Australian cuisine inthe city centre

M E N UTHE DAILY POST FOOD AND DRINK GUIDE

Here for the beer

Food fusion

Spanishsurprise

Forget the wine . . . dining out is getting ale and hearty

Top wines to tantalisethe taste buds

August 09

2 DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Dinner dateWho would you invite to yourdream dinner party? EdwardCullen (Twilight), BeckyBloomwood, Alan Carr andGordon Ramsay

Who would be your nightmareguest? Sacha Baron Cohen

What would you all drink?Champagne and NZ red wine

What would you serve?Vietnamese spring rolls, Thai

green curry, chicken andvegetable stir fry with oystersauce, spaghetti Bolognese,spinach and goats cheeserisotto, marinated olives and fetacheese. For dessert, darkchocolate dipped strawberriesand Baileys and white chocolate

cheesecake. Mmmm.

What would be the topic ofconversation? Shopping,vampires, comedy and food.

Who would do the washingup? Gordon.

■ LIVERPOOL’S most versatile foodie, LizMcClarnon, right, has got together with Love Porkto create a seasonal recipe booklet.

Liz McClarnon’s Autumn Pork Collection featurestempting dishes like spicy pork pumpkin, porkchops with Bramley apple and Cheddar cheese andher own favourite, pork belly with plums andcinnamon.

To see the recipes online, go towww.lovepork.co.uk

Emma Robertson, 27, exercise, nutrition andlifestyle coach for Wellness First

CHEFS including Aiden Byrne, Brian Mellor and Paul Askewwill be showing off their skills at the Wirral Food and DrinkFestival.

This year’s has attracted the cream of regional producersof food and drink, and exhibitors include HS Bourne,traditional Cheshire cheese-makers for 250 years, andWirral-based brewery Betwixt Beer Co.

The Dig a Little Deeper stage – new for 2009 – iswhere Wirral specialists such as Bala Croman, from

The Chocolate Cellar, plus proprietors of Wards Fishand 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 berunning all day to the festival

from Spital train station.

Fabulous food festival

SPECIALIST tea cafe Brew hasbranched out to Bold Street. Thecommunity vibe and extensiverange of teas – including green tealattes, Indian chai and white tea –at its Old Hall St address has beenpoured into the larger Bold Streetpremises with the same free WiFI,newspapers, magazines, books,film nights and language clubs.

Summer specials include sangriafruit punch, and mojitea – green tealime and fresh mint. Open to8.30pm on Tuesdays.

TIBETAN tea is madefrom yak butter, salt,and tea. The averageTibetan can drink 50cups per day

food facts Be a master chef

food facts

BANANA trees are notactually trees – they aregiant herbs. And wildbananas have huge hardseeds in the fruit

Emma Robertson

try it . . .NOT just any pick and mix butM&S’s free-of-artificial colouringand flavouring pick and mix. It’slaunched across 100 stores fromSeptember, along with dozens ofnew lines of chocolate andsweets including retro faves likeits own brand sherbet fountain,strawberry flying saucers andfoam shrimps.

fresh

Nightmare guest –Sacha Baron Cohen

■ ASPIRING artists Mala andNorman Dawson have quit theirday jobs to open an art gallery-cum-restaurant in Rainhill.

The husbandand wife teammet at art schooland, after morethan a decadeworking as a carsalesman and ateacher, Mala andNorman todayopen the doorsof their dream

venture on WarringtonRoad.

More than 50 paintings, prints,sculpture and pieces of glassware

created by localartists are onshow and forsale.

Galleria willoffer a mixture ofMediterraneanfavourites, usinglocal suppliers.Call 0151 4309212 for details.

IT’S official –Liverpudlians havesuperior taste. Foodscientists claim to haveuncovered proof thattaste is influenced bythe region you are fromand called them ourfood dialects.

Food psychologistGreg Tucker workingwith NottinghamUniversity discoveredNorth West tastebuds

are tickled by moistcomfort foods with “all

round” tastes. “The reasonthe North West drinks

Dandelion & Burdock andVimto is because unlikemost fizzy drinks whichare very sweet, they havefruitier, sharper flavourswhich are soft, roundedand smooth,” he says.They found chips, gravyand stews matched NorthWest food dialect best.

DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009 3

Chef’s Table

Theapproachis somuchlighter andfresher

A taste of Down UnderWilliamLeece followsin the footstepsof Sex and theCity televisionstar KimCattrall

Chef’s Table

SIT back and think ofAustralian food, andthe clichés run thickand fast. Shrimps onthe barbie, kangaroo

beef and some unspeakable bushtucker. Cheap television has a lotto answer for.

Yet, explore the eating houses ofMelbourne and Sidney and thedining can be among the best in theworld. Australian chefs are ringingthe changes on the country’slargely European population and itssetting between the Indian andPacific oceans.

Maybe they haven’t created adistinctively and uniquelyAustralian cuisine yet, but they’regetting there. And it’s certainly astyle that Ashley Ritchie,Melbourne-born chef at HoSt, inHope Street, is keen to promote.

There’s no big sign outsidedeclaring HoSt to be an Australianrestaurant – in fact, its publicistscall it a “New York-inspired pan-Asian eatery” – but the style is verytypical of the way Australiancooking is going.

Ashley has been in Liverpool fortwo years now. He met hisLiverpool-born wife, Sarah, whileshe was out in Australia, and theyare now settled in the city with twoyoung daughters.

He’s been in the business forabout 20 years now. “I just lovecheffing,” he explains.

It all started after he left school,looking, as he cheerfully admits, foran excuse not to go on into highereducation for four years.

“I started helping a friend whowas a chef, and I got more andmore involved and as timeprogressed I loved it more andmore.”

He started off in his home town –“Melbourne’s a very foodie city” –and then toured round south-eastAsia.

“I was really captivated by thefood on my travels, and I loved theAsian style of cookery.

“There’s a lot of south-east Asianinfluence in Australian cookery,with the country being so multi-cultural. They call it modernAustralian, and the approach is somuch lighter and fresher.”

Ashley spent a while in Brisbanein a busy modern Middle-Easternrestaurant – “we could be doing 400people on a Friday or Saturdaynight” – and then a while with anup-market seafood restaurant backin Melbourne. “There was a strongThai influence there, we usedpremium produce, it overlooked the

water and the skyline of Melbourne– it was a beautiful place, and wewon awards.”

HoSt in Liverpool has been opensince the end of last year, owned bythe brothers Gary and ColinManning, who made their namewith the popular 60 Hope Streetopposite.

The decor is designed to recallthe swish New York of the 1950s, amodern elegance that paid offhandsomely when Sex and the City

actress Kim Cattrall dropped by fora photo-shoot while researching herLiverpool roots for BBC TV’s WhoDo You Think You Are? – theprogramme will be broadcasttomorrow.

It’s a marketing opportunity thatjust can’t be missed and Ashley hasbeen working with Gary Manning,a chef himself, to create a newlunchtime menu for HoSt, to belaunched this week.

“It’s a fusion of east meets west,”

Ashley explains, “possibly bringingin dishes that play on eggs,omelette with coriander, tomato,ginger jam, things like that.

“Maybe a new spin on the Caesarsalad, giving an Asian style byusing Chinese sausage instead ofbacon, things like that, aiming atthe early lunch and brunchmarket.”

Ashley was actually working atanother restaurant in Liverpoolwhen he met Gary Manning at a

MerseysidePartnership event.

They hit it offpersonally, realised thatthey shared manysimilar experiences,with Gary also havingtravelled a lot in south-east Asia, Gary toldabout his plans forHoSt – “it was ameeting of minds, andthe rest is history,” saysAshley.

“Gary’s personal tasteand style comes thoughin this restaurant,” hesays. “He’s seen how thefood culture in Liverpoolhas really come along.

“It’s all about the newcasual dining market,with the place beingopen from 11am to 11pm.

The dinners are doing really well,and now we’re really about to startworking on our lunches more.

“That means lighter dishes,special cocktails, things like that,plus cakes and a selection ofblended teas.

