menu THE DAILY POST FOOD & DRINK GUIDE November 2010
Talking Italian
Plenty of pasta but no pizza at Prego, Liverpool
CHRISTMAS CAKES MATT SLOANE JOSEPH BENJAMIN REVIEW
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
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3
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
menu
chef’s table
ArealflavourofItaly
JadeWrightsamples authenticItalian cuisineatPrego Ristorante,in LiverpoolOne
W
HEN Franco Mercuri opened his city centre restaurant seven weeks ago, he had no idea his most loyal customer would be a Hollywood film star. Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall has been spotted in the Liverpool One restaurant countless times over the last few weeks, in between performances of Antony and Cleopatra at the Playhouse theatre. “She’s been in almost every night,” smiles Franco. “It’s been a real pleasure to have her here. She’s not like you’d imagine a big star to be. She has been so friendly to everyone. And she loves the Spaghetti Vongole. That’s her favourite.” Ms Cattrall isn’t the only famous face to have fallen for Prego’s charms. Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been spotted tucking into a huge seafood platter and Josper grilled chicken with rosemary and lemon juice, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and his wife, Alex, are also regulars. Most new restaurants would be falling over themselves for celebrity diners of that calibre, but Franco takes it all in his stride. “I think people come back because they like the food and the service,” he says, simply. “We make everything from scratch here. We have fresh deliveries every morning, and it’s always the best produce. We’re not like a chain restaurant, where you get the meals delivered in packets around the back. We get the raw ingredients each day, and we make it all freshly on the premises. “The only thing we don’t make is the ice cream,” he admits. “The one we buy in is so good that it just makes sense. But everything else, from the stock to the sauces, we make all that here. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Often misconceived as consisting of solely “pizza and pasta”, the generous range of hearty Italian dishes is frequently overlooked, he says. “We don’t sell pizza at all,” shrugs Franco. “There’s nothing wrong with pizza, I like it, but that isn’t what the restaurant is about. You can’t be taken seriously as an a la carte restaurant when you’re serving up pizzas. In Italy, you just don’t get that. You have one or the other. “Instead, we are selling a lot of veal, that’s very popular at the moment, and a lot of seafood. We have an excellent seafood supplier who delivers every morning, and our customers love it. It’s a real taste of authentic Italian food, rather than a chain.” Franco is originally from the south of Italy, but trained as a chef near Lake Como. “All of my training was in northern Italy and Switzerland,” he explains. “The food there is so good and you have to learn very quickly.
Rack of lamb with a herb crust at Prego
Spaghetti Vongole Ingredients (for one) 18 fresh clams A quarter of a red chilli, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 50ml white wine 15ml olive oil 10g butter 20g chopped parsley Salt and pepper 150g linguine pasta Method Place a pan of salted water to boil, and add pasta. Place frying pan on heat and add olive oil, garlic and chilli. Saute for 20 seconds. Add clams and white wine, and cover until all clams are opened. Discard if any are closed. Drain pasta after cooking for approximately 8-12 minutes. Add pasta to pan, season and add chopped parsley and butter. ■ PREGO, Kenyon Steps, Liverpool One Tel: 0151-236 2995 Email: reservations @pregoliverpoolone.com
Franco Mercuri, owner of Prego – takes celebrity diners in his stride Then I went on to London, and from there onto Liverpool. “I’ve run my own businesses for 16 years, but this is the restaurant I always wanted. I started the first Prego in Aintree two years ago, and the Liverpool restaurant opened seven weeks ago. “I brought the staff with me from my other restaurants. They are the most important element in any restaurant. If you have good staff and
good produce, you don’t need any more than that. Prego means two things in Italian: it means welcome, and we always give a good welcome to our guests, and it means to pray. Food and religion are one in Italy, so it seemed to me to be the right name for my restaurants.” They may have only been open for a few weeks in Liverpool One, but already Prego has a loyal following – and not just among the city’s
celebrity diners: “We have people back time and again,” says Franco. “In such a short time, that’s nice to see.” And he adds, conspiratorially: “We’ve noticed that a lot of Italians are coming in – even the staff from other Italian restaurants in the city. They say they can taste that the food doesn’t come out of a packet, so they keep coming back. And that always puts a smile on my face.”
