MENU THE DAILY POST FOOD AND DRINK GUIDE August 09
Spanish surprise
Top wines to tantalise the taste buds
Food fusion Australian cuisine in the city centre
Here for the beer Forget the wine . . . dining out is getting ale and hearty
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DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
fresh
Fabulous food festival CHEFS including Aiden Byrne, Brian Mellor and Paul Askew will be showing off their skills at the Wirral Food and Drink Festival. This year’s has attracted the cream of regional producers of food and drink, and exhibitors include HS Bourne, traditional Cheshire cheese-makers for 250 years, and Wirral-based brewery Betwixt Beer Co. The Dig a Little Deeper stage – new for 2009 – is where Wirral specialists such as Bala Croman, from The Chocolate Cellar, plus proprietors of Wards Fish and the olive oil-producing Sweetman Gamez family, share their trade secrets. The festival runs from August Bank Holiday, Sunday, August 30, from 10am to 5pm, to Monday, August 31, from 10am to 4pm. Entry costs £1 (children under 5 go free) and free shuttle buses will be running all day to the festival from Spital train station.
try it . . .
NOT just any pick and mix but M&S’s free-of-artificial colouring and flavouring pick and mix. It’s launched across 100 stores from September, along with dozens of new lines of chocolate and sweets including retro faves like its own brand sherbet fountain, strawberry flying saucers and foam shrimps.
■ ASPIRING artists Mala and Norman Dawson have quit their day jobs to open an art gallerycum-restaurant in Rainhill. The husband and wife team met at art school and, after more than a decade working as a car salesman and a teacher, Mala and Norman today open the doors of their dream
food facts BANANA trees are not actually trees – they are giant herbs. And wild bananas have huge hard seeds in the fruit
IT’S official – Liverpudlians have superior taste. Food scientists claim to have uncovered proof that taste is influenced by the region you are from and called them our food dialects. Food psychologist Greg Tucker working with Nottingham University discovered North West tastebuds
venture on Warrington Road. More than 50 paintings, prints, sculpture and pieces of glassware created by local artists are on show and for sale. Galleria will offer a mixture of Mediterranean favourites, using local suppliers. Call 0151 430 9212 for details.
food facts TIBETAN tea is made from yak butter, salt, and tea. The average Tibetan can drink 50 cups per day
Be a master chef ■ LIVERPOOL’S most versatile foodie, Liz McClarnon, right, has got together with Love Pork to create a seasonal recipe booklet. Liz McClarnon’s Autumn Pork Collection features tempting dishes like spicy pork pumpkin, pork chops with Bramley apple and Cheddar cheese and her own favourite, pork belly with plums and cinnamon. To see the recipes online, go to www.lovepork.co.uk
are tickled by moist comfort foods with “all round” tastes. “The reason the North West drinks Dandelion & Burdock and Vimto is because unlike most fizzy drinks which are very sweet, they have fruitier, sharper flavours which are soft, rounded and smooth,” he says. They found chips, gravy and stews matched North West food dialect best.
Dinner date Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? Edward Cullen (Twilight), Becky Bloomwood, Alan Carr and Gordon Ramsay
Emma Robertson
SPECIALIST tea cafe Brew has branched out to Bold Street. The community vibe and extensive range of teas – including green tea lattes, Indian chai and white tea – at its Old Hall St address has been poured into the larger Bold Street premises with the same free WiFI, newspapers, magazines, books, film nights and language clubs. Summer specials include sangria fruit punch, and mojitea – green tea lime and fresh mint. Open to 8.30pm on Tuesdays.
Emma Robertson, 27, exercise, nutrition and lifestyle coach for Wellness First Who would be your nightmare guest? Sacha Baron Cohen What would you all drink? Champagne and NZ red wine What would you serve? Vietnamese spring rolls, Thai
green curry, chicken and vegetable stir fry with oyster sauce, spaghetti Bolognese, spinach and goats cheese risotto, marinated olives and feta cheese. For dessert, dark chocolate dipped strawberries and Baileys and white chocolate
cheesecake. Mmmm. What would be the topic of conversation? Shopping, vampires, comedy and food. Who would do the washing up? Gordon.