“Five years ago, I don’t think aplace like this would have workedin Liverpool. But here we are –people are a lot more open-mindedto the food now.”

williamleece@liverpool.com

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp veg oil3 eggs½ long red chilli seeded andchopped1 tbsp sweet chilli saucePinch ground pepper1 tsp fish sauce or salt½ tsp ketchup manis (sweet soysauce)1 tbsp chopped coriander1 tbsp Spring onion rounds100g Picked crab meat (can bebought pre prepared fromsupermarket or use tinned)Small handful, bean sprouts

METHOD

1. Break the eggs into a bowl andwhisk lightly. To the egg mixtureadd the chilli, sweet chilli sauce,chopped coriander, pepper, fishsauce, ketchup manis and springonion.2. Heat oil in a no stick frying panuntil just smoking, Pour in the eggmixture and allow to puff up.3. Push the cooked parts of theomelette to one side and allow theuncooked egg to spill into the oiland cook.4. When the egg is almost cooked,sprinkle the crab meat and beanshoots over it.

Fold the omelette in half, reducethe heat and cook for anotherminute.

SAUCE

A tbsp light soy sauce1tsp sugarFew drops sesame oil2tbsp water

METHOD1. Heat soy, sugar, sesame oil andwater in a saucepan and bring toboil.2. Plate up omelette and poursome sauce around. Garnish withcoriander and spring onion.

Asian Crab Omelette

HoSt chef Ashley Ritchie – bringing a touch of modern Australian cuisine to the stylish restaurant Picture: ANDREW TEEBAY/ at060809bhost-4

4 DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Sophisticatedpalates are nowchoosing beersand ales toaccompanymeals, instead ofwine. EmmaPinch reports

A new trend is brewing in r

APINT of beer with yourplate of nosh – it’s a bit,well, common, isn’t it?Weighed down byimages of bare sun-

burned torsos, England shorts andbulging bellies, food with beer justdoesn’t seem as sophisticated amatch as a meal with wine.

That could be about to change.With real ale riding the wave of

popularity for all things locallyproduced – the past year has seen an8.4% rise in ale sold in shops –restaurants have tentatively startedfeaturing beer lists alongside thetraditional wine lists.

“There’s a real come-back to realale,” enthuses Simon Holt, micro-brewer and licensee of The BalticFleet, in Liverpool, “and I think thatnearly every dish we eat with winecan be enjoyed with beer.”

He points out that, untilLiebfraumilch turned our heads inthe 70s,

beer was thenatural partnerto any Englishdish.

“We’veabsorbed amassiveamount ofEuropean foodculture and thedrinks culturegoes with it.But, even withour own foodsnow, theproduct wedrink tends tobe wine.”

Simonsupplies 60Hope Street,the Side Door,the Tate cafe,and wine barStamps II, in

Crosby, with the real ales he producesin the cellar of his pub. People haveswitched on to the fact it’s a locallyproduced, natural drink with healthbenefits, he says, with women hisbiggest emerging market.

The challenge now is to get peopleconfidently matching food to beer inthe natural way they’ll pick up a crispSoave for a white fish dish.

Last week, Simon experimentedwith his first food matching event at60 Hope Street.

“The basic rule is choose pale beerswhere you might choose white wineand stronger, darker beers where youmight 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. Beervariety depends largely on a fewfactors: how much the barley isroasted and how malty it is, theamount of hops added for bitterness,type of yeast and length offermentation.

Simon’s lightest pale ale and best-seller by a mile is his Summer Ale.“It’s nice and flavourful, with softerhops and citrus notes to it,” hecomments. Next is golden bitter –Baltic Gold is Simon’s take on it. “It’sdry and slightly floral with a keenbitter finish.” Mid-spectrum is IPA –short for Indian Pale Ale and sent outto the troops in the tropics – whichcan also often be strong, up to 10%.His version is Golden Promise – “dryand crisp” – and the most similar tolager.

On the far end of the scale is stoutand porter – a very dark, almost blackdrink made with well-roasted barley.Winter Ale, infused with Christmassyspices, is a favourite at the Baltic Fleeton cold nights.

“Summer Ale, Baltic Gold and IPAgo well with light dishes and starters,foods with delicate flavours, likesalads, seafood, soup and sandwichesand cold meats,” says Simon.

