IT’S a long way from a makeshift pop-up in a Liverpool Baltic Triangle bar famous for its giant rooftop rat made from recyled plastic milk bottles but FINCA have made it to a summer residency in Artisan’s Café Bar in Spinningfields.
Via BBC’s Million Dollar Menu, filmed not far away at Beastro, where the Merseyside-based Cuban street food concept made a big impression. Just as it did on Taste of Manchester on a random roam around Liverpool two years ago.
In particular their signature Cubano sandwich – bread stuffed with well-marinated Mojo pork shoulder and some gorgeous glazed gammon. Emmenthal, sharp mustard and pickled cucumbers completed our favourite ham and cheese toastie of that year or any other.
Equally impressive is the Ropa Frita (main picture) – juicy slow cooked beef brisket, crispy shoestring potato, pickled red onion, roast garlic aioli and homemade FINCA guava BBQ sauce all in a filled brioche.
On Million Pound Menu, fronted by Fred Sirieix, the four friends behind Finca certainly impressed Living Ventures’ co-founder, Jeremy Roberts (pictured below) with the boys), who made them an investment offer. Now their summer residency will kick off at the group’s Artisan venue on Thursday, June 7, serving a food menu from 12pm until 9pm, seven days a week.
Alongside the Cubanos they’ll also be trialling new dishes with a number of vegetarian and vegan options. Plus another first a matching cocktail list including a Cuban espresso martini, a pineapple mojito and a mango and vanilla daiquiri. With DJs on FRiday and Saturday.
Michael Harrison, chef and co-founder of FINCA, says: “We’ve been perfecting our craft for the past two years in the North West street food scene with FINCA so it’s brilliant to have this opportunity to take over a prime location at Artisan to bring our food to the forefront.”