4
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
christmas cooking
WhyChristmascomesea CitychefstellJadeWrighthowanearlystartcan makeallthedifferencewhenbakingfestivetreats
T
HERE’S little more festive than a slice of Christmas cake or a good Christmas pudding on the festive table, and if you had planned on making your own this year, then now is the time to start. Yes, I know we’re a good six weeks away from the big day, but if you plan on making your own, don’t leave it any later than this weekend to give them time to mature. You don't need to be Delia to know that your cake and pud will soak up more brandy the earlier they’re made – and taste better. It’s hard to beat a homemade rich fruit cake packed with cherries, currants and nuts (and a generous slug of brandy), covered with marzipan and soft icing. Chefs around Merseyside are currently whipping up batches of Christmas cakes and puddings to make sure
the party season is a treat for she enjoys cooking (and the tastebuds. making a mess!).” At Kemps, at the Isla Neil is urging us all to get Gladstone Conservatory, chef cracking and get our cakes Neil Dempsey is busy making done as soon as possible. dozens of the Stanley Park “It’s not too late to make restaurant’s your Christmas hugely popular cake; however, Christmas cakes. the earlier you “Yes, I’ve make it, the started making better the my first batches flavours will already – I always marry and the make two or three better the cake at once as they will taste,” he keep for over a says. “Soak the year or so and fruit in whisky they also make beforehand to great presents,” give the cake says Neil, added flavour.” formerly of 60 Neil also gives Hope Street and his top tip: “Add the West Tower at Adam Townsley, the whisky early, head chef at the Aughton. and make sure to “I also make my Malmaison sieve your flour. own cake at home, The lighter the I’d be a terrible chef if I mixture, the better chance didn’t,” he laughs. “I really there is of the cake raising. enjoy making the traditional Don’t be heavy handed. Christmas cake and I often get Practice also makes perfect.” my little niece to help me as At Kemps, they serve their
A true Italian experience
Bar Italia
THE BEST IN ITALIAN FOOD
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
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 Party Bookings Bar Italia also offers the option of booking tables for parties from 10 up to 50 people. If you are interested in booking a party then please contact: bookings@baritalialiverpool.com (selection and payment within seven days prior to date of booking) £5 per person deposit required
CHRISTMAS FAYRE DINNER SEAFOOD COCKTAIL OR EGG MAYONAISSE OR HOME MADE VEGETABLE SOUP ROAST TURKEY SALMON SAMBUCA ENTRECOTE STEAK CHASSEUR OR ANY PASTA OF YOUR CHOICE SEASONAL VEGETABLES CHOICE OF SWEETS
£22.95
COFFEE AND MINTS £2.10 EXTRA
Christmas cake hot, with a steaming mug of mulled wine – perfect after a bracing walk around Stanley Park. But Neil also has another good tip for presenting your cake at home. “Mulled wine is always a good choice,” says Neil. “And a personal favourite is cinnamon mascarpone – mix 150g of mascarpone with a teaspoon of icing sugar and two pinches of dried cinnamon powder. It’s absolutely delicious . . . ” As well as the cake, most of us will be tucking into a traditional Christmas pudding, which has origins going back to the 1420s when it wasn’t seen as a confection or a dessert, but as a way of preserving meat at the end of the season. Now it’s one of the most popular dishes in the Christmas menu, as any chef working in a kitchen this month will attest. “It’s that one time of the year that everyone forgets their hatred for fruit cake and they lean towards the warmth and nostalgia of Christmas pudding,” laughs Adam Townsley, Head Chef at Malmaison Liverpool. He’s making hundreds of puddings to cater for the busy party season. “You’ve still got time to make your own pudding this Christmas, just get cracking,” he explains. His top tip is: “Always steam it for longer than you think, if you don't they will become rubbery and light in colour instead of soft, dark and sumptuous. And, of course, don't be shy with the booze.” Traditionally, a sixpence is
stirred into the mixture, but the custom isn’t often followed in commercial kitchens. “Purely for health and safety reasons,” says Adam. “But, at home, of course we do.” Instead, Adam’s top presentation tip is: “Garnish with a holly leaf, dust with