Nightmare guest – Sacha Baron Cohen
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DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chef’s Table
A taste of Down Under William Leece follows in the footsteps of Sex and the City television star Kim Cattrall
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IT back and think of Australian food, and the clichés run thick and fast. Shrimps on the barbie, kangaroo beef and some unspeakable bush tucker. Cheap television has a lot to answer for. Yet, explore the eating houses of Melbourne and Sidney and the dining can be among the best in the world. Australian chefs are ringing the changes on the country’s largely European population and its setting between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Maybe they haven’t created a distinctively and uniquely Australian cuisine yet, but they’re getting there. And it’s certainly a style that Ashley Ritchie, Melbourne-born chef at HoSt, in Hope Street, is keen to promote. There’s no big sign outside declaring HoSt to be an Australian restaurant – in fact, its publicists call it a “New York-inspired panAsian eatery” – but the style is very typical of the way Australian cooking is going. Ashley has been in Liverpool for two years now. He met his Liverpool-born wife, Sarah, while she was out in Australia, and they are now settled in the city with two young daughters. He’s been in the business for about 20 years now. “I just love cheffing,” he explains. It all started after he left school, looking, as he cheerfully admits, for an excuse not to go on into higher education for four years. “I started helping a friend who was a chef, and I got more and more involved and as time progressed I loved it more and more.” He started off in his home town – “Melbourne’s a very foodie city” – and then toured round south-east Asia. “I was really captivated by the food on my travels, and I loved the Asian style of cookery. “There’s a lot of south-east Asian influence in Australian cookery, with the country being so multicultural. They call it modern Australian, and the approach is so much lighter and fresher.” Ashley spent a while in Brisbane in a busy modern Middle-Eastern restaurant – “we could be doing 400 people on a Friday or Saturday night” – and then a while with an up-market seafood restaurant back in Melbourne. “There was a strong Thai influence there, we used premium produce, it overlooked the
HoSt chef Ashley Ritchie – bringing a touch of modern Australian cuisine to the stylish restaurant
Asian Crab Omelette INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1 tbsp veg oil 3 eggs ½ long red chilli seeded and chopped 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Pinch ground pepper 1 tsp fish sauce or salt ½ tsp ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce) 1 tbsp chopped coriander 1 tbsp Spring onion rounds 100g Picked crab meat (can be bought pre prepared from supermarket or use tinned) Small handful, bean sprouts
1. Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. To the egg mixture add the chilli, sweet chilli sauce, chopped coriander, pepper, fish sauce, ketchup manis and spring onion. 2. Heat oil in a no stick frying pan until just smoking, Pour in the egg mixture and allow to puff up. 3. Push the cooked parts of the omelette to one side and allow the uncooked egg to spill into the oil and cook. 4. When the egg is almost cooked, sprinkle the crab meat and bean shoots over it.
water and the skyline of Melbourne – it was a beautiful place, and we won awards.” HoSt in Liverpool has been open since the end of last year, owned by the brothers Gary and Colin Manning, who made their name with the popular 60 Hope Street opposite. The decor is designed to recall the swish New York of the 1950s, a modern elegance that paid off handsomely when Sex and the City
Fold the omelette in half, reduce the heat and cook for another minute. SAUCE A tbsp light soy sauce 1tsp sugar Few drops sesame oil 2tbsp water METHOD 1. Heat soy, sugar, sesame oil and water in a saucepan and bring to boil. 2. Plate up omelette and pour some sauce around. Garnish with coriander and spring onion.
