Mystery surrounds Michelin Guide restaurant due to silent September
Röski, the celebrated Rodney Street restaurant, has created confusion among customers and the hospitality scene by not opening so far this month (September).
The fine dining restaurant, where chef patron and Masterchef: The Professionals winner Anton Piotrowski serves seasonal tasting menus in an intimate setting, has not reopened this month, causing speculation as to whether it’s closed for good.
Liverpool Confidential has approached the restaurant several times for confirmation of whether it has fully closed, or simply gone dark for several weeks, following reports from within hospitality that the Rodney Street spot has been closed all month.
While not a usual source of information for us here at Liverpool Confidential, a TripAdvisor review from 6 September from a confused customer read: “We travelled a long way for this. When we got there, they were shut! No phonecall, nor explanation. Nothing. We rang at the time, straight to voicemail. I left messages this morning. Nothing. I am thoroughly disappointed and shocked how such a prestigious establishment can do this to their guests!”
The restaurant’s social media channels have been quiet since mid to late August, and make no mention of a planned break from service.
Puzzling.
As well as seeking confirmation multiple times from owner Anton, we sent a reporter to the restaurant on Wednesday evening ahead of its scheduled 6pm opening, who found it was indeed shut. He asked two passerby, the tenants of a neighbouring flat, who said they hadn’t seen any of the restaurant team for three weeks.
Of course we hope this is just a holiday, as the 30-cover restaurant has been a favourite of Liverpool Confidential since it opened back in December 2017, scoring 18.5 /20, and maintaining a high score when Editor-at-Large Jonathan Schofield visited back in March of this year.
It has also garnered praise in the national press from the likes of The Telegraph's William Sitwell and The Observer's Jay Rayner, who back in 2018 declared "just find something worth celebrating, even if it’s merely the gruelling business of being alive, and use it as the excuse to go and eat at Röski in Liverpool."
Set in a beautiful Georgian townhouse and included in the Michelin Guide, it has long been seen as the standout restaurant in Liverpool and the place most likely to bag the city's first, and long-awaited, Michelin star.
In his review earlier this year, Jonathan Schofield was effusive about the dining experience created by Anton and his staff.
“Röski on Rodney Street is one of the best fine dining experiences in the North West.
“The food is elegant, refined, and complex. The service is warm, efficient and easy-going. The small dining room is a simple canvas for the excellent food and service and is mainly wood and mellow paint tones. There’s just a hint of luxury with the light fittings.
“The whole experience is calming, tranquil. This seems apt as Roski is hosted in a Georgian town house on one of the finest Georgian streets in the country. The architecture recalls the Age of Enlightenment and its clear-headed objective view of the world rather than our self-obsessed subjective ‘lived experience’ age.
“This is not an inexpensive dining out occasion but where is for fine dining? There’s a set tasting menu of £115 with an optional wine pairing at £75.
“I really enjoyed this meal. It was rich in its flavours yet, as stated before, carried such elegance. It is very expensive, more than £400 for our meal, but definitely worth filling up a piggy bank if you love your dining out and are seeking a special occasion.”
All of which begs the question; why is it closed and will it reopen? We certainly hope so.
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