icing sugar, lightly flambee with brandy with a large sauce boat of Pedro Ximenez sherry creme anglaise.” CLASSIC CHRISTMAS CAKE, by Neil Dempsey, Head Chef at Kemps Bistro, the Isla Gladstone Conservatory Serves 6 to 8 Ingredients: 225g plain flour 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp mixed spice 1/4 tsp five spice 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 200g Butter 200g muscovado sugar 3 table spoon of molasses 4 large free range eggs zest of an orange juice of one orange 100g chopped mixed peel 600g dried chopped mixed fruit 100g chopped dried dates 50g Brazil nuts chopped 50g chopped almonds Whisky to pour over the cake once cooked to your flavour Method: Heat oven to 150°C and grease an eight-inch cake tin. Sieve the flour, salt, and spices into a mixing bowl. Make sure to lift the sieve quite high to make sure the mixture is as light as possible and the flour gets a good airing. Cream the sugar and the butter together until soft, pale
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
arlytokitchens
menu
cupboard love
Chef Neil Dempsey, from the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, Anfield, with his Christmas cake Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY/ at121110bcake-2
IF YOU don’t fancy weighing and measuring your Christmas cake mixture, Delia Smith, above, has prepared one of her most iconic recipes into an “at home” ingredients pack to assist even the most novice of cooks. Delia’s Classic Christmas Cake packs are £10 from Waitrose. It’s excellent value, as the ingredients would cost over £23.
Chef at Malmaison Liverpool. Ingredients: 110gm currants 110gm sultanas 220gm raisins 110gm Demerara sugar 110gm unsalted butter 220 suet 3 eggs 1 lemon 110 strong flour 110 breadcrumbs 50gm ground almonds 3gm nutmeg 3gm mixed spice 50 gm mixed peel 100ml stout (Guinness) 100ml cognac 50ml dark rum
and fluffy and then mix in the molasses. Mix the eggs in slowly to make sure the mixture doesn’t curdle, then add the zest and juice of an orange and fold in the flour. Fold in nuts, dried peel and fruit mix then transfer into cake tin and leave to rest for 20 mins. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 2 hours 45 mins then leave to rest and cool for an
additional 10 mins. Once cooled, make small holes in the top and base of the cake and baste with a few teaspoons of whiskey or brandy – this will make your cake rich, dark and moist. Serve with cinnamon mascarpone. CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH PEDRO XIMENEZ CREAM by Adam Townsley, Head
Method: Soak fruit for a minimum of seven days in the cognac, rum and Guinness. Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs, lemon juice and zest. Mix all dry ingredients Add soaked fruit. Spoon into individual pudding moulds, pour some Pedro Ximenez over each pudding. Wrap and steam for 8 – 10 hours.
Yuletide kitchen traditions ■ A PROPER Christmas pudding is always stirred from East to West, in honour of the Three Wise Men. ■ A Christmas pudding was traditionally made with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and His Disciples. ■ Every member of the family must give the pudding a stir and make a secret wish. ■ A coin was traditionally added to the ingredients and cooked in the pudding. It was supposed to bring wealth to whoever found it on their plate on Christmas
Day. The traditional coin was an old silver sixpence or threepenny bit. ■ Other traditional additions to the pudding included a ring, to foretell a marriage, and a thimble for a lucky life. ■ Christmas cakes are traditionally made in November, keeping the cake upside down in an airtight container. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into holes in the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called “feeding” the cake. ■ Christmas cake began as plum porridge. People
ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas cake. ■ In the 16th century, oatmeal was removed from the original recipe, and butter, wheat flour and eggs were added. Richer families that had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men.
Neil Dempsey’s Christmas cake
THE BitterSweet Partnership has launched LYLA, a limited edition sleek half-pint glass, designed by Amy Molyneaux of fashion label PPQ. LYLA was specially designed to provide an enhanced and stylish drinking experience. At £9.99, it seems rude to refuse.
