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Gary Usher, the Northwest England-based chef who likes to fund new restaurants through Kickstarter, and is also known for his withering put-downs of Trip Advisor reviewers, has just smashed the target for his latest venture.
Usher was looking to raise £200,000 for a new bistro in Liverpool, called Wreckfish, which he plans to open in September 2017. The restaurant will serve "simple food in a relaxed environment, using the best quality produce possible." At an earlier pop-up in the city, Usher served dishes such as crispy beef croquette with pickled walnut mayo, blue cheese risotto balls, and dark chocolate mousse with fresh honeycomb.
Speaking to Insider Media, Usher said: "There's about 50 people who are into it who have just been what's the word relentless, absolutely relentless, telling people, retweeting, tweeting me, telling me to get a move on, encouraging me. These people have been encouraging me. These are the ones that have made it happen."
Several high profile chefs have thrown their weight behind the project, including Nathan Outlaw, Tom Kerridge and Michael O'Hare, with Usher raising close to £209,000 in total, a significant chunk of the money needed to launch the restaurant.
Wreckfish will be Usher's fourth restaurant and the second to be crowdfunded, following a successful campaign to raise £100,000 to open Burnt Truffle in the Wirral back in 2014.
Usher's cooking has drawn priase from the likes of Observer food critic Jay Rayner and his first restaurant, Sticky Walnut in Chester, ranked number 74 in Restaurant Magazine's Top 100 Restaurants in the UK 2016.
