Since departing the comfort and steady business of the London Carriage Works, Paul Askew has set about his ambitious project for the Art School, which opened its doors at the beginning of September to much anticipation. The Art School is tucked away behind the impressive Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on the truncated Sugnall Street, tagged onto the side of the former sheltering home for destitute children on Myrtle Street. Upon being greeted by a gentleman in what can only be described as a stereotypical Englishman’s garb (bowler hat and soberly hued suit in pristine condition) and ushered into the restaurant, there is a definite sense of things being allocated with precision. The restaurant is airy and bright but not oppressively so, altogether it is also comfortable both physically and in a mentally relaxing sense, remaining uncluttered by unnecessary ornamental faff. The stark reds and well judged décor punctuations around the walls of the former ‘Lantern Room’ are twinned with a curiosity-friendly viewing window into Paul Askew’s kitchen (for those of an inquisitive nature) to cast an eye inwards to the Art School’s culinary foundry, to provide novel points of interest on the premises. The menus are currently on two levels, wit h a prix fix menu of up to three courses available earlier in the day and the menu excellence available through until the close of play, there is the opportunity for the diner to sample two levels from the Art School’s prowess. Of course, dining a little later on, the menu excellence was the easy and only choice. The five courses came at an eerily well-judged pace from the kitchen, from the four canapé mouthfuls, comprising plump and flavoursome black and green olives, venison with a sweet puree, feta cheese and sweet cherry tomato of which both elements melted in the mouth most satisfyingly and finally a crouton with prawns and black caviar. Presented with a glass of champagne on arrival, all very civilised and befitting a menu designed to tease you into the forthcoming course. The second salvo is that of a wonderfully robust and sweet lobster bisque with olive tapenade and a dipping crouton, salty and sweet with a pleasant texture, drinking the excess from the teacup in which it was presented was a cheeky touch to the amuseé bouche. Two types of bread were brought out, along with some seasoned butter, which was a balm on the slightly tough foccacia, which needed a much sharper knife to fully master; the butter was also a lovely moistener to a bread reminiscent of walnut malt loaf, but with more elegance, less density but no less flavour. Red Mullet with caviar and crab salad was fresh, delightfully light and prepared excellently with adornment from nasturtium petals and crisp arced shards of fennel. The Duck was much more to get excited about, soft, sweet and succulent with a salad crisp, deeply sweet on behalf of the figs, slightly acidic and perfectly balanced against the backbone component of the dish. A large swirl of squash puree backed up the dish providing a swathe of colour to compliment the red of the meat, the fig and white backdrop. The Assiete of Beef comprised tongue, sirloin, featherblade with a fondant heritage potato and brown shrimp dappling the tongue and featherblade elements all tuned to the backdrop on slate with smears of sweet shallot puree. Each component provided a movement on the theme; varying textures and flavours, but most surprising and welcome, was the tongue providing huge licks of flavour (sorry, couldn’t resist). The Partridge was less inspiring but still a pleasing dish, a whole bird accompanied by a brilliant brassica construct, full of flavour and diverse texture, potatoes and apples. If this was my Sunday roast, I would be hugely pleased, however, the breast of the game bird seemed a little tamely flavoured, at least when compared to the legs. Gateau St. Honore, the dessert created and monikered after the French patron saint of bakers was a hub of puff and choux pastry and generously filled profiteroles, capped with caramel and corralling the main event, the plate was also bejewelled by lime jellies and acerbically pleasant and tangy raspberries around the edge. The subtle hint of liquorice in the blackberry filling gives an added dimension to the dish and although the pastry was possibly a touch dry, the generously filling of the fruit compote and plenty of creme patissiere was easily enough to keep things lubricated and decadent. The theme on caramel was an exercise in elements with a tuille of sesame pastry, soft sticky tatin, a caramel sponge, strawberries reminiscent of halcyon youthful summers, a pleasing ice cream and a texturally welcome almond brittle. Many touches, but all singing from the same confected song sheet. The wine menu was logically set out for those with a bit of oenological knowhow, but possibly a daunting exercise was the selection and the staff are always on hand to provide an opinion or nudge in the appropriate direction. Although some of the staff are known to be apprentices, the more senior staff have provided more than adequate guidance and nothing was out of place or unwelcome at any stage of the experience.