ADD a Tio Pepe twist to this year’s Christmas drinks party by serving glasses of cold fino with modern tapas-style food. Tio Pepe Fino is very pale, very dry and drinks like a dry white wine. Surprise guests with a glass of something cold and bone-dry with canapés, nuts and salty crisps.
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
menu
eating out
TouchoftheWrightstuff
LizaWilliamssoaks uptheambience, andawondeful treacletart,at Chester’sJoseph Benjaminrestaurant
T
HE top end of Chester’s Northgate Street is like a feisty older relative, clinging on against the tide of chain stores and supermarkets. There is a greengrocer, a butcher, a posh cheese shop – you can even buy an ornate hat and a wedding dress if the mood takes you. Virtually half this end of the street used to be dominated by a huge branch of the bakers Sayers, which interrupted the rare independent row of traders. But since the Wright brothers Joseph and Benjamin (food aficionados, not plane pioneers) expanded their restaurant business from a small corner position to the larger Sayers plot, this character has been further strengthened. The eatery has been growing in popularity since it first opened in 2006, so it is no wonder the duo decided to take the plunge. We received a very warm welcome on our arrival from a man I later learned was Ben Wright himself. He presented us with a drinks menu that offered a variety of delicious sounding aperitifs, but we decided to quench our thirst with a quick beer before the meal. It was a Thursday night and most of the tables were taken, which is always a good sign. The business is centred around a well-stocked deli, selling a huge array of tasty treats, including meats, breads and cheeses. It is hard to believe that the newer part of the premises used to be a high street baker’s, and the duo have completely transformed the space into an atmospheric and intimate restaurant. We went through to our table in a lovely spot, right by the window. The wine list was extensive and offered a total of 53 bottles – 18 of them available by the glass. I ordered a glass of the Chilean Los Vilos Cabernet Sauvignon (£3.95), which was beautifully soft, with a strong tang of blackcurrant fruit, and a distinct richness. The menu offered a well-rounded choice of dishes – four starters and four mains, with added traditional favourites known as JB staples and platters. To start, my boyfriend opted for the delicately flavoured parsnip and sage soup (£4.20), which he said got better with every mouthful. It avoided being too sweet and claggy, which can be the danger with the root vegetable. I plumped for the smoked haddock, black pudding and quails eggs (£6.80) which was a wise choice. The fish melted in the mouth, and the black pudding was soft, with a beautiful flavour. The creamy and glistening quails eggs complemented the dish perfectly. “Did they know you were coming?” my boyfriend joked, impressed by the friendly welcome
Joseph Benjamin JOSEPH BENJAMIN, 140, Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HT 01244 344295 www.josephbenjamin.co.uk Opening hours: Tue-Wed, 9am-5pm; Thu-Sat, 9am-11:30pm; Sun, 10am-5pm Service: Very welcoming and attentive. Food: Delicious fresh ingredients cooked with flair Value: £64 for three courses, including drinks.
The friendly and welcoming Joseph Benjamin, on Chester’s Northgate Street and attentive service. But, looking around, it was obvious every table was getting the same attention, which was never overbearing. For my main, I was tempted by the range of deli tasting plates (£10.50), offering a selection of produce from the counter. But I chose roast leg of lamb with slow cooked lamb rib, warm puy lentil salad and caper dressing (£16.50). The slices of lamb were pleasingly presented in a circle on the plate and the meat was beautifully cooked.
The rib added interest to the dish and the lentil salad lifted it, preventing it from being too heavy. But I couldn’t help getting food envy every time another diner was presented with the veal special, serviced with suet pudding and what looked like delicious onion rings. I also thought the lamb could have benefited from an extra element, maybe instead of some of the meat, which was a very generous potion. I should have probably ordered a potato side. My boyfriend ordered the half
‘I couldn’t help getting food envy . . . ’
rotisserie chicken with gravy, chips and aioli (£12.50)– one of the JB Staples which also included Chris Austin’s Chester Sausages with champ and white onion & cider sauce (£10.50). His beautifully golden and plump chicken came with a mountain of chunky hand cut chips and pots of tasty sauce. He heartily tucked in and said the chicken was the tenderest meat he had eaten in a long time. After his big portion, the boyfriend was too full for a pudding, but I thought I could still manage to squeeze one in (now I was glad I had held off on the potatoes).