actress Kim Cattrall dropped by for a photo-shoot while researching her Liverpool roots for BBC TV’s Who Do You Think You Are? – the programme will be broadcast tomorrow. It’s a marketing opportunity that just can’t be missed and Ashley has been working with Gary Manning, a chef himself, to create a new lunchtime menu for HoSt, to be launched this week. “It’s a fusion of east meets west,”
Ashley explains, “possibly bringing in dishes that play on eggs, omelette with coriander, tomato, ginger jam, things like that. “Maybe a new spin on the Caesar salad, giving an Asian style by using Chinese sausage instead of bacon, things like that, aiming at the early lunch and brunch market.” Ashley was actually working at another restaurant in Liverpool when he met Gary Manning at a
The approach is so much lighter and fresher
Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY/ at060809bhost-4
Merseyside Partnership event. They hit it off personally, realised that they shared many similar experiences, with Gary also having travelled a lot in southeast Asia, Gary told about his plans for HoSt – “it was a meeting of minds, and the rest is history,” says Ashley. “Gary’s personal taste and style comes though in this restaurant,” he says. “He’s seen how the food culture in Liverpool has really come along. “It’s all about the new casual dining market, with the place being open from 11am to 11pm. The dinners are doing really well, and now we’re really about to start working on our lunches more. “That means lighter dishes, special cocktails, things like that, plus cakes and a selection of blended teas. “Five years ago, I don’t think a place like this would have worked in Liverpool. But here we are – people are a lot more open-minded to the food now.” williamleece@liverpool.com
DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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A new trend is brewing i Sophisticated palates are now choosing beers and ales to accompany meals, instead of wine. Emma Pinch reports
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Stan Shaw, the brewer at Wapping Brewery, beneath the Baltic Fleet
Kings Gap Court Hotel in Hoylake & Restaurant
With 30 En-suite Bedrooms Restaurant at the Kings Gap Court hotel is renowned for its high standard of cuisine making the hotel a perfect place to dine out and stay. We are open for lunch, dinner and afternoon tea every day. • Tea Time Special Menu available Mon-Sat between 5.00-7.00pm 2 Course meals at £10.95 p/p Example 3 Course meals at £12.95 p/p Menu changed • Table D’Hote Menu available Mon-Sat weekly 2 Course meals at £16.95 p/p 3 Course meals at £21.95 p/p • Sunday Carvery is available from 12 noon from £6.95 p/p • 2 Minutes from home of the 2006 Open - The Royal Liverpool Golf Course. • Wedding Showcase 25 August 2009 between 5.00-9.00pm TABLE D’HOTE MENU
STARTERS Chefs Home-made Soup of the Day With crusty bread roll Parisienne of Melon (v) With grapefruit & strawberries Roasted Pear (v) Topped with walnuts & stilton. Served on dressed leaves Duck and Orange Pate Served with salad garnish & crisp ciabatta MAIN COURSES Sirloin Steak Served with grilled tomato & sautéed mushrooms Pan Fried Chicken Breast In a honey mustard sauce Creamy Vegetable Kiev With a creamy cheese sauce Grilled Salmon Supreme With a citrus butter
2 Courses £16.95
Pan Fried Pork Loin Served with apple & braised red cabbage
All main courses are served with a selection of fresh seasonal vegetables or mixed salad, and new potatoes or home made chips
DESSERT SELECTION Selection of Cheeses Served with celery, grapes, apple & biscuits Sticky Toffee Pudding Served with vanilla ice cream Profiteroles With a rich chocolate sauce Chocolate Fudge Cake Served hot or cold with whipped cream Bramley Apple Pie Served hot or cold with custard or cream Or why not try a selection of ice creams from our Cheshire farm ice cream range. Please ask a member of the waiting on team for the menu
Kings Gap Court Hotel
3 Courses £21.95
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Hoylake, Wirral CH47 1HE Tel: 0151 632 2073 Fax: 0151 632 0247 Email: reservations@kingsgapcourt.co.uk Web: www.kingsgapcourt.co.uk
Like many women, Madonna has turned to beer – and bitter is her favourite tipple