As far as fine-dining is concerned, there was a definite gap in Liverpool for the Art School into which it has eased itself. The question as to whether it will achieve a Michelin Star, as is the undercurrent of the restaurant’s remit? Perhaps, as time will only tell at this stage. The service, surroundings and technique are all evident and the thought given to them is admirable, but it might need something to push along the menu in terms of taking a risk with ingredients and flavour sets, it all works wonderfully well yet it feels like the powder keg has not been filled to full incendiary capacity just yet. Get in while there is trepidation and see the bar has been raised in Liverpool city centre, I intend on further investigation to the prix fix. The hype has been realised somewhat and that, is no mean feat. Until next time! Pedro. --------------------------------------------------- The Art School 1 Sugnall Street Liverpool L7 7DX Tel: 0151 230 8600 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/ArtSchoolLpool
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So, once again the football transfer window slams shut (stay with me here…), but I’m still going to do my best impression of someone leaning out of car window and wax lyrical about something ‘triffic. Relatively quickly following his last exertions, our man in Hong Kong; Mr Palmer, has sent another scintillating salvo of beer based goodness over for your delectation. On this occasion, Luke has provided a double whammy of reviews; the first of which is a glance across his experiences on International Beer Day (which was right at the beginning of August) and the second was a tasting session at a Tap Takeover Event he enjoyed with Evil Brewing Company at the Globe in Hong Kong. So without further fanfare, please welcome Luke back… ----------------------------------------------------------- International Beer Day The Globe is a great pub in central Hong Kong, largely focusing on supplying a large range of craft beers to the people of Hong Kong, who like myself, are rather thirsty folk. A range of guest taps has been installed at the bar in the Globe, with a regularly changing roster of draft beers from around the world. Regular tap takeovers are events well worthy of attendance, enabling punters to try new and interesting beers that they would normally pass over, also affording some smaller breweries their time in the sun, so to speak. International Beer Day arrived this year on the 1st August, so I headed to The Globe ready to try the array of IPAs they had on offer. As mentioned, there were beers from all over the world, from the USA, New Zealand, to the Netherlands and back to Hong Kong, covering a variety of styles of beers. So a tasting flight was definitely in order and the reviews are as follows: Founders Brewing Co: All Day IPA (Session Ale) *** American IPA ABV: 4.7% Clear orange colour, with aroma of citrus and pine. Has a Citrussy hopped taste with a nice malt base, a very drinkable yet basic session ale. I believe this is quite readily available in the UK now, and Pedro informs me there are a few places in Liverpool at least that stock it? Worth a shot if you’ve not already partaken. Rogue Ales: Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA **** Double IPA ABV: 8.02% With a golden, amber colour and with a light hoppy aroma, this beer has hints of astringency in the way of tealeaves and dried citrus. A lot of taste with a light crisp bitterness, citrus and tea carried over from the nose into the flavour, this double IPA has a slightly bitter and dry finish. Evil Twin Brewing: Hop Flood ***½ American Amber ABV: 7% This American amber ale has the Dark amber and red hue you would come to expect from the style. Carried by the aroma of pine, citrus and layered onto a base with hints of caramel, this has a good balance of fruit character, bitterness and caramel. It has a slightly harsh sharp and alcoholic aftertaste in the finish, but otherwise a good beer. Tuatara Brewery: Aotearoa Pale Ale ***½ New Zealand Pale Ale ABV: 5.8% A golden coloured ale with crystal clarity. Comprising a solid base citrus and pine aroma, these elements translate directly into the flavours. The length is slightly less hoppy but still contains those citrus and pine notes. Well-balanced and drinkable, having tried both this beer is certainly good in the bottle, but certainly much better on draught. Brouwerji De Molen: Zwart & Wit **** Black IPA ABV: 8.4% A Solid black coloured beer with a light aroma of chocolate and floral hops. The flavour is layered with a sweet and dark malty base, surprisingly fresh flavours of grass and with a lingering bitterness. The finish is remarkably smooth, contributing to the velvety mouth feel and a reasonable length. Young Master Ales: Island 1842 Imperial IPA **** Imperial IPA ABV: 8% The 1842 Imperial IPA is a lovely dark IPA, packed full of hoppy flavour, resonating citrus and pine notes, bitter grassy notes and with a solid malt backbone to provide some body and balance. All in all it was a great range at the Globe that were enjoyed by all those in attendance, if I had to pick