For me, it was a choice between the chocolate brownie and the treacle tart, served with an apple compote and vanilla ice cream (both £4.95). I opted for the tart, and it was an absolute treat. Sticky and sweet with a delightfully thin, crisp pastry base. The sharp compote lifted the dish and stopped it becoming too sickly, and the ice cream was rich and smooth – a great contrast in texture to the tart. And on that sweet note we called the evening to an end. Whether you want a special evening meal, a quick but delicious lunch or some morsels from the deli, Joseph Benjamin is the perfect place.
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
the wine list
menu
Mathew Sloane
I
WAS thinking about a few things that I miss about living in Liverpool. I miss Bold Street, well, I miss bumping into the few people that I actually like on 'Meet Street'. I don't miss having to pretend to be engrossed in a world threatening text message when that person from that thing approaches at light speed with a beckoning smile that can only mean I'd been drinking whisky and had possibly agreed to embark on an outrageous adventure involving elephants, canoes and Warrington. As much as I miss the family, friends and follies that make my Liverpool life so rich and dangerous, what I really need in my Caribbean life is a decent glass of wine, served anywhere lower than boiling point in a half decent glass by a person in long trousers and shoes. I remember watching an awful film about a couple of idiots bombing around Napa on a wine and cliché tour, but there was a worthy line about
wine – a good wine doesn't need an occasion, the wine is the occasion. Many venues offer a wine list as an afterthought, some may even suggest a wine choice in an apologetic fashion, others celebrate their wine offering with fanfares and bold statements of wild intent – claiming revelation and delivering liquid absolution. A little while ago I was approached by some wise madmen – they had decided to build a temple, a temple to all things boozy. They had a fierce and righteous desire to furnish the city's life lovers with a stunning list, an excellent menu and the finest cocktails known to all of creation. The following statement is firm and true – the Noble House has the best wine offering in the city. One can assume that the list of around seventy wines is just about perfect, I helped put it together therefore you can be assured that whether you're spending twenty or a hundred pounds you'll be getting a solid deal, but it is the introduction of Martian technology
that elevates the venue's winecraft into the echelons of the super-suave. They have installed a barmpot, vino-jukebox that can serve the finest wines, at perfect temperature, by the glass. Last time I looked they were selling Corton Charlemagne, St Emilion, Oregon Pinot and the almost legendary Chateau Musar... by the glass! The lords of heaven only know how this machine works and I was always too scared to ask, but you must try it out, it's the future. My reliable and almost sober sources inform me that the guys at Noble are planning more and more adventures in wine, it is you duty as a follower of Bacchus to investigate and support, forgive me, such a noble cause. You can find this rather boss gaff on Brunswick Street, off Castle Street, feel free to engage your magic typewriter and look them up at www.thenoblehouse.co.uk. I shall leave you with some life changing advice. Find somebody who sells Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and marry into the family. This swag is incredible. I was introduced to the stuff by my wine mentors – Ian Clarke and Vincent Charnley – a good few years back. I've yet to find a wine that blew my tiny mind into smithereens in the same way. Imagine those little guys from the Ribena advert juiced up on mad steroids, riding Harley choppers, half drunk on Kryptonite and glue chasing a voluptuous elf-maiden down your throat whilst the music of Mozart drifts up like a groovy nebula up into the plushest corners of your soon to be redundant mind. It really is that good. Get some.
