menu THE DAILY POST FOOD & DRINK GUIDE December 2010
A Christmas cracker
Marco Pierre White on how to create the perfect festive meal
THE WORLD ON A PLATE WINE COLUMN HOME COOKING AT ITS BEST
DAILY POST Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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A true Italian experience
SERVING THE BEST IN ITALIAN FOOD Bar Italia Restaurant is situated at 48a Castle Street in the heart of Liverpool. Open daily for lunch and dinner - until 11pm on Saturdays
Opening Times Bar Italia is open six days of the week: Monday-Friday: 11.30am to 3.00pm Tuesday-Saturday: 5.30pm to 11.00pm Mr. Franco Colangeli...and his team warmly invites you book your Christmas fayre in his superb Italian Restaurant, enjoy the finest of Italian cuisine or traditional English Fayre. Attentive service, beautiful setting and a glowing atmosphere. Ciao a Presto FRANCO
Why not book your New Years Eve party at Bar Italia with karaoke & disco and open til late. CAll Franco for further details
Franco’s Ristorante Where Italians love to eat
Also available for Business Lunches • Birthdays • • Parties • Celebrations • Office Functions Monday to Friday 11.30am-3.00pm • Tuesday to Saturday 5.30-11.00pm
48a Castle Street, Liverpool • Tel: 0151 236 3375 Fax: 0151 236 7260 • www.baritalialiverpool.com
CHRISTMAS FAYRE LUNCH
EGG MAYONNAISE OR HOME MADE VEGETABLE SOUP ROAST TURKEY OR LASAGNE OR SALMON SAMBUCA SEASONAL VEGETABLES CHOICE OF SWEETS
£19.95
COFFEE AND MINTS £2.10 EXTRA
CHRISTMAS FAYRE DINNER
SEAFOOD COCKTAIL OR EGG MAYONAISSE OR HOME MADE VEGETABLE SOUP ROAST TURKEY SALMON SAMBUCA ENTRECOTE STEAK CHASSE UR OR ANY PASTA OF YOUR CH OICE SEASONAL VEGETABLES CHOICE OF SWEETS
£22.95
COFFEE AND MINTS £2.10 EXTRA
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
menu
chef’s table
Perfectiononaplate
Worriedabout gettingyour festivefood right?Emma Johnsongets sometipsfrom celebritychefs
Festive treats
BORED of Cosmos and Caiprinhas and looking for a new cocktail to add to your party repertoire? Then why not try one of these fabulous concoctions from Mike “Bill” Williams at the Red Door Neighbourhood Bar and Kitchen, in West Kirby.
T
THE TOBLERONE TUMBLER
HE youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars (at the age of 33), Marco Pierre White was lauded by critics for his intricate creations before he notoriously returned his stars in 1999 and retired from his kitchen. He came to the North West in February, taking on The Swan Inn, in Aughton, and his Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill is set to open in Liverpool in spring, 2011. For the famous kitchen firebrand, only one bird works on the Christmas table. It has to be turkey. “When I was a child, we used to have turkey on Christmas Day like many families – it always had that sense of occasion and tasted delicious surrounded by all those trimmings,” says the Leeds-born chef. “No other bird encapsulates the Christmas spirit or creates that feeling of excitement on the family table.” Below, he offers up his own recipe for getting it just right (that’s it on the cover).
Ingredients
At home with Jamie “I COOK pretty much every year,” says Jamie Oliver, who opened his Jamie’s Italian in Liverpool One this summer. “I either do it all or I share it with mum. Christmas is all about roast potatoes, killer gravy and great turkey – and if you get that right, then you won't fail,” says the cheeky chappy chef. “My favourite dish is probably my mum's retro trifle. It's a little bit boozy, with layers and layers of different blancmanges, jellies, sponges and grated chocolate - it's like a Damien Hirst art piece! “I've also done both turkey and goose for the last four years, and now no one can do without them. They go really well together. You can do the goose the day before, strip off the meat, put it in an earthenware dish then heat it up the next day, almost like a confit of duck. It doesn't clog up your oven and it's really tender. I do it every year now, like clockwork. “The trick with Christmas is to get organised. Fifteen minutes of note writing is all you need. Then get rid of anything that turns your kitchen into your front room, put it under the stairs, and get your kitchen back!”
Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White with his perfectly cooked turkey, roast potatoes and trimmings
MarcoPierreWhite'sChristmasturkey PRE-HEAT your oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for a conventional oven or 170°C for a fan assisted oven (please note that all cooking appliances vary in performance. For best results, refer to manufacturer's handbook). ■ If using a frozen turkey, ensure it's properly defrosted before you cook it. Once thawed, remove turkey from the packaging. ■ Remove the giblets and neck if not already done
so, and store separately in a covered container in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the gravy.
sure the thighs are well covered to prevent overcooking. Also baste regularly during cooking.
handy “turkey timer” which can be found at www.bernardmatthews farms.com
■ I advise cooking the stuffing separately, but if you wish to stuff your turkey, make sure you place the stuffing in the neck end only. For every 500g of stuffing used, increase the total cooking time by 10 minutes.
■ If cooking a Bernard Matthews Farms Golden Norfolk Turkey which is self-basting, there's no need to brush with oil or butter, or baste during cooking. Simply cover with foil.
■ Remove the foil for the final 30-40 minutes of cooking time, to allow the skin to brown and crisp. Also, warm up the serving dish you will be placing your turkey on.
■ If cooking an unbasted turkey, brush the skin with melted butter or oil, if desired, and cover loosely with foil, making
■ Next, place your turkey in the roasting tin and roast in a pre-heated oven, following the guidelines on the packaging or use my
■ To ensure your turkey is completely cooked, insert a clean skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. When cooked, the juices should run clear. If pinkish, return to the oven and
cook for a little longer, then re-test. ■ Once you're happy your turkey is completely cooked, carefully transfer it to your warm serving dish and allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes before carving. This allows time for the juices to come to the surface, making the meat moist and succulent. ■ Remember to wash your hands before and after handling raw poultry, and to clean the work surfaces.
22.5ml of Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur. 22.5ml of Brown Cacao (a chocolate liqueur) 25ml of half n' half – half n' half is milk and cream in equal quantities mixed together To make: Mix together and then serve in a Rocks glass, a small squat thick-based glass with ice and garnish it with a cheeky chunk of the Toblerone chocolate bar. THE VERY MERRY WINTER BERRY WARMER Ingredients 1 Blackberry 1 Raspberry 3 Red currants 7.5ml L/G (lemon juice and sugar syrup mix) 30ml of Russian Standard vodka 10ml of Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur To make: Mix all of the ingredients together, top up with hot water and serve in a tea glass with a cinnamon stick and the red currant garnish. Move over, Pimms, there’s a new winter cocktail in town. WITCHES BREW Ingredients 45ml of Antica Formula 10ml of Haymans London Dry Gin 15ml of Creme de Mure [blackcurrant flavoured liqueur] 5ml of L/G 75ml Lemonade To make: All ingredients, except the lemonade, are poured straight into a Collins glass (an 8 to 12 ounce narrow tumbler) with ice. Then it is topped up with the lemonade and garnished with half a strawberry, a lemon and orange slice and a mint sprig.
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
chef’s table
AtasteofChristmasaro C
HRISTMAS in Cuba is a sticky and spicy affair, if this recipe from Alma de Cuba head chef Steve Finn is anything to go by. And, as it is still essentially a turkey dinner, it may be one you would like to try yourself come December 25. Roast spiced breast of turkey with Havana rum gravy (will easily feed 10 )
WeallknowverywellwhatweBrits traditionallyeatatChristmas–but whatabouttherestoftheworld?