PINT of beer with your plate of nosh – it’s a bit, well, common, isn’t it? Weighed down by images of bare sunburned torsos, England shorts and bulging bellies, food with beer just doesn’t seem as sophisticated a match as a meal with wine. That could be about to change. With real ale riding the wave of popularity for all things locally produced – the past year has seen an 8.4% rise in ale sold in shops – restaurants have tentatively started featuring beer lists alongside the traditional wine lists. “There’s a real come-back to real ale,” enthuses Simon Holt, microbrewer and licensee of The Baltic Fleet, in Liverpool, “and I think that nearly every dish we eat with wine can be enjoyed with beer.” He points out that, until Liebfraumilch turned our heads in the 70s, beer was the natural partner to any English dish. “We’ve absorbed a massive amount of European food culture and the drinks culture goes with it. But, even with our own foods now, the product we drink tends to be wine.” Simon supplies 60 Hope Street, the Side Door, the Tate cafe, and wine bar Stamps II, in Crosby, with the real ales he produces in the cellar of his pub. People have switched on to the fact it’s a locally produced, natural drink with health benefits, he says, with women his biggest emerging market. The challenge now is to get people confidently matching food to beer in the natural way they’ll pick up a crisp Soave for a white fish dish. Last week, Simon experimented with his first food matching event at 60 Hope Street. “The basic rule is choose pale beers where you might choose white wine and stronger, darker beers where you might drink red,” he advises. Pale ale is at the lightest end of the
beer spectrum in colour and intensity. At the other is full-bodied stout. Beer variety depends largely on a few factors: how much the barley is roasted and how malty it is, the amount of hops added for bitterness, type of yeast and length of fermentation. Simon’s lightest pale ale and bestseller by a mile is his Summer Ale. “It’s nice and flavourful, with softer hops and citrus notes to it,” he comments. Next is golden bitter – Baltic Gold is Simon’s take on it. “It’s dry and slightly floral with a keen bitter finish.” Mid-spectrum is IPA – short for Indian Pale Ale and sent out to the troops in the tropics – which can also often be strong, up to 10%. His version is Golden Promise – “dry and crisp” – and the most similar to lager. On the far end of the scale is stout and porter – a very dark, almost black drink made with well-roasted barley. Winter Ale, infused with Christmassy spices, is a favourite at the Baltic Fleet on cold nights. “Summer Ale, Baltic Gold and IPA go well with light dishes and starters, foods with delicate flavours, like salads, seafood, soup and sandwiches and cold meats,” says Simon. “Golden Promise is our equivalent to Champagne. It’s relatively strong, pale, slightly sparkling and great to drink as an aperitif.” He chooses IPA to accompany curry. “The troops may well have been eating curry with a pint of IPA,” he offers. Then there’s extra bitter style, generally with more hops added and with a stronger alcohol content – he
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DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
in restaurants
Cupboard love IT’S rare these days you hear a whistling kettle, but, if ever there were a reason for its return, it is this Wesco Classic Kettle, from Red Candy. The shape, stainless steel, bright red silicone, and intricate detailing are eyecatching while the lid and spout remain closed on the hob to ensure rapid boiling. Priced £35.00, at www.redcandy.co.uk MORE like an artwork than a cruet set, with these salt and pepper shakers laid upon your table, chances are guests will still ask for the salt and pepper. Definitely a talking point for any dinner party. Although you just know that someone is going to use them as drumsticks at some point. Zack Linus Cruet Set – £35.95, from www.proleno.com
Simon Holt, above, down in his brewery underneath the Baltic Fleet, left, with a collection of his real ales
CHECK this out. Swedish vodka maker Absolut has introduced a bottle with no label, but a lot of attitude. The limited edition is part of an initiative designed to encourage people to discard labels and discriminations of the LGBT community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). No Label Absolut vodka is £24.99, from Selfridges.