my favourite from the selection it is a close run between 1842 by Young Master Ales and the Zwart & Wit by Brouwerji De Molen. I can’t really pick between the two at the moment. Fingers crossed you guys get to see some of these beers before too long! Evil Twin Tap Takeover The Globe set up yet another great tap take over with Evil Twin Brewery providing six beers, some of which will be first time they have been available in Hong Kong. The beers available were; 1) Hop Flood American Amber ABV: 7%; 2) Lil’ B Double Porter ABV: 11.5%; 3) The Cowboy Smoked Pilsner ABV: 5.5%; 4) Noma Oxalis American Pale Ale ABV: 5.5%; 5) Biere Blanca Berliner Weisse ABV: 4%; and 6) Luksus One Berliner Weisse ABV: 4%. Tasting flights were on offer at the Globe for partaking in the beer, specifically in three’s or for the full six. Sadly, with time being a particularly restricting factor on the occasion, I opted for a choice of just three, The Cowboy, Noma Oxalis and Luksus One. The tasting notes for you lovely people are as follows… The Cowboy Smoked Pilsner ABV: 5.5% **** The Smoked pilsner is a typical golden hue associated with pilsners, belying the aroma and flavour within, all sealed beneath a thin white head. The pilsner has a pretty restrained smoky aroma with hints of hop aromatics below. Taste is subtly smoky with has a lightly bitter quality and with some freshness from the grassy and acidic flavours. This beer has a dry finish, although not much length, with a pretty truncated and bitter aftertaste. Noma Oxalis American Pale Ale ABV: 5.5% *** This beer was brewed exclusively for the award winning and possibly one of the most famous eating establishments in the World, Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. The beer has a dense copper/yellow colour with decent white head gained from the carbonation. The aroma was of a delicate grassy citrus quality, whilst the taste has hints of both the citrus by way of grapefruit, continuing green character from the grass and has a slight bitterness. The Aftertaste is little bitter on the palate, although there may have been some dulling of taste buds from being slightly overpowered by the Cowboy Smoked Pilsner. Luksus One Berliner Weisse ABV: 4% ****½ This berliner weisse has a vivid Orange colour with a thin white head resting above. The aroma is of soured fruit and no shortage in acidity and slight spice. Rather surprisingly, the taste is light, very pleasantly sour, whilst the body is rather smooth and has a good silky mouth feel. The finish has a gentle kick of sweetness above the dry notes from the malt and hops used here, although it is pretty rounded. All in all, this was a pleasant set of beers to try and would for sure have another Luksus One if it was on tap again in any of the bars I frequent over here. There are some great beers made by Evil Twin and I am looking forward to finding more in the future and sharing my thoughts!
Cheers! Luke Palmer. The gentle proliferation of restaurants and bars along Smithdown and Allerton road continues, providing further choice for the discerning diner and drinker alike, although this latest addition is not entirely a new venture, per se. Having seen a few, generally positive, reports of business in Little Italy from various media outlets, there was a level of expectation prior to our visit. Upon walking in, we were confronted by stencilled chipboard, plastic greenery and a reasonably spacious layout. All of this are par for the course when considering previous form in Little Italy’s sister restaurants; Tribeca (immediately next door and a premises on Berry Street in Liverpool) and the previously reviewed Neon Jamon [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/electrokemistry-review-neon-jamon-liverpool]. The sound of Dean Martin did admittedly make in wince inwardly for a moment, but thankfully that was the only relatively low moment of the evening. Little Italy is nestled at the side of the Tribeca premises on Smithdown Road and is in fact on the same premises; having been spawned from a side room of Tribeca and although they share premises, Little Italy does promise much more. Essentially in the form of the trendy ‘little plates’ dining, which instantly puts some off, but not here. The Italian style ‘tapas’ have tips of the hat and knowing winks to a variety of Italian influences from North, South and islands. The drinks menu is slanted heavily towards wine, as would be expected for a nation that is heavily bent towards the grape rather than grain. The wines on offer are measured choices and perfectly adequate for the food on offer; with the price range reasonably spread for what is on offer in all three of white, red and sparkling. The beers could do with some additional thought, given the consideration that it is becoming much more acceptable to pair with food and the presence of some much more adventurous and competent beers on the market than Peroni and Moretti and lip service from Roscoe IPA and Amber ale. The service was breezy and friendly for the duration and aside from a delay in settling the bill, little to be concerned about. The staff have obviously been