James Nesbitt left 'gobsmacked' by bill in restaurant, 'in a good way'

Irish Daily Mirror

2 days ago

A famous actor surprised staff and customers at a Liverpool restaurant earlier this week.
Staff at Papillon in Hope Street in the city were not expecting to see James Nesbitt pop in for what was not his first visit to the eatery.
James has featured in several hit shows over the years such as Cold Feet, Bloodlands and The Missing. He visited Merseyside this week to receive a companionship from Sir Paul McCartney at a Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) graduation ceremony on Tuesday (July 29) but found time the day after to pop into the restaurant for his lunch.
James posed for pictures with staff and those eating in the restaurant, reports The Liverpool Echo.
He and two friends shared a gambas pil pil, buttermilk barbecue chicken tenders and a pepperoni pizza, with two bottles of Viognier and a bottle of premium Ripasso. The bill came to around £140 (approximately €160). Sir Paul McCartney James Nesbitt at the LIPA graduation ceremony on Tuesday (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo about what James was like, Leigh Elliott, a 33 year-old from West Derby in Liverpool who is Papillon's social media manager, said: "It was fabulous meeting him. He was lovely and super sociable with all the guests.
"He kept taking time out of his visit to speak to people who recognised him. He really loved the restaurant and said the food and wine were great.
"He enjoyed the vibe and commented on how affordable the prices were, even though he was buying premium wine. He was gobsmacked by the price of the bill, in a good way. One of the chefs said he's been here before, so this might have been his second visit. We were definitely surprised to see him as he just came along as a walk-in. This wasn't a pre-booked visit."
James praised the work of students at LIPA on Tuesday as he was honoured alongside James Bond director Sir Sam Mendes, actor Adrian Lester and indie band The Wombats, who were formed at LIPA.
At the ceremony, which took place at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, James said: "I'm so honoured to accept this award from LIPA. James Nesbitt in the restaurant with staff member Craig (Image: Leigh Elliott/Papillon)
"When I visited a few months ago to speak to a group of students I was immediately struck by just what an extraordinary seat of learning this is, home to inspirational teachers and magnificent facilities out of which clearly pours creativity, innovation, passion, authenticity, collaboration and joy.
"After my talk I was lucky enough to see a short scene from a new take on Oklahoma. It was honestly astonishing, breathtaking and, somehow, courageous."
Parents of LIPA students were also in Papillon when James visited. Leigh added: "We had two customers whose daughters had just graduated from LIPA. He had spoken to them before and encouraged her to keep going. When he came in, he spoke to them again. He just seemed really nice."
Papillon has been a popular fixture on one of Liverpool's most iconic streets for several years but Leigh says it's received even more attention in recent months.
This is because several scenes of hit BBC crime drama This City Is Ours, featuring James Nelson-Joyce as Michael Kavanagh and Hannah Onslow and Diana Williams, were filmed in the restaurant.
Leigh said: "It's brilliant. Since This City Is Ours was shown, loads have come in asking to sit where Michael and Diana sat. It's on their doorstep but they're coming here for the first time.
"We have had a lot of publicity. Pepsi came and did a collaboration with an influencer recently. We've had a lot more orders for burgers because they had one while they were here."
Others being honoured by Sir Paul on Tuesday were director Gay Linvill, who has directed episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and Go Live Theatre chief executive and arts accessibility campaigner Sita McIntosh.
LIPA was founded by Sir Paul and Mark Featherstone-Witty in 1996, on the site of the old Liverpool Institute – the former school of both Sir Paul and Beatles bandmate George Harrison, and the adjacent Liverpool Art College, once attended by John Lennon.
This year's graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of around 420 graduating students from more than 30 countries, including Colombia, Hong Kong and India.
Get all the big crime and court stories direct to your phone on our new WhatsApp service. Sign up here.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week