Ingredients: 1 x 2.5kg turkey breast boned and rolled (butterflied – lay the breast on the skin side down and cut an incision into the breast underneath the breast fillet, as this will enable you to have an equally thick piece of turkey meat), 125gm unsalted softened butter, 1 dspn salt freshly milled pepper 4 dspn hot smoked spice paprika 10 large fresh sage leaves Enough water to flood the bottom of the roasting tray Silicon paper and tin foil Method (pre-heat your oven to 180°C) 1. Lay a sheet of the silicon paper large enough to wrap around the entire turkey onto a flat clean surface. Smear with half the quantity of softened butter. 2. Generously season with salt, pepper and half the hot smoked paprika.
3. Lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down onto the silicon baking parchment, again smear the turkey flesh with the remaining butter and season liberally with the salt, pepper and paprika. 4. Fold the turkey back into its normal form and tightly wrap in the baking parchment. 5. Tear a double layer of tin foil large enough to wrap round the entire turkey breast, place the silicon paper wrapped breast onto the foil and roll into a tight log shape. Secure the ends of the tin foil by twisting tightly to ensure no juices are able to escape. 6. Place the wrapped turkey breast onto a wire rack inside a roasting tray and flood the bottom of the tray with water. 7. Place into a pre-heated oven and roast for approx one to one-and-a-half hours. Turkey must have a core temperature above 75°C and for its juices to be clear when checked. Havana Rum gravy (makes a litre) Ingredients 3 dspn of oil olive oil
R E S T A U R A N T
Finest Chinese & Thai Cuisine Tel: 0151 649 9888 www.sungrestaurant.co.uk
uffet All you can Eat B for your tion Christmas Celebra
FOOD IS FRESHLY PREPARED DAILY Over 100 authentic Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Traditional English dishes throughout December and New w Year. Ye
OPENING TIMES FOR CHRISTMAS
LUNCH BUFFET
CHRISTMAS GRAND BUFFET
Mon - Sat 12pm-4pm Adult £5.50 Child £2.75. (Including Xmas Eve & New Year)
Mon - Thurs 5pm-10pm Adult £9.50 Child £4.75 Fri - Sat 5pm-10pm Adult £10.50 Child £5.25. (Including Xmas Eve & New Year)
CHRISTMAS FAMILY BUFFET
on Sunday All Day 12pm-10pm Adult £8.50 Child £4.25 All babies and children under 2 years old eat Free Please Book Early For Assure Seating.
On the Thursday 16th December at 5.30pm we have A Lion Dance and KungFu Demonstration and Noodle Making Show to launch our New Live Noodle Bar The Noodle Bar will feature Master Chef cooking your meal in full view. We have Stir fried noodles with meat base of your choice and Noodle Soup with different meat base, Charcoal Grill and Tampayaki for your full and total enjoyment. Book early for your Christmas Party or any Celebration in our Free Function Room and Free private Karaoke Rooms for the party of your life.
The Staff and Management of Sung Restaurant wish all our Customers a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.
4466 Conway C onway Street S Birkenhead 0151 649 9888
2 x 70gm shallots banana (peel and slice into thin rings) 4 cloves of fresh garlic (peel, crush and finely chop) 30gm fresh thyme 4 dspn redcurrant jelly 100ml golden Havana rum 1.5 litres veal jus (or a very good supermarket alternative) 2 dspn salt 30ml balsamic vinegar 500ml red wine 1 pepper fresh milled Method 1. Heat a saucepan large enough to take the entire sauce recipe over a medium flame 2. Add olive oil then sliced shallots and crushed garlic and season lightly with salt. Reduce heat and gently sweat down for approx 5 to 8 minutes or until shallots are soft and clear. 3. Turn up heat and add balsamic vinegar and redcurrant jelly. Reduce by three quarters. 4. Add the rum, flame off the alcohol and reduce by three quarters. Add the red wine and again reduce by three quarters, scraping any residue from the bottom of the pan. 5. Add fresh thyme and the pre-heated veal jus, bring to boil and reduce to desired consistency then pass through a fine sieve. 6. Serve two slices of spiced turkey breast per person with vegetables such as Brussel sprouts, chantenay carrots, roast potatoes and, of course, all the Christmas trimmings.