We are shelling out on oysters again
A
CENTURY ago oysters were a staple food in even the poorest home, then the industry collapsed. Now supermarkets are reporting a revival in the mollusc's popularity. Lovers of British seafood are spoiled for choice at this time of year, as mussels, crabs and scallops come into season. Oysters too are at their prime but, unlike their more popular shelled companions, have not yet managed to work their way out of high-end restaurant fridges and into domestic kitchens. But according to high street supermarket chain Asda, a gentle sea change is taking place. The supermarket reports a constant uplift in sales of oysters during the last few years “They are becoming more popular,” says Asda's spokesperson. “We've seen sales increase around 22% in the last year and 38% over the last three years.” Every year the St Michael's Hotel in Falmouth comes up with some juicy recipes in honour of the Oyster Festival. Here is one of head chef Nick Hodges’ recipes. OYSTERS WITH BLOODY MARY SAUCE AND BACON Ingredients (Serves 2) 6 oysters 1 slice quality smoked back bacon cut into lean strips 2 sprigs of lemon thyme For the Bloody Mary sauce: 2oz vodka
Nick Hodges’ oysters with bloody mary sauce and bacon 3oz tomato juice 1/2 oz lemon juice 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce 2 drops Tabasco sauce Coarse sea salt Cracked black pepper Method Firstly prepare the sauce by infusing all the ingredients together, leave the sea salt and pepper out until the very end add to taste. Extra seasoning can be added when cooking. Open the oysters and place in the fridge; keep back the juice from the oysters, as this will be added to the Bloody Mary. In a hot pan, quick fry the bacon strips until crisp and then remove. Pour the oyster juices into the hot pan,
deglazing the remains of the bacon from the base of the pan. Add the Bloody Mary to the reduced oyster juices and then reduce by half leaving a thickened sauce. Add to this some picked lemon thyme leaves and let this infuse for 2 or 3 minutes. Strain, leaving a silky tomato sauce. Remove the oysters from the fridge and place on a thick baking tray or in a frying pan. Add a little of the crisp bacon to each oyster and spoon on approximately 1 teaspoon of the tomato sauce. Place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill. Serve with fresh lime, a sprig of lemon thyme and a drizzle of the Bloody Mary sauce.
best bar none
It’s all about the beer at the Bier Keller on Stanley Street WHEN does a beer taste like you’re drinking a pint of spirits? When it’s a Rocheforte 10, writes LUKE TRAYNOR. The red Trappist ale, hailing from Belgium, should come with a serious health warning alongside its 11.3% alcohol strength guide. Just one bottle was enough to leave me with a serious hangover the following Saturday lunchtime. Liverpool’s version of the traditional german bier keller, has been open since July and strictly conforms to the orthodox layout of the Munich-style beer halls. Down steep stairs into a stone-floored basement, the decor is unashamedly sparse with long rectangular wooden tables and benches. It’s relatively dimly lit, with white leather booths and low wide tables occupying the opposite side of the room. In some senses, The Bier Keller is almost too bare and overly white, and a touch of darker, richer colours might make the hall a little more welcoming. But German drinking dens have never been renowned for their cosy, cuddly inner bellies as, like us Brits, it’s definitely all about the beer. And true enough, the real selling point of The Bier Keller is its myriad ales from around the world. You can almost tour the globe, sampling offerings like Cusquena from Peru, Kiren Ichibam from Japan, Baltika No.7 from Russia, Tusker from Kenya, Quilmes from Argentina and Mesquita from Spain. Draughts are predominantly German with a refreshing Kaltenberg, a silky Warsteiner, the dark wheaty Erdinger Dunkel and DAB, a premium
Dortmunder lager. We tried a Brooklyn Lager and a light Dutch Lindeboom, amongst others, before Keller bosses pointed us in the direction of the Rocheforte. Deeply black, it’s surely one meant for small gulps only, and it’s a good job it only comes in 330ml bottles as I could feel it messing with my mind. During last month’s Oktoberfest a number of the official festival tipples were in Liverpool for the period including Hofbrau, Spaten, Augustiner, Lowenbrau and Hackenpsehorr, all pitching around the 6% proof mark. Co-owner Dave Parry previously ran the Augustus John on the Liverpool University campus decided to open the Bier Keller, rather than a traditional British pub, after travelling widely in Germany and thinking there was a gap in the market for their style of cellar bar here in Liverpool. In a way, Bier Keller is in the ideal position, close but not too close to Mathew Street, and only a short walk to attract the punters from decent quality ale pubs like Thomas Rigby’s and The Ship and Mitre. It’s a boozer’s boozer, a place to line up your mates on those long banquet-like tables and set the world to rights. On our visit there were some city solicitors who confessed to having spent the previous four hours in the Keller’s grip and they were slurring their words with a grin. It was the sinister Rocheforte at work, no doubt. ■ Bier Keller, 40-46 Dale Street, (entrance on Stanley Street) L2 5SF. Tel: 0151-255 0056
