Today we are wishing a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a key member in The Avenue Family and office team, Niv! Niv is married to our very own Sophie Shalgi (Horsford) and he joined The Avenue family back in February 2019. He instantly began running and absolutely smashing the Finance and Marketing side of our family-run business, and since then he hasn’t looked back – and let’s be honest, why would he!?

In true Avenue style, we thought we would celebrate his birthday with an interview so you can all get to know him a little better!

What is your favourite recipe to cook at the moment?

Anything with noodles really, especially when involved with Asian flavours: soy, fish sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and lot and lots of chillies.

What is your Favourite restaurant in London and why? 

Hmm hard question, I usually would say Zuma however I recently went to Pidgin and had the fixed menu which was really good!

Where was your Best Eat Out To Help Out experience you’ve had so far and what did you order? 

Sophie and I recently went to Lina Stores in Soho and I was blown away by their Mushroom Ragu pasta. It was great to sit in amongst the streets of Soho enjoying some amazing pasta whilst enjoying the London buzz, and people watching as the restaurants and pubs take over the streets.

If you were hosting a dinner party at The Avenue which 3 celebs (dead or alive) would you invite? 

I think it will be a lot more fun to have them all dead, so I would probably choose; Winston Churchill, a great character and a fantastic drunk. Elvis Presley, as I’m sure he will have some great stories and maybe Jesus to see if he would live up to the hype around him.

What did you get up to in isolation? 

I was lucky enough to quarantine at my father-in-law’s in Somerset, it was a great place to see the spring turn into summer while working together with Richard on our sometimes daily cook-alongs. I’m also happy to say that we are expecting another member in The Avenue family in January so I guess I got up to that as well 🙂

What is your favourite album to listen to whilst whipping up a storm in the kitchen?  

I think it is more a Spotify + Alexa mixture these days rather than albums, but I have been listening to a lot of Bill Withers recently when cooking. Love his voice!

What is your go-to alcoholic bevvy and where is your favourite place to enjoy it?

I’m usually a Lager drinker when I’m just having a chilled drink. Then I turn into a bit of a vodka drinker when there is dancing involved, however recently, Sophie and I have been very happy to meet and explore the world of natural wines.

What is your favourite thing to do in London other than hanging out at The Avenue? 

I have to say I have rediscovered my love for cycling in London. You wouldn’t see me wearing those tight spandex outfits; but I really enjoy a long chilled cycle that ends in a pub for a drink, preferably along the Thames, and then leads to a nice dinner. I cycled around Hackney Marshes recently and stopped at a few breweries along the way, that was really good fun.

If you had to create a brand new class at The Avenue, what would be on the menu? 

I’ve been trying to get Richard to do an All You Can Eat Dumpling Class for a little while now, I think that would be a banger. I would certainly join, probably more than once!

Would you rather use Houmous as hair gel or Tahini as shaving cream 

Tahini for sure. A- I don’t shave and B- If I did shave, I could at least benefit from the yummy flavour, whilst also looking like a total idiot. Whereas if I was to wear houmous as hair gel I would just look like a total idiot, full stop.

 

There you have it, Niv is another year old and you now know 10 random facts about yet another member of The Avenue Family!