Pictures: JAMES MALONEY/ jm070809baltic-2, left, and jm070809baltic-3, above
CAMRA’S FOOD AND BEER MATCHING TIPS
Produced with the young tips of nettles he plucks from his garden near Clatterbridge, the leaves absorb the flavours from the hedgerows which then make their way into the beer. “We take a recipe for pale ale and adjust the amount of hops going in and boil them all up in the copper. They impart a herby, grassy flavour. Later this year, I want to make a damson stout. There’s a massive variety of beers available now, even in the supermarket. My advice is to experiment and go with what you like.” ■ THE Baltic Fleet’s beer festival will offer of its own 20 beers at £2 per pint. It runs from Friday, Aug 28, to Monday, Aug 31. Our cover picture shows cured meats from 60 Hope Street with Wapping beer from The Baltic Fleet. emma.pinch@liverpool.com
LIVE CUBAN BAND PLAYING FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS LIVE LATIN JAZZ BAND EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON
SPECIAL OFFER
Monday-Thursday until 27th August 2009
£13.95
2 Courses from our A La Carte menu for only Including FREE bottle of house wine per couple on production of this advert
per person
Full A la Carte Menu every day • Traditional homemade Tapas from only £2.95 All day Sunday Roast – £8.95
Discover the true taste of Cuba at La Cubanita where the rhythm never stops!
Bookings now being taken • Vibrant for Mathew Street and Atmosphere Bank Holiday weekend • Live Music
2 CAMPBELL SQUARE, LIVERPOOL L1 5AX
0151 709 5335 www.lacubanita.co.uk
• Great Latin Food er
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DESSERTS: Chocolate or Coffee flavours: Porters; stouts; Belgian fruit beers Red Berry: Porters Apple or Banana: Bavarian wheat beers Creamy: Stouts
Open every day 11am - late
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St
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brews Baltic Classic, which is chestnut in colour. Drink full-bodied bitter, he says, with dishes like Scouse, or sausage and mash, meaty but not very rich. Very rich red wine can be swapped for stout or smoked porter. The dark, full-bodied flavour of stout is an able match for foods like braised beef, lamb tagines and blue cheese. Winter Ale he puts with dishes containing spices like cinnamon and nutmeg – Eccles cakes and minced pies. He pairs Southport potted shrimps with Baltic Gold, fish and chips with Summer Ale and braised beef with stout and serves Golden Promise as an aperitif. He explains that microbreweries like his are able to experiment with flavours and customise beers to local tastes and seasonal foods.
Curries: Strong IPAs; premium lagers Salads: Floral-hopped bitters; nutty, malty ales; wheat beers Pizzas: Malty lagers Ploughman's: Hoppy, fruity bitters
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STARTERS: Vegetable soups: Pale bitters Meaty soups: Malty ales Shellfish: Stouts; porters; Belgian wheat beers Fish: Pilsners German lagers; light bitters; Belgian wheat beers Pâté: Milds: Strong dark lagers Quiches or soufflés: Light bitters
MAIN COURSES: Beef: Full-bodied bitters Pork: Pilsners; Bavarian wheat beers; strong dark lagers Lamb: Spicy malty ales; dark lagers Chicken: Lagers; wheat beers Meat Pies: Full-bodied bitters Sausages: Full-bodied bitters; dark lagers, Bavarian wheat beers Barbecue: Smoked beers; dark lagers Oriental: Wheat beers; ginger / spiced beers
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APERITIFS: Pilsners; milds; hoppy bitters; Belgian wheat beers and fruit beers
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DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
6
Eating Out
Fine dining, to be Franc Ben Rossington finds it is a family affair at Liverpool’s latest French import, Bistro Franc
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Couples and groups can both be in their own little worlds
ITTLE brothers can be a pain. Especially when they have two successful elder brothers to whom they will always be compared. But, for the older of the tribe, the worry is that, one day, the younger sibling will become bigger and better, surpass their achievements and become the new favourite in the eyes of the parents (of course parents have favourites, it’s a lie when they say they don’t). And, in Liverpool, a new, decidedly Continental squabble for supremacy could be about to break out. You see little brother Franc is only a few months old, but is already larger than his brothers. He’s getting big ideas and taking on the might of the already popular, and older, Pierre and Jacques. Hang on, I thought this was a food review, you’re probably saying to yourself now, not some commentary on a family at war. Well, it is. The Franc in question is the new(ish) 110-cover Bistro Franc, just at the back of Liverpool One, on Hanover Street. Opened in May, the twostorey eaterie is the latest baby of the North West Restaurant Group, who already run the successful Bistro Pierre, on Button Street, in the Cavern Quarter, and Bistro Jacques, handily placed for the students on Hardman Street. Both Pierre and Jacques have built up their own followings, their own regulars who know what they like and know what they are going to get. Now Franc wants a slice of the action. More than £200,000 was spent transforming the old offices of the Bishop of Liverpool into Bistro Franc. From the outside looking in, peering over the half-frosted glass of the big windows, it gives off the impression of a nice romantic bolthole. But the amount of groups and families going in through the heavy front door tells a different story. For this is a place where couples and groups can dine and yet both be in their own little worlds.
