with same ethos as Da Noi! The chef at Hamayuu sources seasonal ingredients from the food market. Regardless of the time of year, you can be sure you’re enjoying the best produce the season has to offer. The chicken katsu curry is like a hug in a bowl!

Porta https://www.portatapas.co.uk/

Northgate Street

Delicious tapas, with a very relaxed feel that makes you think you are in bustling Madrid or Barcelona. You must try Buñuelos de gambas. Spicy prawn fritters, light and crispy, served with a herb mayonnaise!

These are just some of my favourite places to eat and drink in Chester but please share your top picks over on our socials

Until next time – Fabrizio

Nov 10, 2021

Our vision, our promise

In this Monday post I want to share something more personal about our vision.

Our product offer at Da Noi is definitely becoming more sought after, with the natural evolution of our experience. It’s time to tell you why I have decided to change my whole life to follow this dream.

When I arrived here in 2012 for my Bentley adventure I immediately identified a gap in the Italian hospitality scene. As a very passionate eater and wine drinker, it was difficult for me to find several high quality establishments focusing on real, authentic, good food and wines with care and attention. Plus, I noticed that the concept of “Eating Italian” was awkwardly distorted.. and I could not seriously figure out why.

I found it difficult to understand why the same people that rave about the food they have during their trips in Italy.. mass-populate the floors of local establishments that would not exist in our home country.

Almost ten years later, that gap still exists. We founded Da Noi three years ago as the stepping stone of our wider vision. Da Noi has so far allowed us to send the message that Italian restaurants indeed are different in our country. 90% of them look like us.

Whilst we focus on Da Noi’s growth and work on our venue move, we bring forward our vision in parallel.

It would be too obvious to say we could open Da Noi Manchester, Da Noi Edinburgh, Da Noi Chelsea. It would definitely work, wouldn’t it?

Our intention is instead to develop a complete brand with many different branches. One per every key aspect of the Italian hospitality in our country. Think of what you like to eat and drink when you are there, think of all the beautiful experiences in a restaurant, in a wine bar serving “aperitivo”, in an ice-cream shop, in a pizzeria to name a few.

We want to create this here in UK and we are thrilled by this view to take shape over the next decade. I will share more about this in the future.. but look out for project number two to come along soon!

Until next time – Fabrizio

Oct 04, 2021

Moving..

So, finally last week we have released the news everyone (including us!) has been waiting for: we will move Da Noi to a larger Chester City Centre venue, to accommodate the creation of a professional kitchen for Chef Valentina Aviotti and her team, and a more complete space for our guests.

Yeah, we have been working in the background for over a year now to find the right place. Been a real challenge with the pandemic in the middle, having to make sure our head could always stick out of water. But we deemed this as a primary target for us for the restart and we are glad we’re on our way now.

The timescale, you ask: our target is Spring 2022, but like everything, we cannot promise you anything certain.

What is for sure is that we will keep working hard with our collaborators to make it happen, whilst we keep our activity at our current premises on Bridge Street running as usual, and you keep filling the “Magic Box” venue up week in and week out!

We will certainly need your constant support to make sure that we’re ready to make the switch smoothly and in the shortest time when it will be time to next year.

Keep your eyes peeled for more info on this as the weeks go by. The location is secret but it will be no longer when we put pen on paper!

A presto

F&V

Sep 15, 2021

Arrivederci Ceci

News slot this week is dedicated to our Chef Cecilia, who decided to take a break and leave Da Noi to focus on other projects for her life.

Ceci has been an example of dedication to Da Noi. Always present, always there. We cannot think of anything we have done over the last couple of years that Ceci did not take part to.

We are extremely grateful to this young lady and wish her all the best.

Onwards and upwards!

Sep 02, 2021

We turn 3!

Probably very few of you can remember this picture.

I took it at the beginning of August 2018, stepping out the shop during a break from helping the joiners working inside the venue. Nostrils and throat full of sawdust, during my week off from Bentley.

Little did I know about owning a business in hospitality. Little did I know about how working with your wife feels like. A lot of chasing-ups (it’s x10 now..), plans destroyed on a daily basis.. Recruiting?!?

My passion for my country and its culinary roots, the hard working mentality and a genuine excitement for taking a risk got me into wanting to start Da Noi up as part of a greater vision, aiming to bring back tradition and authenticity.

Da Noi will celebrate its third birthday on Sunday 22nd.

It will be amazing to see as many of you, regulars or new, filling up the restaurant this week, and tell you all about our future plans. We will be closed on Sunday, for some deserved celebrations with the team.

Thanks for being on this journey with us.

Fabrizio

Aug 16, 2021

Exciting times.

I know, I know.

I have not been writing any news for a month. Is it to build up expectations? No.

