Chester’s only Michelin Guide Italian restaurant gets set to reopen #Blog
Briony Wilson
9th April 2021
Husband and wife team, Chef Valentina Aviotti and Fabrizio Gobbato, who own Da Noi Chester on Bridge Street are getting ready to reopen their doors once indoor dining restrictions ease next month.
In 2012, Valentina and Fabrizio moved from Turin to Cheshire. After struggling to find a truly authentic Italian restaurant in the North West, the couple launched Da Noi Ristorante in 2018 with Valentina as Head Chef. Just four months after opening, Valentina’s authentic Italian cuisine caught the eye of the Michelin inspectors and Da Noi has been listed on the Michelin Guide two years in a row.
Working to the seasons, Chef Valentina’s carefully curated menu aims to transport guests to her hometown of Turin with regional specialities. Dishes on Da Noi’s new spring menu include salted cod black arancini with asparagus mayonnaise and fried sage leaves, as well as Mortadella and ricotta filled ravioli with pecorino sauce and pistachios.
The team have received a hugely positive response to the reopening news on social media and the first two weeks from May 20th are almost fully booked.
Valentina comments: “The pandemic has made it incredibly difficult for restaurants to survive, as a small, family-owned business we have been closed for much of the past year. Thankfully we adapted to provide our ‘Da Noi at Home’ takeaway offering, as well as our outdoor weekend pop up ‘In Strada’ which literally translates to ‘in the street’ where we have been cooking up a storm outside our restaurant on Bridge Street.
“Da Noi means ‘at our home’ in English, which sums up exactly how we want our customers to feel. We combine locally-sourced, seasonal produce such as meat from David Joinson’s butchers and veg from Francis Thomas with selected imported ingredients that have ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ status, such as PDO Gorgonzola ‘Igor’ and PDO ‘Carnaroli’ rice from Piemonte.
“Our customers have been so supportive and we can’t wait to welcome them back to dine with us. We’re busy giving the interior of the restaurant a new look and I’ve been working hard in the kitchen developing dishes for the new menu.
“Da Noi is a very small place and with social distancing restrictions we can only fit around 18 covers, so it’s really important customers book in advance to avoid disappointment.”
Da Noi will open its doors on 20th May, subject to government guidelines.