Split-level dining at Bistro Franc, on Hanover Street, in Liverpool, above; and, inset, the building’s exterior Main picture: PAUL HEAPS/ ph210709ebistro-1
Food facts VENUE: Bistro Franc, Church House, Hanover Street, Liverpool city centre TEL: 0151-708 9993 WEBSITE: www.bistrofranc.com PRICES: Starters all around £5-£6, Mains from £7.90 – £16.95, desserts change but most around £4-£5 SERVICE: Fast, friendly staff who can advise on the bulging menu VALUE: Cheap and cheerful special offers during the week, but still good value at full price at weekends
Downstairs, the main floor next to the bar is filled with large wooden tables while, around the edges of the room, tucked away in the shadows of the upper-floor gallery, are tables for two. Some are covered in the plastic red-and-white gingham table clothes, while others are left as dark, bare wood. On most, a big candle sits in a bottle of wine, the light from each flickering around the room, sending shadows dancing across the walls. On the upper balcony, the feel is more intimate, the noise of the
chatter from the tables below reduced. The decor is very much Bistro Pierre and Jacques, with classic Toulouse-Lautrec prints (“the Bohemian poster artist of the Moulin Rouge”) adorning the walls alongside musings in French (I had to ask Mrs Ben what they were, because I did German at GCSE) and daubs of colour. Taking our seats upstairs on a Saturday night, we looked out over a two-thirds full dining room as the last remnants of the day’s sunshine filtered through the windows. The menu is, as you would
expect, with a hint towards modern English rather than pure classic French. A selection of duck, chicken, fish, lamb and beef sit alongside the vegetarian options, all reasonably priced. I plumped for the marinated lamb skewers, which came nicely rare, while Mrs Ben’s eyes lit up when she saw the goat’s cheese with peaches and, despite the generous portion, her plate was soon empty. For the main, I had to go for the top dish, the Franc special if you like. A 7oz tasty pan-fried fillet of beef
wrapped in smoked bacon sat atop a garlic croute served in a brandy and mushroom sauce, the most expensive main at a still-not-thatwallet-busting £16.95. And Mrs Ben opted for the ribeye steak (£12.50), which came, as do all the mains, with a side of nicely steamed vegetable medley and dauphinoise potatoes. After all that, and a couple of glasses off the extensive wine list, we were stuffed. But, on looking at the everchanging desserts menu, written on blackboards around the room, we couldn’t resist sharing the profiteroles and were fighting each other for the last one on the plate by the end. While still in its infancy, Bistro Franc is already getting a similar following to its bigger brothers and has the same weekly specials, for students and theatre goers, and early bird specials which offer three courses at penny pinching prices. Doors open from 4.30pm – 10.30pm every day. In a highly competitive market, the “Bistro” chain is carving itself out a nice niche and even as others look to tighten the belt to ward off the recession, North West Restaurants is looking to expand, a sign of the success of their “family”. And if its “little ones” keep growing at this rate, it’ll need to find yet another, even bigger house very soon. ben.rossington@liverpool.com
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DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sommelier – Mathew Sloane
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LOOKED out of the window of my mansion and saw a sole magpie, pecking at the ground, a stark vision in black and white. He didn’t stop long and was soon winging his way into the overcast morning, in search of jewellery and coin. Remembering my superstitious ritual, I had saluted, wished him a good morning and spat on the floor just in time, just before he became less than a speck in the greying canvas of yet another grey, summer sky. With a sense of doom and foreboding, I called for my valet and set about preparing myself for a tiring day of Spanish wine tasting. Despite my being convinced that I’d managed to get all