Very simple. Chef Valentina and I have recently been moving house so we have been spending our last few Mondays lifting boxes and assembling furniture, in amongst the usual churn of catching up with admin and lots of planning for our current and new projects.

So, finally, I can share with you some news and updates, eh?

The Summer Menu at Da Noi is an amazing delight. It’s the best Chef has ever done and for me it’s her consecration one. There literally isn’t a thing I would change on this menu, it’s totally won me over. From the chick peas starter to the “inside-out ravioli”, to the gorgeous lamb dish, to the ricotta&pear tart. Literally everything is in the right place.

It was a pleasure to pair our gorgeous nectars to this wonderful food. It’s the beauty of my job as owner and as wine lover/connoisseur. It is fantastic also to witness your expressions onsite, and thanks for all these comments and for filling up Da Noi day in and day out, the business has never been so good.

Many things are happening in the background.

As a team-Valentina’s crew will add a new member from tomorrow. A new chef with ideas, experience, techniques and a massive drive to take us to a new level. We will welcome him in due course.

I have never kept it as a secret that we have outgrown in our current restaurant location and that we need the appropriate size premises (most of all with the appropriate size kitchen for Chef Valentina). Things seem to be close to be unlocked and we can’t wait to disclose some details about the new venue. All I can say for now is that it will be a blank canvas venue where we will design the restaurant of our dreams!

Finally, we are also nearly ready to announce something else that’s been bubbling in the background for a while now, and that will enable us to take a definitive direction in morphing the creation of our Italian hospitality brand, which is our primary vision.

Lamb rump/wild berries/vanilla flavoured puree/hazelnuts

Aug 02, 2021

Press talk about our Spring Menu!

These are really exciting times at Da Noi.

Less than three weeks ago we re-opened the doors of our little place to you. We started showcasing Chef Valentina Aviotti’s new brainchild menu-an amazing pathway of flavours, aromas and textures celebrating the spring season. Our incredible new friends at https://naturalselectiondesign.co.uk/ have finished editing our video.. after a couple of clips on social media, we are now ready to show you the full version of it. This will happen really soon!

The Spring Menu has caught the attention of the local public but we also had significant coverage from the regional press. This week post is dedicated to two new reviews that we would like to share with you:

Jessica Ward from Viva Magazine wrote the day we reopened on May 20th: https://vivamanchester.co.uk/michelin-restaurant-da-noi-unveils-new-menu/;

Jean Hill from His&Hers carefully described the six course taster here: https://www.hisandhersmag.co.uk/da-noi-chester/

Enjoy your reading and see you next week!

Jun 07, 2021

Two new Da Noi crew members

This week our news post is dedicated to our new team members, Kely and Matt.

Kely will start later this week (on Thursday) and brings her Italianness mixed to a Dominican influence, a powerful mix! She worked in several restaurants before including a few in London of a similar style and size as Da Noi. You’ll love her brightness and attention to detail!

Matt has already joined the gang a couple of weeks ago and perfectly fits with our vision and way of working. You should know that Matt’s interview at Da Noi lasted 3+ hours and ended up actually in Matt interviewing us (he had circa 40 questions all written down to ask!!). You will love his corteous manners and humour spikes!

Come visit us soon to meet our team members. To book you table visit Da Noi Chester Reservations (sevenrooms.com)

Jun 01, 2021

Our new video: preview

An extract of our presentation clip that will be published next week

This is Da Noi Chester.

We are now able to show you the clip that NSD have created for us. Dan and George have captured exactly the nature of our ethos and vision, and as a result this short clip is very empathetically emotional.

The story, the nature of what we do and why we do it are summarised in about 45 seconds. Powerful!

Enjoy this little clip, but stay connected for the full one coming soon..

May 24, 2021

Getting ready to re-open our doors to you

Ha, Da Noi friends!

It’s exciting to think that we will be able to see you once again really soon at Da Noi.

The team has been working really hard these days to make sure we can bring the show on in style. Chef Valentina Aviotti and her team have started the preparation work for the Spring Menu, the front of house team are training up to the menu and the new wine list entries.. we have made a few little interior changes as well to warm up the atmosphere and make our “magic box” more inviting.

We will hold a soft opening night on Tuesday 18th with 6 course tasting menu ahead of the grand reopening on Thursday 20th. We are thrilled to share the the stories about it to a selected number of press invitees and trail everything out.

The diary is definitely filling up for May, June is booking up fast and some of you are pinning their spots for July and August. We thank you infinitely for that, we cannot wait to have you over at Da Noi to enjoy freedom again, together with some good food and wines. Bookings as usual available on Sevenrooms here.

A little tour to show you the changes to our new interior.. just press play to enjoy!

May 10, 2021

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