Woolton Road is about to wake up and smell the cinnamon buns
A FORMER off licence near Mosspits Lane Primary School will soon reopen as Fika, a Swedish-inspired coffee shop serving traditional Scandinavian delicacies.
‘Fika’ is the Swedish word for coffee break, a huge part of Swedish culture - the Swedes take them as seriously as the Spanish take their siestas. It is a valued opportunity to take time out of your busy day to have coffee, cake, pastry or pie, together with friends or to meet new friends in the shop.
Anthony Grice is the man behind the project, who some might remember from his days managing Liverpool’s Caesars Palace, at the time, the largest restaurant in the UK outside London. Since those days, he has travelled to Sweden a number of times to help run his family restaurant, Ateriet (which means ‘to eat’).
Although Anthony hasn’t ruled out the idea of opening a similar Swedish restaurant in Liverpool, for now he’s testing the water with Fika, which will serve freshly baked cinnamon rolls, smørrebrød (open sandwiches), chokladbullar (chocolate balls) along with breads, Scandinavian breakfasts - all hand made at the shop along with a range of cakes, including gluten free and vegan versions.
...he didn’t disclose whether he’ll be spending the next couple of weeks assembling flat pack furniture
Homemade jams and spreads will use berries from local farms in the city. Of course, they’ll also be serving the world famous knutbullar, Swedish meatballs, which Anthony maintains are “like Ikea’s but miles better!”
In terms of the design, it will look similar to his restaurant in Sweden which is slightly industrial looking with wooden walls, lots of straight lines and a grey, black and brown colour scheme – he didn’t disclose whether he’ll be spending the next couple of weeks assembling flat pack furniture.
Fika will import quite a few authentic Swedish ingredients and Anthony is considering selling a number of Swedish specialities in a mini deli section in the near future. Coffee is very important to the Scandinavians, so Fika have created their own special blend from coffee beans roasted in Sweden – they’re just waiting for the espresso machine to arrive from Italy and are expected to be open by the end of the month.
Fika, 131 Woolton Road, Liverpool 15, next to Mosspits School (open by March)