Japan – whole roasted teriyaki chicken CHRISTMAS is popularly celebrated in Japan, even though most of the population isn't Christian. At home, popular Christmas dinner dishes change slightly year-by-year, but usually roast chicken or fried chicken and a Christmas cake are included. This recipe is from head chef Girish Gopalakrishnan, at Japanese restaurant Sakura, Liverpool city centre Ingredients: 1 whole chicken 1tsp of grated garlic Large pot of boiling water with 4 tbsp salt dissolved teriyaki sauce to baste (see recipe below) Method 1. Using trussing string, hold the chicken over the boiling water and bathe it with the salted water outside and inside. 2. Place the chicken on an oven rack and refrigerate for 3 hours to dry the skin out. 3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the oven tray with the chicken in the oven and roast until the skin starts to colour. 4. Baste with the teriyaki sauce mixed with grated garlic. Repeat the process a few times. 5. Serve with steamed sprouts tossed in soy sauce and butter.
Teriyaki sauce 2 Tbsp sake (rice wine) 4 Tbsp soy sauce 4 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) 2 Tbsp sugar grated ginger Mix all ingredients and bring to boil. Do not reduce.
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
oundtheworld
menu
Brazil – Delicia de Manga DELICIA de Manga is traditionally eaten at Christmas because it’s around that time that all the tropical fruit becomes ripe and tastes best. Brazilians eat cold desserts because of the hot weather, unlike us who need warm custard and brandy to keep us from freezing. Ingredients (serves 8) 4 large, ripe mangoes 1.5l water 1 tin condensed milk 1 tin double cream (measure from the condensed milk tin) 4 tbsp milk powder Method
You might like to try this spicy and warming alternative to a traditional Christmas roast – a Cuban roast dinner, from Alma De Cuba
1. In a large pan, place the water and three whole mangoes (skin on) and boil them until light brown in colour. 2. Let them cool down then peel, chop and blend mangoes. 3. Without stopping the blender, add the condensed milk, double cream and milk powder, until a creamy, smooth consistency is achieved. 4. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. 5. Cover the bottom of a glass with the remaining sliced mango, then top it with the mango cream and set it in the fridge overnight.
C to all Bo N o ok w !
■ PREPARED by: Viva Brazil’s Sous Chef, Anna Martins.
Italy – stuffed salt baked sea bass IN ITALY, Christmas Eve is a very important occasion. Traditionally it was treated like Good Friday when people would shun meat ahead of the festive celebrations. Although this is not observed as strictly now, a Christmas Eve dinner is likely to feature fish, sometimes as many as seven fish dishes. Often known as the seven-fish dinner, it may start with antipasti followed by a roast fish dish such as roast sea bass, and almost certainly some baccala – salt cod. Here is Gusto head chef Sebastian Polakowski’s recipe for stuffed salt baked sea bass
will be too salty.
To make the stuffing:
Ingredients:
Ingredients: 4 sea bass gutted – with scales on and head and tails off 4 pieces of roasted fennel 1 large orange 4 seven-inch wooden skewers. TIP: Leave scales on or fish
Method: Top and tail the orange and cut into eight wedges. Place the roasted fennel and two pieces of orange into the sea bass cavity and secure with the skewer. Leave in fridge
for two hours. For the sea bass: 4 stuffed sea bass 1 fresh lemon 250ml water in a spray bottle to mist over the salt 4kg rock salt roll of aluminium foil, a metal baking tray 4cm deep and a fish slice. TIP: Don’t
make this dish too far in advance or the fish will go salty. Method: 1. Line the baking tray with three sheets of foil, ensure it hangs over the edge by 3cm all round and cover the base of the baking tray with rock salt, approx 1cm thick. 2. Lay the sea bass on top and pour the rest of the salt over the fish ensuring it is completely covered, spray a light mist of water over the salt. Place the baking tray in a hot oven approx 200ºc and bake for approx 25 mins. 3. To check fish is cooked, pierce through the salt and into the fish with a small knife and check the fish is hot by its back bone. 4. Lift the foil out of the tray and place the salt cake on a serving dish. Now, using the back of a spoon, gently hit the salt to break it. 5. Clear the salt off the fish and lift out of the salt with the fish slice, place on the plate and serve.