“Golden Promise is our equivalentto Champagne. It’s relatively strong,pale, slightly sparkling and great todrink as an aperitif.”

He chooses IPA to accompany curry.“The troops may well have beeneating curry with a pint of IPA,” heoffers.

Then there’s extra bitter style,generally with more hops added andwith a stronger alcohol content – he

Stan Shaw, the brewer at Wapping Brewery, beneath the Baltic Fleet

Like manywomen,Madonnahas turnedto beer – andbitter is herfavouritetipple

Kings Gap Court Hotelin Hoylake & Restaurant

With 30 En-suite Bedrooms

Restaurant at the Kings Gap Court hotel isrenowned for its high standard of cuisine makingthe 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-Satbetween 5.00-7.00pm2 Course meals at £10.95 p/p3 Course meals at £12.95 p/p

• Table D’Hote Menu available Mon-Sat2 Course meals at £16.95 p/p3 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

g

g

gg

g

Kings Gap Court HotelHoylake, Wirral CH47 1HE Tel: 0151 632 2073 Fax: 0151 632 0247Email: reservations@kingsgapcourt.co.uk Web: www.kingsgapcourt.co.uk

STARTERSChefs Home-made Soup of the Day

With crusty bread rollParisienne of Melon (v)

With grapefruit & strawberriesRoasted Pear (v)

Topped with walnuts & stilton. Served on dressed leavesDuck and Orange Pate

Served with salad garnish & crisp ciabattaMAIN COURSES

Sirloin SteakServed with grilled tomato & sautéed mushrooms

Pan Fried Chicken BreastIn a honey mustard sauce

Creamy Vegetable KievWith a creamy cheese sauce

Grilled Salmon SupremeWith a citrus butter

Pan Fried Pork LoinServed with apple & braised red cabbage

All main courses are served with a selectionof fresh seasonal vegetables or mixed salad,

and new potatoes or home made chipsDESSERT SELECTION

Selection of CheesesServed with celery, grapes, apple & biscuits

Sticky Toffee PuddingServed with vanilla ice cream

ProfiterolesWith a rich chocolate sauceChocolate Fudge Cake

Served hot or cold with whipped creamBramley Apple Pie

Served hot or cold with custard or creamOr why not try a selection of ice creamsfrom our Cheshire farm ice cream range.Please ask a member of the waiting on team for the menu

TABLE D’HOTE MENU

2 Courses £16.95 3 Courses £21.95

ExampleMenu

changedweekly

DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5

Cupboard love

CHECK this out. Swedish vodka makerAbsolut has introduced a bottle with nolabel, but a lot of attitude.

The limited edition is part of aninitiative designed to encourage peopleto discard labels and discriminations ofthe LGBT community (Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Transgender). No LabelAbsolut vodka is £24.99, from Selfridges.

ewing in restaurants

MORE like an artwork than acruet set, with these salt andpepper shakers laid uponyour table, chances areguests will still ask for the saltand pepper.

Definitely a talking point forany dinner party. Althoughyou just know that someoneis going to use them asdrumsticks at some point.Zack Linus Cruet Set –£35.95, fromwww.proleno.com

IT’S rare these days youhear a whistling kettle, but, ifever there were a reason forits return, it is this WescoClassic Kettle, from RedCandy. The shape, stainlesssteel, bright red silicone, andintricate detailing are eye-catching while the lid andspout remain closed on thehob to ensure rapid boiling.Priced £35.00, atwww.redcandy.co.uk

APERITIFS: Pilsners; milds;hoppy bitters; Belgian wheatbeers and fruit beers

STARTERS:Vegetable soups: Pale bittersMeaty soups: Malty alesShellfish: Stouts; porters;Belgian wheat beersFish: Pilsners German lagers;light bitters; Belgian wheat beersPâté: Milds: Strong dark lagersQuiches or soufflés: Lightbitters

MAIN COURSES:Beef: Full-bodied bittersPork: Pilsners; Bavarian wheatbeers; strong dark lagersLamb: Spicy malty ales; darklagersChicken: Lagers; wheat beersMeat Pies: Full-bodied bittersSausages: Full-bodied bitters;dark lagers, Bavarian wheatbeersBarbecue: Smoked beers; darklagersOriental: Wheat beers; ginger /spiced beers

