A ‘robata grill’ restaurant will open in Liverpool in December inside the new Radisson RED hotel. Tony McDonough reports

A new restaurant offering barbecue-style dishes is to open in the new Radisson RED hotel in Liverpool.

Radisson RED, a £30m project, will see the North Western Halls in Lime Street converted into a 201-bedroom hotel. The Grade II-listed building opened as a hotel in 1871 but closed in the 1930s. In 1996 it became student accommodation but later closed down.

It is due to open in December and, at the same time, its in-house restaurant, called STOKE, will also start welcoming diners. STOKE is a ‘robota grill’ restaurant, offering barbecue-style dishes.

Specialising in organic seasonal dishes and small plates, the venue will be run by executive chef Paul Whitfield. He brings more than 30 years of culinary experience to the role, crafting a menu of classic dishes with a grilled twist created on a robata grill.

Working with local suppliers, Paul and his team will offer diners a menu that includes an 800g 38-day dry aged and grassfed ribeye, Dover sole with seasonal herbs, salad and lemon, as well as whole roasted chicken.

The menu also offers plenty of vegetarian options such as sticky barbeque maitake mushrooms and truffle arancini. It will champion local food and drink including beer from Love Lane brewery, fresh fish from Fleetwood and Lancashire and Cheshire cheese.

Paul said: “We’re incredibly excited to fire up the grill and show Liverpool the fantastic food and drink menu we’ve been working on.

“A lot of preparation has gone into the menu using a farm-to-fork strategy which will educate our guests on where their food has come from. We hope the amazing quality of the food will encourage people to shop local and find out more about the sorts of ingredients that are right on their doorsteps.

“I’ve spent most of my career wanting to create lasting memories for people through good food.

“I’m looking forward to creating more moments in this stunning new restaurant – STOKE is anything but ordinary and we hope our diners will see this from the moment they step inside.”

Gary Waring, general manager at Radisson RED Liverpool, added: “STOKE is going to play an important role in helping us deliver on our promise of something fresh and exciting for the city.”