A Winter Wonderland Get into the spirit at the Isla Gladstone, with our Ice Rink & Santa’s Grotto Saturday 4th December until Sunday 19th December
10am – 9pm most weekends & 3pm – 9pm mid week
Ice Rink Prices £4.00 Children (under 16’s) - £6.00 for Adults Santa’s Grotto Prices £3.50 Lucky dip present - £4.50 Wrapped present
Kemps Bistro will be open until 9pm, serving hot food and hot drinks.
Christm as D a y £65 pe whic rh
ead, h inclu d and en es a 4 course m te Book n rtainment…. eal ow disappo to avoid intmen t
(Santa will only be available up until 8pm each day for visits) THE ISLA GLADSTONE CONSERVATORY stanley park anfield road liverpool l4 0td
telephone: 0151 263 0363 info@theislagladstone.co.uk www.theislagladstone.co.uk
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
menu
eating out
Simplythe best at Bacchus
JadeWright samplessimple homecookingat itsbestatBacchus Taverna,onthe edgeofthe businessdistrict
I
’VE lost count of the amount of restaurants that have come and gone while I’ve been doing this job. When the economic boom was at its peak, it seemed anyone who was anyone was opening up a restaurant. In a flurry of press launches and celebrity parties, these big, bright, flashy restaurants roared success. With private dining areas, VIP bars and doormen guarding the way in, more than places simply to eat, they were places to see and to be seen. But now, as quickly as they arrived, they’ve begun shutting up shop. It seems that keeping a restaurant open through the good times and the bad relies on more than just clever marketing, a smattering of celebrity clients and a central location. Thinking about it, most of my favourite places to eat aren’t on the main drag. They’re not the brightly lit chrome and glass palaces, they’re hidden away little eateries, off the beaten track, where the food is more important than the guest list. Take Bacchus Taverna, tucked between Liverpool’s converted warehouses on the Dock Road, in the site made famous by Frank’s Cafe. It doesn't look madly promising from the road – sitting in the shadow of Toys R Us and blocks of yuppie flats – but it's spacious inside, with places to park right on the doorstep, and sitting under vines, looking at the seascapes and listening to the sound of bazoukis in the background, you could easily feel like you have been transported away to Athens. The owner, Diamond, knows a thing or two about food: he had Renos's Taverna, on York Street, for 16 years and has become a well established restaurant owner within Liverpool. The menu is a love song to his native Greek national dishes and they are done very well. There are dishes for the more adventurous diner – like garides stin sxara (£6), a starter of king prawns in their shells, charcoal grilled served with garnish – but the taramasalata (£4) sells like crazy, because it's superb. My boyfriend is such a fan that he ordered it as a second starter, alongside dolmadakia (£5.50), stuffed vine leaves filled with tender mincemeat, rice and fresh herbs. One of the most authentic dishes on the menu, he loved the soft and juicy leaves, and the rice inside,
Bacchus Taverna Bacchus Taverna, 14, Waterloo Rd, Liverpool Call: 0151 255 1661 Opening Hours: Mon Sat 4.30-midnight, Sun 2-10pm Visit: www.bacchus taverna.co.uk Service: Very welcoming and attentive. Food: Delicious fresh produce cooked with love Value: Good, particularly given the quality of the ingredients
Bacchus Taverna, on the Dock Road, serves excellent, unpretentious traditional Greek food beautifully flavoured with lemon. Keen to savour the excellent produce, I opted for the simple-sounding Greek Salad (£6), which was packed full of tomatoes, olives and the best feta I’ve ever had. It was listed as a starter or a side dish, but was so substantial I was worried I wouldn’t have any room for my main course. Thankfully, with the aromas of so many superb dishes wafting from the open plan kitchen, I reasoned that I could happily manage my main course of vegetarian moussaka (£13.50). It was one of six vegetarian main courses, which made a refreshing
The menu is a love song to his native Greek national dishes
change. In most restaurants, there’s one or two choices, grudgingly offered, and one of them is always goat’s cheese, which is, at best, an acquired taste. My boyfriend had chosen the kleftiko psito (£13.50), the house speciality of a large piece of slow-cooked Welsh lamb shoulder, served with rice, roast potatoes and green beans. He was delighted with his choice. The meat was wonderfully tender, and beautifully seasoned. It fell apart almost before he could get it off his fork. I was equally impressed with my moussaka, which was creamy and packed with flavour. Again, it was a large portion, but so delicious that I couldn’t leave a morsel.