Curries: Strong IPAs; premiumlagersSalads: Floral-hopped bitters;nutty, malty ales; wheat beersPizzas: Malty lagersPloughman's: Hoppy, fruitybitters

DESSERTS:Chocolate or Coffee flavours:Porters; stouts; Belgian fruit beersRed Berry: PortersApple or Banana: Bavarianwheat beersCreamy: Stouts

Simon Holt, above,down in hisbreweryunderneath theBaltic Fleet, left,with a collection ofhis real ales

Pictures: JAMES MALONEY/jm070809baltic-2, left, and

jm070809baltic-3, above

CAMRA’S FOOD AND BEER MATCHING TIPS

brews Baltic Classic, which ischestnut in colour.

Drink full-bodied bitter, he says,with dishes like Scouse, or sausageand mash, meaty but not very rich.

Very rich red wine can be swappedfor stout or smoked porter. The dark,full-bodied flavour of stout is an ablematch for foods like braised beef, lambtagines and blue cheese. Winter Ale heputs with dishes containing spiceslike cinnamon and nutmeg – Ecclescakes and minced pies.

He pairs Southport potted shrimpswith Baltic Gold, fish and chips withSummer Ale and braised beef withstout and serves Golden Promise asan aperitif.

He explains that microbrewerieslike his are able to experiment withflavours and customise beers to localtastes and seasonal foods.

Produced with the young tips ofnettles he plucks from his garden nearClatterbridge, the leaves absorb theflavours from the hedgerows whichthen make their way into the beer.

“We take a recipe for pale ale andadjust the amount of hops going inand boil them all up in the copper.They impart a herby, grassy flavour.Later this year, I want to make adamson stout. There’s a massivevariety of beers available now, even inthe supermarket. My advice is toexperiment and go with what youlike.”

■ THE Baltic Fleet’s beer festival willoffer of its own 20 beers at £2 per pint.It runs from Friday, Aug 28, to Monday,Aug 31. Our cover picture shows curedmeats from 60 Hope Street withWapping beer from The Baltic Fleet.

emma.pinch@liverpool.com

2 CAMPBELLSQUARE,LIVERPOOLL1 5AX0151 709 5335www.lacubanita.co.uk

Cam

pbel

l St

Price St

John Lewis

Argyle St

Duke St

Duke St

Hanover St

Open every day 11am - lateLIVE CUBAN BAND PLAYINGFRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTSLIVE LATIN JAZZ BAND EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Monday-Thursday until 27th August 2009SPECIAL OFFER

on production of this advert

• VibrantAtmosphere

• Live Music• Great Latin Food

2 Courses from our A La Carte menu for only £13.95 per personIncluding FREE bottle of house wine per couple

Bookings now being takenfor Mathew Street andBank Holiday weekend

Full A la Carte Menu every day• Traditional homemade Tapas from only £2.95All day Sunday Roast – £8.95Discover the true taste of Cuba at La Cubanita where the rhythm never stops!

6 DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Eating Out

Food facts

Fine dining, to be FrancBen Rossingtonfinds it is a familyaffair at Liverpool’slatest French import,Bistro Franc

VENUE: Bistro Franc, Church House, HanoverStreet, 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 mostaround £4-£5

SERVICE: Fast, friendly staff who can advise onthe bulging menu

VALUE: Cheap and cheerful special offersduring the week, but still good value at full priceat weekends

LITTLE brothers can bea pain. Especiallywhen they have twosuccessful elderbrothers to whom they

will always be compared.But, for the older of the tribe, the

worry is that, one day, the youngersibling will become bigger andbetter, surpass their achievementsand become the new favourite inthe eyes of the parents (of courseparents have favourites, it’s a liewhen they say they don’t).

And, in Liverpool, a new,decidedly Continental squabble forsupremacy could be about to breakout.

You see little brother Franc isonly a few months old, butis already larger than hisbrothers.

