Aiden and his wife Sarah aim to open the 35-cover fine dining venue by the end of October
Renowned chef Aiden Byrne is asking the public to pitch in and help open his new venture; a 35-cover fine dining restaurant on Knutsford's King Street.
With a strong belt of accolades, including becoming the youngest chef to earn a restaurant (Adlards, Norwich) a Michelin star in 2002, appearing on television shows including Great British Menu and MasterChef: The Professionals, and solidifying two Michelin stars for London 5* grand, The Dorchester, Aiden is no stranger to succeeding in a challenge.
Byrne also opened Manchester House, a popular fine dining spot in the city in the 2010s, before taking over as chef-patron at Instagrammable rooftop destination 20 Stories, continuing to innovate menus with his modern British cuisine.
Aiden and Sarah’s new restaurant Li-Ly (pronounced ‘Lee-Lee’) will take over the former Kampai Sushi Bar and Grill on 48 King Street, a property which has stood vacant for a year, and will give the 300-year-old Grade II-listed building a new lease of life.
Byrne took to social media to alert his followers of his plans, outlining his intention to give the building a much-needed overhaul before service at the restaurant could commence. He described the building as “pretty dilapidated” and in need of “some serious attention”.
The crowdfunding campaign launches at the end of August and will run until early-to-mid October, with the intentions of opening at the end of that month or very early on in November.
Like most crowdfunders, Byrne will be offering rewards in exchange for funding, including a spot at the launch night event and cookery masterclasses. Those who help raise the money needed will be able to get something back.
“There’s been this stigma around crowdfunding. I think there needs to be a little bit more of a conversation about it. People’s perception is that you’re getting free money but the reality is you have to sell something for it,” said Byrne, adding “That’s what crowdfunding is, it’s paying it forward. We’ve still got to provide the meals that people have donated for and pay the VAT and so on.”
The restaurant service will be split into lunch and dinner and, despite falling into the fine dining category, both menus will be available for under £100.
“We’re going to do a six course menu at lunchtime, which will change monthly, and an eight-to-nine-course menu in the evening,” explained Aiden, adding that it will be “£60 for the lunch menu and £90 for the dinner menu.”
Aiden hopes to spend the next 10 to 15 years continuing his passion as a chef, with Li-Ly providing the framework for that. “I want to do what I love for the last few years of my working career,” he told Confidentials.
Aiden and Sarah's Crowdfunder will go live shortly, but in the meantime you can keep up to date with developments including daily crowdfunder countdowns, on Aiden's Instagram.
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