A Nottingham chef is hoping the public will help him raise £100,000 so he can complete his new restaurant. Major refurbishment is underway at Mollis, the second venture for Alex Bond, next door to his Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemilla in Derby Road.
However, the chef patron needs a further £100k to help him over line due to rising costs and unexpected structural issues at the property that used to be Chinese restaurant One More. Mollis is a completely different concept to the fine dining restaurant, combining some of Alex's biggest loves - fried chicken, ice cream, hip hop and graffiti.
He said: "We want to turn this rundown non-descript building into something really special. Mollis is already underway with people working around the clock to meet expected deadlines. We're already on the back foot after being closed throughout lockdown, and more recently suffering with rising costs and unexpected structural issues."
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Alex added: "The build has been going really well and we are on target for a November opening but, due to some unforeseeable setbacks, mostly structural issues with the building we have had to mend, our budget has taken a hit. We have had to fully repair the whole roof and other damaged areas."
The Kickstarter will launch on Saturday, October 1, and will run for 14 days. The all-or-nothing model of fundraising means Alex has to hit the target to receive any of the cash.
In return for donations, there are rewards including tickets to collaboration dinners with some of Britain’s best chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants including Simon Martin of Mana in Manchester, Tom Brown of Cornerstone in Hackney, Peter Sanchez of Casa Mia and Decimo and Brad Carter of Carters of Mosley.
There's also limited edition Mollis T-shirts designed by graffiti artists Kid 30 and Boaster and cocktail master classes with award-winning bar manager Daniel Warren. It's five years since Alex opened Alchemilla.
Mollis will be more casual serving fried chicken and soft serve ice cream that "will blow people's minds". Classic cocktails like Margaritas and Pina Coladas will be served but not as you know them. All this will be against a backdrop of classic hip hop, old-skool rap, and garage. As for the surroundings, a team of Nottingham streets artists Dilk, Kid 30 and Boaster will decorating the walls.
Since day one Alex has created quite the name for himself, from Chef to Watch awarded by the Good Food Guide, New Restaurant of the Year by Craft Guild of Chefs, four Rosettes and a Michelin Star in 2020. He’s also made a couple of appearances on The Great British Menu, and the second time saw him take his starter to the banquet. He was also pitted against chef Tom Aikens battling it out on Snackmasters, in the bid to create a KFC dish as close to the original as possible.
Alex said: "I’ve always loved fried chicken and it’s been my favourite ‘junk food’ but I’ve always had this niggling feeling that it could be infinitely better. Practically the whole world has chicken dishes that we can riff on plus unique flavour combos and some old-skool classics done a little different.
"Plus, my go to sweet thing is always an ice cream, which we will be approaching with the same inventiveness and child like intrigue we do with everything. All of this paired alongside incredible cocktails from world-class winner Daniel Warren and the team, spanking organic wines, and local craft beers. It’s gonna be buzzin',"
On top of creating five-course meals for people to enjoy at home through lockdown, Alex also started experimenting with koji, a fungus used in Asian ingredients such as miso, soy sauce, mirin and the drink sake. It will play a big part in Mollis' menu along with the usual methods involved in his cooking including fermentation and pickling. To support the Kickstarter appeal, starting on October 1, click here.
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