He’s getting big ideas andtaking on the might of thealready popular, and older,Pierre and Jacques.

Hang on, I thought thiswas a food review, you’reprobably saying to yourselfnow, not some commentaryon a family at war. Well, it is.

The Franc in question isthe new(ish) 110-cover BistroFranc, just at the back ofLiverpool One, on HanoverStreet.

Opened in May, the two-storey eaterie is the latestbaby of the North WestRestaurant Group, whoalready run the successfulBistro Pierre, on ButtonStreet, in the Cavern Quarter,and Bistro Jacques, handilyplaced for the students onHardman Street.

Both Pierre and Jacqueshave built up their ownfollowings, their own regularswho know what they like andknow what they are going toget.

Now Franc wants a slice of theaction.

More than £200,000 was spenttransforming the old offices of theBishop of Liverpool into BistroFranc.

From the outside looking in,peering over the half-frosted glassof the big windows, it gives off theimpression of a nice romantic bolt-hole.

But the amount of groups andfamilies going in through theheavy front door tells a differentstory.

For this is a place where couplesand groups can dine and yet bothbe in their own little worlds.

Downstairs, the main floor nextto the bar is filled with largewooden tables while, around theedges of the room, tucked away inthe shadows of the upper-floorgallery, are tables for two.

Some are covered in the plasticred-and-white gingham tableclothes, while others are left asdark, bare wood.

On most, a big candle sits in abottle of wine, the light from eachflickering around the room,sending shadows dancing acrossthe walls.

On the upper balcony, the feel ismore intimate, the noise of the

chatter from the tables belowreduced.

The decor is very much BistroPierre and Jacques, with classicToulouse-Lautrec prints (“theBohemian poster artist of theMoulin Rouge”) adorning the wallsalongside musings in French (I hadto ask Mrs Ben what they were,because I did German at GCSE)and daubs of colour.

Taking our seats upstairs on aSaturday night, we looked out overa two-thirds full dining room as thelast remnants of the day’s sunshinefiltered through the windows.

The menu is, as you would

expect, with a hint towardsmodern English rather than pureclassic French. A selection of duck,chicken, fish, lamb and beef sitalongside the vegetarian options,all reasonably priced.

I plumped for the marinatedlamb skewers, which came nicelyrare, while Mrs Ben’s eyes lit upwhen she saw the goat’s cheesewith peaches and, despite thegenerous portion, her plate wassoon empty.

For the main, I had to go for thetop dish, the Franc special if youlike.

A 7oz tasty pan-fried fillet of beef

wrapped in smoked bacon sat atopa garlic croute served in a brandyand mushroom sauce, the mostexpensive main at a still-not-that-wallet-busting £16.95.

And Mrs Ben opted for theribeye steak (£12.50), which came,as do all the mains, with a side ofnicely steamed vegetable medleyand dauphinoise potatoes.

After all that, and a couple ofglasses off the extensive wine list,we were stuffed.

But, on looking at the ever-changing desserts menu, writtenon blackboards around the room,we couldn’t resist sharing theprofiteroles and were fighting eachother for the last one on the plateby the end.

While still in its infancy, BistroFranc is already getting a similarfollowing to its bigger brothers andhas the same weekly specials, forstudents and theatre goers, andearly bird specials which offerthree courses at penny pinchingprices.

Doors open from 4.30pm –10.30pm every day.

In a highly competitive market,the “Bistro” chain is carving itselfout a nice niche and even as otherslook to tighten the belt to ward offthe recession, North WestRestaurants is looking to expand, asign of the success of their“family”.

And if its “little ones” keepgrowing at this rate, it’ll need tofind yet another, even bigger housevery soon.

ben.rossington@liverpool.com

Couplesandgroupscan bothbe in theirown littleworlds

Split-level dining at Bistro Franc, on Hanover Street, in Liverpool, above;and, inset, the building’s exterior Main picture: PAUL HEAPS/ ph210709ebistro-1

DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7

Sommelier – Mathew Sloane

Best bar none

BLUE Bar is 10 this year. Anchoredto a spec on the original and bestbit of “new” old Liverpool, theAlbert Dock cafe bar andrestaurant quickly earned itself areputation as one of the moststylish places to hang out.