of my hoodoo chasing done before that monochromatic, winged terror had eloped, I couldn’t help feeling that his appearance today, today of all days, was irrevocably linked to the forthcoming event. I, famously, am not a lover of Spanish wine. It is always with great trepidation that I drag myself along to a lengthy session with some over-rated, over wooded, overpriced, Spanish philandering soup. I purposefully donned my darkest suit, blackest tie and most solemn demeanour. I called down a cabbie and wearily forced myself into a sunny yet insincere disposition, ready to once more be heavily disappointed, once more to wish I’d listened to mother and become a surgeon, instead of having to put up with this dirty muck. Bodega Pireneos was to be the unfortunate victim of my heaven threatening scorn. Sometimes, and only sometimes, it’s great to be wrong and I can proudly and firmly state that I was treated to possibly the year’s finest tasting so far. Kicking off with some delightfully crisp whites, the best rosés I’ve ever tried and ending with the positively devilish Pirineos Marbore – a mad, red blend that would blow the wheels off most Bordeaux for under a hundred quid – the
Best bar none
evening was a massive eye-opener. I’m told that the Somantano region of Spain, where all this crackers gear is produced, is the most versatile bit of Spain for making quality grape juice. While tasting the mind-bending reds, one could almost feel the shadow of the Pyrenees looming over our table. This swag is difficult to find on shop shelves, so you’ll have to get hold of my long-suffering manservant, Douglas Lowe, and he’ll furnish you with a case or three. Drop the old codger a line at originwines@aol.com and he’ll make sure you have an excellent end to an average summer. The whites will work well with some grilled prawns, tuna steaks, grilled Cajun chicken at a push; the rosés are perfect with Chinese style ribs and, as for the big reds, slow roast a leg of lamb then lock the doors. If you’ve managed to get the old barbecue going and have been wondering what to quaff with your half raw burgers and medium rare chicken, get yourselves down to see the lovely geezers and lasses at Vinea, Albert Dock. They’re knocking out the unfortunately named yet absolutely marvellous, Bellenda Prosecco for £11.49. As much as I love the old Champers, I can’t always justify splurging the best part of 40 notes if I just fancy some fizz with my still twitching prawns. That’s where Prosecco walks through the door; don’t go for the cheaper stuff – like bad Cava, it’ll leave you with nothing more than bitterness and windipops.
BIGGEST BUFFET RANGE IN LIVERPOOL WITH OVER 90 DISHES
10% OFF FOR STUDENTS & OAPS
Blue Bar, on the Edward Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 (tel : 0151 709 7097) BLUE Bar is 10 this year. Anchored to a spec on the original and best bit of “new” old Liverpool, the Albert Dock cafe bar and restaurant quickly earned itself a reputation as one of the most stylish places to hang out. A decade can take its toll, however, and it has recently undergone refurbishment. The result is it feels much more intimate, its rustic Grade I listed status set off against touches of luxury. Lots of exposed original brickwork and wooden floors form a backdrop to leather sofas, silk drapes and yellowy light from chandeliers. It makes for a relaxed vibe, although it can certainly pack a crowd and get quite lively. Blue is a one-stop entertainment
venue containing, in addition to the bar and grill – offering Med, American and Asian dishes – a basement that houses comedy club Comedy Central, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Blue Live Lounge, which puts on music by renowned DJs and bands. Forthcoming performances include those by Finlay Quaye and The Blow Monkeys. A bottle of rosé costs £16.95, while celebrities – and they are rumoured to be thick on the ground at Blue – might plump for the Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 1993/95, at £225. For those with more adventurous tastes, there’s a vast array of shooters and cocktails on the menu. Open from 11am to 3am daily.