Both dishes went well with a bottle of Chilean Casillero del Diablo Merlot (£16.50). To finish, we shared a fruit salad (£3) and some Greek yoghurt with Greek honey (£3.50). Both simple dishes, they showed off the excellent produce. In particular, the melon was beautifully sweet, and the huge oranges packed with flavour. Sitting back with a pair of cappuccinos (£2.50), we reflected on an excellent meal. Everything had been freshly made to order (there’s an open kitchen so you can watch your food being cooked) and of impressively high quality, in a simple but well-executed style. Bacchus proudly state that their
vegetables come from local growers and suppliers, but they may as well have been plucked straight from Mediterranean soil. Similarly, the fruit was so tasty it could have come straight from Greek trees. That’s the benefit of having an experienced restaurateur buying his own supplies – he knows how to get the best to keep standards up. Mention has to go to the toilets too, which are exemplary, and put most city centre establishments to shame. All in all, Bacchus has substance over style. It doesn’t pander to the latest trends and, while I have seen a few celebrities in there, you aren’t likely to see a VIP area installed any time soon. And that’s just why I like it.
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
the wine list
menu
Mathew Sloane
best bar none
Potent Zinfandel will jingle your bells this Christmas SO, THE mayhem begins again. It only seems like a few weeks ago I was back in a wintry Liverpool, dodging the once-a-year party brigade in search of a dark and quiet room to enjoy a few glasses with excellent company. This year, I shall be spending Christmas on a tiny, Caribbean island, an island that has yet to discover the hellish cacophony of 10,000 twenty-somethings plastered in tinsel and WKD, cluttering up the highways with drunken buffoonery and lascivious intent. There are more churches than bars on my island, so I shall expect a wonderful Christmas Eve, lots of singing, the odd glass of sherry, well-wishing a-plenty and the pleasant aromas of roasting turkeys from perfect, candlelit wooden houses. And then, amid this overload of pleasantness, I shall find a willing drunkard, a flat bit of sand and start a fight. Because even paradise needs an edge, and I’m just the man to provide it. In order for us to appreciate those warm cosy nights by the fire with our sweethearts, we need to be able to hear the faintest sounds of urban chaos in the darkest distance. As we reach for the Cognac, warmed by hearts as much as anything more palpable, it comforts us yet further if a discreet siren is heard in fleet pursuit of a heroic miscreant. It is this juxtaposition of yin and yang; of love and fear; it is the proximity of BBC2 to the horrors of X-Factor that makes it even more a source of wonder. It is the bite at the end of the kiss that shocks us into heaven. Ladies and gentleman, might I be so bold as to present Ironstone Zinfandel 1998. Like all things amazing, this dandy little ninja has its home in Western Australia and is, quite frankly, the bomb. Shouting its way into your house at a mighty 15.5% this dark destroyer, at first, gives you a smooch on the cheek, a little nudge on the neck and then ravishes the unsuspecting like a first year student on freshers’ week. As a long time sparring partner of this outrageous wine, I am usually well prepared for its carefree violence. I make sure I am well furnished with a bellyful of fine game and have some really boss cheese on the table. I then add some fine
miscreants who can bring galeforce banter at the drop of a shoe. With great care, yet much celerity, the bottle is uncorked and madness will follow, the best kind of madness. It’ll turn into one of those nights when a gentleman informs his friends that he is about to suggest marriage to some lucky rose and is subsequently greeted with a ferocious verbal mauling before duels are suggested, concluded and stag trip plans are made. This is tough wine to find, persist and glory will prevail – Dougie Lowe may
be able to help you – originwines@aol.com or you may try the godfathers of western Aussie wine www.capementelle.com.au who have released a 2007 Zinfandel that is equally immense, although perhaps a little more subtle, more like James Bond than Jason Bourne. Legend has it that it’s the great alchemists at Cape Mentelle who were responsible for the Ironstone Zinny, I shall investigate. My Christmas gift to you all is the following advice . . . Your bartenders, waiters, hosts, doormen, managers, chefs, cooks and every one else working front and back of house will spend the next few weeks doing everything within their mighty power to ensure you have an ace time in their venues. It is your duty to behave, be nice, be all that is good in the world and, most importantly tip well, tip outrageously, tip like it’s your last day on earth – only then will they truly love you, forever.