A decade can take its toll,however, and it has recentlyundergone refurbishment. Theresult is it feels much moreintimate, its rustic Grade I listedstatus set off against touches ofluxury.

Lots of exposed originalbrickwork and wooden floors forma backdrop to leather sofas, silkdrapes and yellowy light fromchandeliers. It makes for a relaxedvibe, although it can certainly packa crowd and get quite lively.

Blue is a one-stop entertainment

venue containing, in addition to thebar and grill – offering Med,American and Asian dishes – abasement that houses comedyclub Comedy Central, Thursday,Friday and Saturday and Blue LiveLounge, which puts on music byrenowned DJs and bands.Forthcoming performances includethose by Finlay Quaye and TheBlow Monkeys.

A bottle of rosé costs £16.95,while celebrities – and they arerumoured to be thick on theground at Blue – might plump forthe Louis Roederer Cristal Brut1993/95, at £225.

For those with moreadventurous tastes, there’s a vastarray of shooters and cocktails onthe menu. Open from 11am to 3amdaily.

Blue Bar, on the Edward Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool,L3 (tel : 0151 709 7097)

ILOOKED out of the window of mymansion and saw a sole magpie,pecking at the ground, a stark visionin black and white. He didn’t stoplong and was soon winging his way

into the overcast morning, in search ofjewellery and coin.

Remembering my superstitious ritual, Ihad saluted, wished him a good morning andspat on the floor just in time, just before hebecame less than a speck in the greyingcanvas of yet another grey, summer sky.

With a sense of doom and foreboding, Icalled for my valet and set about preparingmyself for a tiring day of Spanish winetasting. Despite my being convinced that I’dmanaged to get all of my hoodoo chasingdone before that monochromatic, wingedterror had eloped, I couldn’t help feeling thathis appearance today, today of all days, wasirrevocably linked to the forthcoming event.I, famously, am not a lover of Spanish wine. Itis always with great trepidation that I dragmyself along to a lengthy session with someover-rated, over wooded, overpriced, Spanishphilandering soup.

I purposefully donned my darkest suit,blackest tie and most solemn demeanour. Icalled down a cabbie and wearily forcedmyself into a sunny yet insincere disposition,ready to once more be heavily disappointed,once more to wish I’d listened to mother andbecome a surgeon, instead of having to putup with this dirty muck.

Bodega Pireneos was to be the unfortunatevictim of my heaven threatening scorn.

Sometimes, and only sometimes, it’s greatto be wrong and I can proudly and firmlystate that I was treated to possibly the year’sfinest tasting so far. Kicking off with somedelightfully crisp whites, the best rosés I’veever tried and ending with the positivelydevilish Pirineos Marbore – a mad, red blendthat would blow the wheels off mostBordeaux for under a hundred quid – the

evening was a massive eye-opener. I’mtold that the Somantano region of Spain,where all this crackers gear is produced, isthe most versatile bit of Spain for makingquality grape juice.

While tasting the mind-bending reds, onecould almost feel the shadow of the Pyreneeslooming over our table.

This swag is difficult to find on shopshelves, so you’ll have to get hold of mylong-suffering manservant, DouglasLowe, and he’ll furnish you with a caseor three. Drop the old codger a line atoriginwines@aol.com and he’ll makesure you have an excellent end to anaverage summer. The whites willwork well with some grilledprawns, tuna steaks, grilledCajun chicken at a push; therosés are perfect with Chinesestyle ribs and, as for the bigreds, slow roast a leg of lambthen lock the doors.

If you’ve managed to get theold barbecue going and havebeen wondering what to quaffwith your half raw burgers andmedium rare chicken, getyourselves down to see thelovely geezers and lasses atVinea, Albert Dock. They’reknocking out the unfortunatelynamed yet absolutelymarvellous, Bellenda Proseccofor £11.49. As much as I lovethe old Champers, I can’talways justify splurging thebest part of 40 notes if I justfancy some fizz with my stilltwitching prawns. That’s whereProsecco walks through the door;don’t go for the cheaper stuff – like badCava, it’ll leave you with nothing morethan bitterness and windipops.