given a tour of the drinks and dishes on offer, thus have a picture in their own minds, which dishes sing for them. We start with some charcuterie, as is standard, it is presented on a wooden board, soft earthy rolls of capocollo toscano. This cured neck had slight a pungency that faded with each mouthful and was replaced with a delicate nuttiness. The service was fairly brisk, so dishes rained onto the table for my accomplices and I, thankfully the tide was stemmed by our hunger and eagerness to savour each of the drops in front of us. The bruschetta with figs and salami was clean, fresh and with a spiced meaty hit from the salami to form a hub to the flavour set. The crab and caper linguine, a delightfully messy dish, leaving me almost reminiscent of a young Italian boy tackling ragu soused lengthy pasta, leaving most of it on the pristine white shirt. The flavours were paired well, although this was by no means a stronger dish from the selection. Crisp and creamy Courgette flavours with mozzarella in batter, the radish and pecorino salad with celeriac and pomegranate and the ravioli of baccala and langoustine were all fresh and light punctuations to the spare ribs and the two stand-out moments of the meal. The beef shin pappardelle was a superbly cooked dish. Thick and generous ribbons of pasta slathered in hunks of deeply flavoured and slowly cooked shin, which gave at the slightest touch of a fork. The ragu sauce was cooked well also, enough acidity and seasoning to play a supporting role to the earthy and sweet beef. Another excellent execution from the menu was the pigeon and hedgerow salad, judged excellently with the complimenting peppery leaves and fruit of orange and blackberries to give an acidic blade through a relatively rich gamey meat; which in itself was cooked slightly crisp outside to a moist, pink centre. Desserts were a little polarised; whilst the chocolate mousse was presented in a tea cup with cream, it lacked enough of an x-rated touch from a swirl right through of the salted caramel it came with, which sadly sat at the bottom of the cup beneath the mousse waiting to be discovered. The baked nectarines however, could not have been more aptly tuned. Sweet and slightly caramelised, the nutty crumb of almond and biscotti contrasted in texture and flavour very well, along with a slightly tart hit from each mouthful of soured cream. There are some excellently thought out dishes on the menu at Little Italy and not many poor ones, although the execution could be slightly fine-tuned, there is little else to pick at here, especially whilst the shin and pigeon are still resonating in one’s brain. Whilst it would be churlish to point out the pricing is a little heavy on some of the dishes on the menu, there is little chance a visit will leave you feeling too short-changed from Little Italy. You won’t even need any Euros. Until next time… ciao! Pedro. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Little Italy 336 - 338 Smithdown Road, Liverpool L15 5AN. 0151 733 4477 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LittleItaly336 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Italy/335130566638857?fref=ts Greetings one and all!
Thankfully I have found time to finally sort things out, scribble a few ideas down, chase a few brewers and grab a few beers to get things up and running for the second installment of this ElectroKemistry event! For those of you who missed out, or those of you who were under the proverbial rock for the first event, you can read all about it right here: [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/electrokemistry-event-battle-of-the-breweries-round-1]. This time, as with the first, I am looking to get around 20 people to come and taste a few beers from a range of breweries in exchange for a little door tax to cover the expenses: As before, the tickets will be allocated on a first come-first served basis, so the best thing to do is to reply via the contact page (the link is above next to BLOGS) and send me an email, confirming interest and then I'll send out details for getting payment over. So how is the event going to be laid out this time? Well, it will be slightly cut down from the previous event as there were a few too many beers to get through in a reasonable timescale, thankfully the enthusiastic folk who came weren't put out and very happy to be rather inebriated by the end! There will be 5 breweries supplying 2 beers each within the two categories, with a generous taster of each for attendees. The two categories are: 1. Adjunct/Fruit Beer 2. Stout, Porter or Adjunct Stout Porter Needless to say, there will be food laid on and thankfully the kindly gentlemen at Clove Hitch/23 Club on Hope Street in Liverpool are providing a venue for proceedings on this occasion. There will also be a small competition as per the previous event where people can win a little goodie bag to take away. Ticket prices will be £10 per person for the event. I will provide further details and attendance updates until the event is sold out. Hopefully see you there! Pedro. |
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