Make sure you try the traditional caipirinha cocktails at Viva Brazil, on Castle Street Picture: PAUL HEAPS “CAIPIRINHA is a traditional Brazilian spirit, made with lime, sugar, ice and a spirit called cachaca,” explained our smiling waitress. Being a wholehearted convert to the drink some years ago, I felt like halting her halfway through this description, but declined, thinking it would be rude to interrupt her flow. I discovered the allure of a caipirinha on a holiday to Rio and Praio do Forte two years ago. So much so, that I even bought all the ingredients, some of them online, to concoct my own version at home for special occasions. Surely, there is little argument that the caipirinha is the king of cocktails, and Viva Brazil takes this one step further. Whatever flavour you want, this bar has got it: classic strawberry, cherry, mango, pineapple, or any other fruit that comes to mind. Viva Brazil opened in a blaze of South American razzmatazz in Liverpool at the start of October, when a carnival of samba dancers and drummers shimmied through the venue. The nightspot doubles as a bar and “churrascaria”, effectively a restaurant that specialises in meat, meat and more meat. With wrought iron chandeliers, dark wood and red walls, there’s a definite Latin American feel to Viva. Sinking into the armchair close to the semi-circular bar, I could make out only the tops of the other grand buildings that occupy Castle Street. On the night we visited, Viva was largely populated with middle-aged blokes in suits. The churrascaria element no doubt attracts those finishing late at the office in Liverpool’s business quarter. It’s certainly an amusing pastime for the drinkers to watch the diners’ eyes lighting up as the carvers stride to tables with metal spikes of every type of meat available. You’re given cards, red on one side, green on the reverse, to indicate if you want the flesh to keep coming, or if you’re having a break, or
calling time. It’s a good job they don’t employ a similar policy for the drinks menu, as by the strength of the cocktails, you’d be rolling in the aisles before too long. Drinks are a touch on the pricey side, but you’d probably expect that in the top end of town. Cocktails will cost you at least £6, and a decent large glass of wine won’t give you change from a fiver. Frustratingly, there isn’t a designated cocktail menu and while the waiters reel them off impressively well, it’s hard to remember everything. The bartenders are skilled and look like they were born with a pestle in their hand. I know from personal experience just how tricky it is to grind that sugar, lime and ice together to achieve the perfect level of sweetness and kick
from the alcohol. There are almost 60 different creations concocted by Viva’s resident mixologists. Among the signature cocktails are a papaya and guava mojito (Bacardi rum based) and elderflower spiced apple, that once again revolves around that most versatile of Latin spirits, cachaca. On draught, there’s Amstel, Sagres, John Smiths and Guinness, with bottled lagers Corona, Peroni and the Brazilian Palma Loucha. Our waitress talked up the taste of the local brew with such fervour that I considered it only proper to give it a try. But, if you’re not won over by the wiles of a caparinha within a few sips, then you need to take your taste buds out and ask for a refund. ■ VIVA Brazil, 36, Castle Street, Liverpool L2 0NR. 0151 236 8080
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010