4 QUEENS SQ, LIVERPOOL, L1 1HF,OPPOSITE MARRIOT HOTEL & QUEENS SQ BUS STOP

0151 709 2811WWW.TSORESTAURANT.CO.UK

ALL YOUCAN EATLUNCH BUFFET11.30am-6.00pm

Mon - Thurs £5.95Fri - Sat £6.50

GRANDBUFFET6.00pm - MidnightMon - Thurs £8.95

Fri - Sat £9.95ALL DAYSUNDAY

11.30am - Midnight

£6.75

KIDS EAT1/2 PRICE

BELOW 41/2 FT

FRESH SALMON IS SERVED EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY10% OFF FOR STUDENTS & OAPS

HEN & STAG PARTIES OFFERGet a FREE Bottle of Bubbly when youbook your Stag & Hen Nights at Tso’sTREAT YOUR FAMILY ON SUNDAY

£21 FOR 2 ADULTS AND 2 CHILDREN

BIGGEST BUFFET RANGE INLIVERPOOL WITH OVER 90 DISHES

OPEN ALL BANKHOLIDAY WEEKEND

Next to theBirkenhead Tunnel

Stage for the MathewStreet Festival

8 DAILY POST Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Advertising Feature The Monro

Venue where customer is kingD

UKE Street gastro-pub, The Monro,has longestablished itself asa jewel in the

region’s culinary crown.The restaurant’s wallet-

friendly prices and innovativemenu, which fuses classicBritish dishes with contemp-orary Mediterranean flavours,has earned The Monro anenviable reputation and muchpraise from the likes of TheSunday Times, The Guardianand The Independent.

Now, after six years as one ofLiverpool’s most widelyacclaimed eateries, The Monrohas launched private dining andfunction rooms on the upperfloor of its Grade II listedpremises.

Lovingly renovated, the twoGeorgian rooms which form thenew David William Suite featurehuge sash windows and anoriginal floor constructed frommarine grade decking timbercirca 1820.

Proprietor William Lyonssaid: “Before we decorated therooms, we found that city centrefunction rooms are mainlyprovided by large hotels, withprices to match. Some of thesevenues seem to have forgottenthat people simply don’t haveaccess to finance for largeparties and weddings in thecurrent climate.

“We decided to fill the gap byproviding a beautifully

furnished venue for that specialevent at much lower prices – yetstill maintaining our ownaward-winning standards.”

Complementing the existinggastro-pub, the new suite catersfor weddings and civil partner-ships, christenings, funerals andother special events.

Business events, networkingmeetings and corporate dinnersare also well provided for, as thesuite is fully equipped withaudio visual equipment.

Able to accommodate 80people for a buffet or 40 for a sit-down meal, the suite, with itschic Georgian styling andprivate bar, provides an elegantsetting for any event.

To further enhance yourevent, a number of excitingoptions are available includingbespoke table setting, person-alised menus and a private bar.

The Monro is famed for itsmouth-watering food, so it’s nosurprise that, when it comes tocatering for your event, therenowned gastro-pub offers

exciting, gourmet menus thatwill wow your guests.

With something to suit alloccasions, you can opt betweena hot and cold buffet menu,private dining packages ororder from either the early birdmenu or the award-winning a lacarte menu.

Alternatively, you can order“off-menu” and have bespokedishes created especially foryour event, made in TheMonro’s signature style usingfresh, locally-sourcedingredients.

Those with special dietaryrequirements are also wellcatered for, with coeliac, veganand vegetarian meals availableupon request.

The Monro has hosted a largenumber of weddings and civilceremonies and has theexperience to cater for the needsof your guests, as Williamexplained: “We believe that thecustomer is king. We look afterthem, and they look after us bycoming back – something whicha lot of people in the hospitalityand service industry so oftenseem to forget.”

Prices start from just £11.50per person, and parties for up to40 guests benefit from no hirefee.■ TO FIND out more, call thevenue on 0151 707 9933, logonto www.themonro.com orvisit The Monro, 92 DukeStreet, Liverpool. Lovingly renovated – The Monro's new David William Suite