HEN & STAG PARTIES OFFER Get a FREE Bottle of Bubbly when you book your Stag & Hen Nights at Tso’s TREAT YOUR FAMILY ON SUNDAY £21 FOR 2 ADULTS AND 2 CHILDREN
FRESH SALMON IS SERVED EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
ALL YOU CAN EAT LUNCH BUFFET 11.30am-6.00pm
£5.95 Fri - Sat £6.50
Mon - Thurs
4 QUEENS SQ, LIVERPOOL, L1 1HF,
OPPOSITE MARRIOT HOTEL & QUEENS SQ BUS STOP
0151 709 2811
WWW.TSORESTAURANT.CO.UK
OPEN ALL BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
Next to the Birkenhead Tunnel Stage for the Mathew Street Festival
GRAND BUFFET 6.00pm - Midnight
£8.95 Fri - Sat £9.95
Mon - Thurs
ALL DAY SUNDAY
11.30am - Midnight
£6.75
KIDS EAT 1/2 PRICE BELOW 41/2 FT
8 Advertising Feature
DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Monro
Venue where customer is king
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UKE Street gastropub, The Monro, has long established itself as a jewel in the region’s culinary crown. The restaurant’s walletfriendly prices and innovative menu, which fuses classic British dishes with contemporary Mediterranean flavours, has earned The Monro an enviable reputation and much praise from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Independent. Now, after six years as one of Liverpool’s most widely acclaimed eateries, The Monro has launched private dining and function rooms on the upper floor of its Grade II listed premises. Lovingly renovated, the two Georgian rooms which form the new David William Suite feature huge sash windows and an original floor constructed from marine grade decking timber circa 1820. Proprietor William Lyons said: “Before we decorated the rooms, we found that city centre function rooms are mainly provided by large hotels, with prices to match. Some of these venues seem to have forgotten that people simply don’t have access to finance for large parties and weddings in the current climate. “We decided to fill the gap by providing a beautifully
furnished venue for that special event at much lower prices – yet still maintaining our own award-winning standards.” Complementing the existing gastro-pub, the new suite caters for weddings and civil partnerships, christenings, funerals and other special events. Business events, networking meetings and corporate dinners are also well provided for, as the suite is fully equipped with audio visual equipment. Able to accommodate 80 people for a buffet or 40 for a sitdown meal, the suite, with its chic Georgian styling and private bar, provides an elegant setting for any event. To further enhance your event, a number of exciting options are available including bespoke table setting, personalised menus and a private bar. The Monro is famed for its mouth-watering food, so it’s no surprise that, when it comes to catering for your event, the renowned gastro-pub offers
exciting, gourmet menus that will wow your guests. With something to suit all occasions, you can opt between a hot and cold buffet menu, private dining packages or order from either the early bird menu or the award-winning a la carte menu. Alternatively, you can order “off-menu” and have bespoke dishes created especially for your event, made in The Monro’s signature style using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Those with special dietary requirements are also well catered for, with coeliac, vegan and vegetarian meals available upon request. The Monro has hosted a large number of weddings and civil ceremonies and has the experience to cater for the needs of your guests, as William explained: “We believe that the customer is king. We look after them, and they look after us by coming back – something which a lot of people in the hospitality and service industry so often seem to forget.” Prices start from just £11.50 per person, and parties for up to 40 guests benefit from no hire fee. ■ TO FIND out more, call the venue on 0151 707 9933, log onto www.themonro.com or visit The Monro, 92 Duke Street, Liverpool.
Lovingly renovated – The Monro's new David William Suite