8
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
readertravelholidays.com
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from
£142 9pp
Ports of call include: Barcelona, Spain • Nice (Villefranche), France • Florence/Pisa (Livorno),Italy • Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy • Athens (Piraeus), Greece • Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey • Santorini, Greece • Naples (Salerno), Italy
Includes pre-cruise night in Barcelona at a 4 star city centre hotel
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS Eastern Mediterranean 8 nights fly/stay/cruise From Liverpool or Manchester airports Departing May - October 2011
from
£112 9pp
VOYAGER OF THE SEAS Adriatic Sea
from
£949 pp
8 nights fly/stay/cruise From Liverpool or Manchester airports Departing May - October 2011
Ports of call include: Venice, Italy • Koper, Slovenia • Ravenna, Italy • Bari, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Venice, Italy
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
Includes pre-cruise night in Mestre, near Venice at a 4 star hotel, and an overnight stay on board ship in Venice
BRILLIANCE OF THE SEAS Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean
from
£139 9pp
13 nights fly/stay/cruise From Liverpool or Manchester airports Departing 27 September and 9 & 21* October 2011 * Ports of call and sailing times differ.
Ports of call include: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy • Messina, Sicily •Athens (Piraeus), Greece • Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey • Chania, Crete
Includes pre-cruise night in Rome at a 4 star hotel
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS Western Mediterranean 8 nights fly/stay/cruise From Liverpool or Manchester airports
from
£869 pp
Ports of call include: Barcelona, Spain • Messina, Sicily • Corfu, Greece • Alexandria, Egypt • Athens (Piraeus), Greece • Palermo, Sicily
Includes pre-cruise night in Barcelona Overnight stay on board ship in Alexandria at a 4 star city centre hotel
GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS Italian Mediterranean 8 nights fly/stay/cruise From Liverpool or Manchester airports
from
£869 pp
Departing May - September 2011
Departing May - October 2011
Ports of call include: Malaga, Spain • Valencia, Spain • Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy • Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy • Ajaccio, Corsica
Ports of call include: Palma de Mallorca, Spain • Monte Carlo (Cannes) • La Spezia, Italy • Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy • Palermo, Sicily
Includes pre-cruise night on the Costa del Sol at a 4 star hotel
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
Includes pre-cruise night in Palma at a 4 star hotel
All prices are per person and include:• Return flight from Manchester or Liverpool† • Airport and port taxes • Return transfer between airport and port • On board accommodation in a shared stateroom◊ • 1 night’s pre-cruise 4 star hotel stay with continental breakfast • Full board on board ship
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
FREE Stateroom upgrades subject to availability
Other cruises available please call for a 2011 brochure!
† Our prices include your flights for which we have allowed a reasonable budget. However, at your time of booking, should the cost of your flight exceed this budget, we reserve the right to charge a supplement, which we will advise you of at this time. ◊A stateroom and a room for single person occupancy are offered, subject to availability, at a supplement. These prices were correct as of Monday 25th October 2010, and can be withdrawn or increased without notice.
For further information and a FREE brochure call:
0151 227 5987
To make a booking call:
01524 511780 OPENING TIMES: MON-FRI 8.30-19.30 SAT 8.45-15.30 SUN 10.00-15.00
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: TRINITY MIRROR NORTH WEST AND NORTH WALES IN CONJUNCTION WITH: OMEGA HOLIDAYS. ABTA V4782. ATOL PROTECTED 6081. SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS APPLY. SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY.