Since it has opened, Oktopus has really hit it’s stride – a promising opening which I wrote about here [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/oktopus-preview] and then a very good review for Liverpool Confidential [https://confidentials.com/liverpool/restaurant-review-oktopus] was finally followed up by a great verdict from Marina O’Loughlin in the Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/08/oktopus-liverpool-restaurant-review-marina-oloughlin]. This event was in June and I am admittedly a bit behind the curve due to a combination of factors, but now, things are being caught up. This experience was simply one that had to be shared. The evening before the first day of the Liverpool Craft Beer Expo back in June, saw Oktopus host one of the UK’s most prestigious breweries in Somerset’s Wild Beer Company. Following on from the usual meet the brewer type introductions, Andy informed diners that the whole premise of Wild Beer was to pair beers with food and brew using the influence of various existing food sources and translate these into beer. The first pairing was one of Wild Beer Company’s flagship beers; Ninkasi (so named after the Sumerian beer Goddess) is a saison, made from blending 10% apple juice into the wort. The peppery, fresh and bitterly acidic apple notes with big carbonation that are perfect for cutting fattier elements of the food and it has a reminiscent perry-esque character at 9% abv. The dish is was paired with, a chickpea panisse with cheddar and celery was a pleasant combination and pairing all in all; a lot of contrasting elements and with the burnt apple, some complimentary notes. Following on from the panisse was peach, nectarine and goats cheese which was a superb and delicious salad and paired with the Evolver IPA. Evolver is a brettanomyces (a wild yeast strain) brewed IPA with very bitter notes, some coconut, hay, pineapple and nettles thanks to the use of Chinook and Sorachi Ace hops. The stressing of the yeast creates additional phenolic flavour compounds to really alter the flavour and aroma profile of this IPA. The notes from the Sorachi (some people get coconut, others get more herbal dill) really complimented the goats cheese, but otherwise some of the other elements (the sweeter fruit flavours of the food against the bitter and sour notes in the beer) clashed a little around an otherwise solid central pairing premise. The next beer and food pairing was the Squashed Grape, which is where white grape skins and then red grape skins are added to the brew to give various character in the fermentation from the various yeasts harnessed. At 5%, this juicy cordial like brew isn’t the strongest of the Wild Beer stable, but the beer is remarkably complex, albeit not for everyone. The supposed lactic character and citrus notes were not that prominent for me, with lots of raw, cidery, bubblegum and sour, if slightly tannin notes coming through. The mouthfeel was excessively thin and actually a bit flabby, however, the pairing was pretty good. Many of the food elements from the haddock and yoghurt worked very well with the brew. Following the very divisive pairing came the main course along with another of Wild Beer’s flagship brews; Beyond Modus (II). Beyond Modus is a series of barrel aged sour beers, and II is akin to red wine in many ways, making the pairing with the lamb all the more solid. The beer is aged in red wine barrels to up the tannic notes, topped up with a barley wine, molasses and caramelised orange peel. The 100 barrels used to age the beer are blended at the end of the aging period in order to gain a single uniform product. This time, notes of chocolate, sour cherries and some balsamic notes all work wonderfully with the lamb and marrow jus. Fresher notes work in harmony with the sweeter carrot and more brassic-sharp cauliflower. Into the dessert courses and an exclusive Liverpool Craft Beer Expo brew of Fixer was given. Fixer was a one off New England style juicy IPA with loads of aromas of pineapple and other tropical fruit, pairing it with pineapple and coconut was safe but very enjoyable. Loads of coconut, peach and a lovely soft-hoppy bitterness worked well with the dessert, with no real clashing of flavours or aromas. I’ve talked about Fixer elsewhere, so will spare you the waxing here. The final course was another of Wild Beer’s regular and more widely available brews, the excellent chocolate stout, Millionaire, paired with Claremont Farm strawberries, chocolate and meringue. Not much can really go too wrong pairing a chocolate beer with a chocolate dessert surrounded by fruit elements. Nutty notes, sweetness, a lovely silky body and elegantly structured stout went very well with a perfectly executed sweet course. The only struggle was finishing such decadence.
Oktopus will be rolling more of these events out in future, so it is worth following their Twitter feed. Beer and food pairing really doesn’t get the press it deserves, even in the currently craft-friendly climate. Keep your eyes peeled for more, especially when Wild Beer are in town with their often abstract ideas about beer! Pedro. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oktopus Hardman Yard, 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool. tel: 07565 299 879 https://www.oktopus-restaurant.com/ Wild Beer Co. Lower Westcombe Farm, Evercreech, Somerset, BA4 6ER. tel: 01749 838742 email: [email protected]
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Oktopus has finally opened its doors on Hardman Yard; an unassuming location and a fairly unassuming launch given it has had a bit of a run as a pop-up on the premises of the Baltic Triangle's Black Lodge Brewery and also hosted the kitchen for two Meet the Brewer events at The Clove Hitch. Hardman Yard, for those not familiar, is the location of Buyer's Club and Wild Loaf, formerly playing host to live music venue, The Picket. Stand by the Old Blind School or opposite the Flute pub on Hardman Street and you're about there. This is a venture put together by the minds behind the Black Lodge and showcases Head Chef Chris Ineson's skills in the kitchen; the preview along with previous Meet the Brewer food hints at that being quite considerable. The premise is quite simple; 'Sea and Shore' is the motto, with ingredients and inspiration being taken from quality produce taken from the environs of the motto. The focus on small plates for sharing, snacking and especially pairing with the Black Lodge beers (amusingly dispensed from a bespoke and garish Welsh-dresser) were all lovingly prepared to please the eye and tastebuds. Elementary but complimentary combinations are presented in a contemporary fashion and the flavours do indeed point to an additional caring on the source of the individual parts of each dish. The popcorn mussels are dangerously addictive; crisp, meaty, savoury and sweet and a I firmly believe a gateway for those who usually shun shellfish to partake in good way to showcase mussels. The carrot was a spin on the dish tried at the Hawkshead Brewery Meet the Brewer event [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/meet-the-brewer-hawkshead-brewery-the-clove-hitch-liverpool] and was every bit as good as it was then - an exercise in how to make the simplest of ingredients sing by sourcing good produce and providing complimentary plate-mates. The cabbage dish was a bit too drenched in caper berries, any brassic character was drowned out a bit, although this made for a good palate refresher. The lemon sole and beef onglet with purple broccoli dishes were both splendid too; cooked perfectly and prepared in an unfussy manner and will pair very well with quite a few of Black Lodge's beers. The final salvo for the preview was the chocolate nemesis, which was incredibly rich and screaming to be paired with an equally robust and characterful stout. There will be some follow up visits to look into the rest of the menu (shown on the Oktopus website) and some scrutiny from other media outlets to come, but this is a very, very welcome addition to Liverpool; finally a restaurant which provides a fairly diverse menu which is simplistic, well thought-out, well prepared and much to many people's pleasure; puts pairings with beers at front and centre.
Until next time! Pedro --------------------------- OktopusHardman Yard, 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool. L1 9AX Web: https://www.oktopus-restaurant.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hello_oktopus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oktopus-1101343593327705/ Over in Chester, the premises formerly known as Kash Taps was occasionally pretty divisive; the level of décor/atmosphere/comfort was often a talking point, but the serving of beers from a brewery with a rather naff selection of pumpclips often got many people’s backs up (they were pretty sexist). Having only ventured there a handful of times myself, it was never a must-visit venue in the way that other places were for me. Things have changed hands; a few days since getting the keys and Deva Craft Beers have scrubbed, painted and exacted their own plan on the premises near Chester train station and stamping some authority on the pumps. They are making the place their own and have got a chef who is taking a beer snacks type menu very seriously, putting out some rather great food to go with the missed selection of Deva brews, guest beers and a healthy can and bottle fridge selection. The food menu changes depending on the ingredients available and what the season provides, with the visit I write about giving me homemade oatcake with whipped goats cheese, nduja on crackling flavoured crackers and some excellent sourdough with smoked butter. Everything and I do mean everything, was superb. Anyway, back to nuts and bolts for the Deva Tap, I had an afternoon in the place and had a good chat with Deva Craft’s Nick and Aidy Gilbody, with Nick being kind enough to give a proper interview of sorts… Hi Nick, good to talk to you, let’s start with an easy one… what made you want to set up your own Brewery Tap? ”Primarily it is so we can sell our product directly to the consumer - this is for increased revenue for reinvestment into the brewery, face to face feedback and its really fun to run a tap room.” So why did you choose Kash? ”Geographically we like the location and the building. We have The Artichoke, Cellar Bar and the Cornerhouse close too so wanted to add to the Chester beer scene and also try and make this corner of Chester the place to go for a good beer. The owners of KASH were looking to move onto other ventures so the timings all worked out nicely.” Was there a lot of work in getting things ready? ”It was so much work it was untrue! Got the keys on Sunday 26th Feb, opened 4pm Thursday 2nd March. The hours that were put in by ourselves and all the volunteers who came down to help made that turnaround time a reality. Couldn't have done it without all the help we received.” Do you have any plans to do exciting things from the Tap, aside from the sale of your own brews and the output of the rather excellent food? ”We are looking to do quite a few things in the next few months. The décor needs adding to and we will be increasing the size of the menu and increasing the amount of cask and keg lines available. It will go up to 6 cask lines and 10 keg - with the possibility of another 2 keg lines extra in the summer! We are going to be running beer tastings, food pairings and spirit tastings such as Gin, Whiskey and liquors. We will be changing the seating layout to get more table space and looking at making the best use of the outdoor space we have at the front of the building. We will also be tying in possible brew day experiences where small groups come down to the brewery, make a beer with us then back to the tap for dinner - all transport included. Meet the brewers too! Oh and a beer festival every 3 months throughout the year. So yeah its going to be one busy year!” Will this hold you back from making appearances at any other festivals this year, having a stall etc? ”We're actually at Chester Food and Drink at the end of April, Hoole Street Festival in the Spring and have a few other events we are looking into locally over the summer. We have a few meet the brewers planned as well. The main priority is making sure we have adequate supply for all of our customers and the tap. We'll have to see what else we can squeeze in.” And so what are the longer term plans now for the brewery given you have taken on a relatively large responsibility with this venture? ”We are brewing at our maximum capacity at the monument so we need more capacity. My hope is in the next 12 to 18 months is that we upscale to a 12 to 15 barrel brew kit with another small outlet and look at exporting. To further improve our beers we will be moving onto a house yeast strain. We also hope to be serving up some really fantastic food 7 days a week.”Was there a lot of work in getting things ready? ”It was so much work it was untrue! Got the keys on Sunday 26th Feb, opened 4pm Thursday 2nd March. The hours that were put in by ourselves and all the volunteers who came down to help made that turnaround time a reality. Couldn't have done it without all the help we received.” Do you have any plans to do exciting things from the Tap, aside from the sale of your own brews and the output of the rather excellent food? ”We are looking to do quite a few things in the next few months. The décor needs adding to and we will be increasing the size of the menu and increasing the amount of cask and keg lines available. It will go up to 6 cask lines and 10 keg - with the possibility of another 2 keg lines extra in the summer! We are going to be running beer tastings, food pairings and spirit tastings such as Gin, Whiskey and liquors. We will be changing the seating layout to get more table space and looking at making the best use of the outdoor space we have at the front of the building. We will also be tying in possible brew day experiences where small groups come down to the brewery, make a beer with us then back to the tap for dinner - all transport included. Meet the brewers too! Oh and a beer festival every 3 months throughout the year. So yeah its going to be one busy year!” Will this hold you back from making appearances at any other festivals this year, having a stall etc? ”We're actually at Chester Food and Drink at the end of April, Hoole Street Festival in the Spring and have a few other events we are looking into locally over the summer. We have a few meet the brewers planned as well. The main priority is making sure we have adequate supply for all of our customers and the tap. We'll have to see what else we can squeeze in.” And so what are the longer term plans now for the brewery given you have taken on a relatively large responsibility with this venture? ”We are brewing at our maximum capacity at the monument so we need more capacity. My hope is in the next 12 to 18 months is that we upscale to a 12 to 15 barrel brew kit with another small outlet and look at exporting. To further improve our beers we will be moving onto a house yeast strain. We also hope to be serving up some really fantastic food 7 days a week.” Thanks to Nick and the rest of the team at Deva Brewery and the Tap and am sure we all wish them the best of luck with whatever the future holds for their adventure. As ever, places like this need continuous support… the old adage ‘use it or lose it’ applies here too. Get down, eat, drink and be merry and support an excellent local business who currently deserves to go from strength to strength. Cheers Pedro. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Alex and Nick for additional photos used in this article. These photos are property of Deva Craft Beer or of The ElectroKemist. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deva Tap 121 Brook Street, Chester.CH1 3DU Phone: 01244 401777 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DevaTapChester/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DevaTapChester Web: devacraftbeer.co.uk/ It's been some time since I reviewed Steven Burgess' last endeavours; the excellent but all too short-lived Albion/Albina in Crosby, of which he had the initial tenure. Previously to this, he held and directed a number of pop up events at the Baltic Triangle's Camp and Furnace - which he has since had another stint. The memorable Tree-Hugger's Banquet was some time ago, but he has installed some of this glory for livening up rather damp and dismal Friday in southern Liverpool's suburbs of Aigburth. [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/electrokemistry-review-treehuggers-banquet-camp-furnace] I was rather lucky on stumbling onto this, in-lieu of missing the Wreckfish pop-up event which sold out in some 15 minutes; tickets were fiercely fought for. I spotted the Northern Fields event and in light of his history with the Rhubard and Custard brand and knowing what I know of Burgess' prowess, the blow was well and truly softened. Meeting with another Manchester-based writer and friend along with her other half, we stepped in; the venue at Space Coffee wasn't entirely what I expected - formerly a branch of HSBC before becoming an office for the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival organisers SK Events and now in the throes of being a coffee establishment, it actually already looked the part of a restaurant... in the main. The stark and flat walls meant the acoustics made for a difficult evening on occasion; as the decibel level rose, conversation became increasingly strenuous to hold up, but otherwise the surroundings were comfortable, flattering for the event and worked in an holistic sense. I won't wax lyrical again with talk of service; all the personnel on Burgess' ship are well versed and briefed on these events and this Northern Fields expedition was no exception. The pacing of the courses was actually great too, allowing ample time to consider and digest (and not just in the literal sense) what had been plated before us. The first of the Northern Field courses was brioche... flavoured and topped with a combination of mushroom, chicken skin and gruyere with some (room temperature - hurrah!). Delicious, simple and preparatory for the evening. We were then faced with the rather nebulously named 'snacks' for a pre-entrée course. Though when these snacks arrived at the table, any apprehension faded. Three elements were presented, featuring a cauliflower cup, which was warmed, creamy and lacking in any bitterness or funk usually waiting on the edges of any cauliflower dish. The other two elements were also exceptionally good; a slab of unctuous mackerel with thin fennel and adorned with orange was not quite as easy to handle as the other two elements, but definitely as easy to eat and finally, the duck rillette and blueberries sitting on op of a duck skin infused biscuit. This last element was stupidly good. I think if the following courses had been a variation on this theme I wouldn't have left disappointed. I probably would have been ducked-out though. Something simple came from the kitchen and broke up the snacks-melee; a very simple but excellent salad. I might be doing a bit of a disservice to this, but it worked wonderfully to towel down the palate, a green salad with peashoots, nasturtium and a beetroot remoulade was liberally scattered with a cured egg yolk to give some layering to the dish. The key word with everything considered in this course was fresh, clean flavours, verdancy, earthiness and even a salt-tang-rich-but still-clean umami note. Effective and certainly helped the flow of the meal. The fish course... or however these things are thought of these days, was a stack of delicious light crab meat, dressed in crème fraiche and layered with dried apple, jewels of cucumber and sour slivers of rhubarb. The addition of a green apple granite gave another twist, which along with all the elements meant an individual course which provided some interesting and varied combinations of flavour, texture and temperature. I must admit, towards the end of the dish, it was a little too much and I think the portion size for such a rich dish might have been just right, at least for me. I suspect my companions could have kept going with this course until the small hours. Now we considering the suckling-pig pie. That pie. It sat in a pool of mead-gravy and turnip, laced with shallot and truffle, it stared right at me... and I stared right back. Up until the moment it dared me to eat it. So I did. For such a dreadfully weathered evening, this was the perfect riposte. Soft, succulent and sweet, there was a moment of pure silence when the single shard of crackling was discovered and devoured. Every detail of this course had flavour crammed in; testament to the ingredients and to the preparation. A note has to be made of the hispi cabbage that sat alongside the pie; rather than a side note, this was another exceptional piece of sourcing and cooking. Butter and smoke came through abound, again, as with the cauliflower, the brassica-bitterness which often waits in the wings was simply hounded out. Perfect levels of sweetness, smoke and texturally complimentary. It all worked. Sadly and finally we discuss the dessert. The Tonka bean brownie was a welcome change from usual chocolate type desserts, though in total honesty I found it a little dry. That said, the other elements of the dish; a delicious roasted rice ice cream and the foamed honeycomb provided the sauce to balance the dish out. The addition of the raspberries was a pleasing sour-sweet touch to the dish, but possibly because I am not much of a pudding-person, or perhaps the previous dishes had simply blown me away I have run out of superlatives for the end of the meal. Sadly, it seems there are no immediate plans for Northern Fields to follow things up with a more permanent venture in Liverpool. A massive shame, but then opportunity does come in cycles when you maintain quality. I think a campaign should start here really... we really do need more of this kind of thing (inverse Dougal and Ted) in Liverpool. Other notes? The drinks menu was a bit Spartan, though well considered on the wine front - a very good Argentinian Malbec for the red and a Torrontes for the white, though putting my beer-hat on, Peroni as the single choice was a tad disappointing. Being sensible about things however, pop-ups are never going to be suitable for an array of pairing options - given everything is temporary... well nearly everything.
The memory of how stupidly good, well-designed, sourced and prepared the food on the evening with Northern Fields was. Pedro. ------------------------------ Northern Fields Tel: 0151 677 0458 Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/northern_fields Website: https://www.northernfields.co.uk/ The various Franco-themed premises of the Bistro Qui group are something of a mainstay on the Liverpool scene (Hub and Smokehouse, along with the forthcoming South American venture) excepted, bringing their take on French bistro style dining to various corners of the city centre. They have now added an extra dimension to their portfolio with the arrival of the Refinery on Hardman Street/Myrtle Street in the shadow of the Philharmonic Hall and the Philharmonic Dining Rooms (that pub which has the fancy and grade 2 listed gents convenience). They have secured a large slice of the ground floor area in the new Josephine Butler Building complex; the location is becoming quickly saturated with places competing for diners' affections, with a number of very competent places already in operation nearby. So what does the Refinery bring to the table? It is an impressive and actually fairly comfortable space once you have taken the restaurant in, the long stretch of bar area is a good location for people watching, facing outward towards the Philharmonic Hall and down Hardman Street beyond the outdoor tables and manicured topiary. The main dining area has the air of a canteen about it, with the kitchen hatch opening into the ample dining space and the ambient noise giving plenty of atmosphere to the experience. The decor itself is something of a tick box exercise in what to use at the moment to coax people into a contemporary restaurant. Ropes with Edison bulb lighting, tick, some furniture looking 'reclaimed', tick, some brushed steel, tick, lots of glass, tick... and so forth. That's not to say it doesn't work however, it is very thoughtfully put together; I found it quite comfortable with plenty of room to manoeuvre despite a large number of tables and the lighting is quite soft, it balances the warm glow of Edison filaments with natural light. The bar thankfully, unlike the rest of Refinery's sister restaurants, carries a beer selection beyond bottled mainstays. Upon this visit, there were six cask hand pulls present, though only three were operational, but carrying three local beers. Sadly, the staff may need some guidance on serving cask ale, as it was the Liverpool Craft American Red Ale was a bit warm and seemingly thin on this occasion, losing the rather soapy head within a minute and resultantly less enjoyable to drink by the end. Inspecting the menu pointed to the pleasing fact that the casks are going to be sourced for the bar locally, providing support to our local brewers. The bottled beer selection is reasonable, Flying Dog and Meantime being the standout breweries represented, the rest seemed to be a string of standard and premium lagers, which do not really provide any further dimension for beer and food matching sadly. The wine menu was a much more balanced proposition, with a good spread of grapes in both red and white selections along with a broad set of styles represented and all in a price range which won’t hurt the wallet too much at all. The menu itself seems bit scattered on the face of it, with plenty of smaller cicchetti/tapas style plates, broken into meat/seafood and other (veggies, potato and eggs no less) along with a selection of larger dishes (nine on the Spring menu, with two vegetarian options). There are also bread, olives and bar snacks available along with meat and cheese platters, so plenty of options available for even the fussiest of eaters. There was a worry with the lack of focus within the menu and a suspicion that this is the groups' first foray into the 'small plates' territory, there may be some compromise in the quality of the output. Any such worries were laid to rest; everything was seemingly handled in an unfussy and timely manner. The squid (calamari fritti) with lemon aioli and dusted with pimenton was crisp, forgiving and only had a hint of residual oil, not quite perfect but still highly enjoyable. The chips were stacked Jenga-style and served with a coronation-mayonnaise style sauce (curried aioli), though they were soft and fluffy inside there was a lack on crunch on the golden exterior. Onto the chicken and proscuitto 'lollipops', which actually were skewed and rolled chicken with a crisp layer of proscuitto outside; there was an odd gamey flavour here, slightly earthy but not unpleasant. The chicken may have been a touch overcooked, but it wasn't dry by any stretch, but the onion chutney served with the dish was a rather heavy handed touch and perhaps too sweet for the meat. The frittata was actually excellent, light, fluffy and seasoned perfectly working in harmony with the garlic mayonnaise, sweet pepper working tongue twistingly well with the salted feta. The other dish of note on the expedition was the Devon crab tortellini, incredibly rich and tasty, the swamp of tomato and shellfish bisque was quite pungent and blotted out any delicacy that would have been purveyed by the crab. Texturally, the dish is bang on the money though and the broad beans and pea shoots add some lightly sweet verdancy, a mixed experience within one dish. There is much to be pleased with at the Refinery, as there is some flair on display and no shortage of competency; the food was all presented very well and in the experience was good. The pricing structure of the food was much like the experience, good overall but ultimately mixed, the larger plates seem rather less value on the pocket compared to the smaller dishes, the drinks are very reasonably priced. What the Refinery does well based on this visit, is the basics are pretty much nailed down and simple dishes are very enjoyable. Possibly a 'focussing in' on the menu, trimming a few dishes here and there may benefit the quality overall, though it is worth a return visit based on the potential once the Refinery team have hit their stride. Though I am still not sure what the ‘Social Dining’ thing is about. Pedro. ------------------- The Refinery Josephine Butler Building Hope Street Liverpool L1 9BP Tel: 0151 294 3024 Web: http://www.therefinery-liverpool.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/refinerylpool Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRefineryLiverpool .It’s not often that I am invited back to sample the delights of a restaurant for a second time, but thankfully after last years menu relaunch at the Monro on Liverpool’s Duke Street [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/the-monro-liverpool-menu-re-launch-august-2015] and an overtly positive experience I am back. The first time was due to combined efforts of owner Will, the kitchen staff and expert service and welcome from James, the second time the former and latter are taking a back seat for the proceedings. On this occasion, the purpose of the evening was to experience a Rioja pairing with some of the best bits from the Monro’s menu, the wines were supplied by C.V.N.E. (Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana [http://www.cvne.com/en/]) and Hatch Mansfield’s (also responsible for Errazuriz, Villa Maria and Louis Jadot) Sandy Greetham and C.V.N.E’s Carlos Delage, the latter of whom provided some guidance on the wines that were paired with the food. Scallops, pea brulee and black pudding fritter (paired with Viña Real Rioja Blanco, Barrel Fermented) A feast for both the eyes and for other senses, this combination of earth, meaty and fresh crisp flavours is an inviting herald for a spring menu. The flavours married excellently with the wine pairing addition of an acidic but balanced white Rioja. Sweet notes from the pea bruleé and the golden raisins set the dish up to deliver plenty of satisfaction through contrast with the intense savoury of the black pudding and fragrant scallops, solid and in no way jarring. The presentation was also rather inviting, scattered and ornamental elements not out of place and the bruleé was particularly impressive. The white Rioja, made with 100% Viura grapes brought a lot of fresh acidity and light fruitiness to the table, with the American oak aging affording a finish which is soft, cream-biscuity and lightly vanilla touches. Definitely a complimentary pairing on this occasion, with no distracting contrasts. Very well paired. Stone bass, chorizo, potato chowder and samphire (paired with Contino Rioja Reserva) This was another well-presented dish, balancing delicate white fish with the more rough-and-ready elements of chorizo with a buffer of potato and cream to produce something that was rather surprisingly robust enough to stand up to a superficially unlikely pairing. By virtue of the chorizo, the strength and nature of the wine was tempered rather excellently, allowing yet more competent cooking to shine through and the flavours on offer to do their thing without interruption from a tannin-overload. The only longing I experienced with this dish was a slightly more forgiving texture from the potato; perhaps the elasticity of gnocchi would have sated this, but I am splitting hairs and I am a sucker for good gnocchi. The Contino Reserva benefits from aging in both French and American oak over two years before it is bottled, a vibrantly deep red wine is the result along with notes of berry fruit, especially blackberries and redcurrant along with some more tart edges to the finish. Thick, rounded and full-bodied, this actually worked supremely well with the dairy, chorizo and bass. Fillet of beef, fondant potato and truffled wild mushrooms (paired with Viña Real Rioja Gran Reserva) The fillet was quite exceptional; often the cut can be wonderfully textured and beautifully succulent, but often lacking in flavour. The textures were all there, along with perfect timing on the cooking, but there was plenty of flavour to bounce off the pairing set with this dish, completed with the ballast of a fondant potato and rich medley of wild mushrooms, looking like they had been foraged that same day. The Gran Reserva was an excellent example of how well Spanish reds can perform with food and why they should never be discounted again their French and Italian cousins for food pairing. This blend of Graciano and Tempranillo grapes presents some full on youthful fruitiness along with the depth of some older dried fruit tangled up with elements of tobacco, leather and spice. A pretty powerful, deceptively coloured and complex wine, which paired as ever, particularly well with the kitchen’s output. Vanilla Panacotta and raspberry espuma The dessert was reminiscent of my last blog visit to the Monro, but it was as every bit as pleasing as the first time. The balance of acidic and sweet raspberry along with the creamy pannacotta provided a simple and effective punctuation to the evening; an additional surprise was how well the Gran Reserva continued to work alongside this dish. More contrast than compliment, but nevertheless, it worked. The standard on display from this showing definitely builds on the menu revamp from last year and I was informed by the staff that the kitchen staff driving the event were the more junior members of staff; if this was the case, then the support available to the kitchen looks incredibly assured. The wines provided by Hatch Mansfield and Cvne were all excellent and paired perfectly, with the red paired with white fish being a surprising and very welcome change. From recent memory, these were some of the most enjoyable Riojas I have tasted for some time too, so much so that have had the odd daydream about a roast dinner and the Viña Real Gran Reserva Rioja.
Salud! Pedro. ----------------------- Disclaimer: This meal was offered to ElectroKemist Cuisine in return for feedback following an invite to review this restaurant, however, the review above remains an honest opinion of the experience. The Monro 92 Duke Street Liverpool L1 5AG Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMonro Web: http://www.themonro.com/ Tel: 0151 707 9933 CVNE Web: http://www.cvne.com/en/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cvne Hatch Mansfield WinesNew Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DJ Web: http://www.hatchmansfield.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/HatchMansfield Food waste is a pretty serious issue when you consider the context of the bigger picture; the overall need of a society to be able to live within its means, in a sustainable and responsible manner where production and consumption are in balance within every compartment of a system. Sorry, this is a pretty heavy start, but things do get a bit easier later on in the article! Resources on this planet are finite, although they can cycle round they can be used up and also locked up into a form that is rendered of no future use to us. This leaves us as a species with some pretty strong consequences, though these are at the extreme end of a spectrum, all the way points to an uninhabitable environment do make for a bit of a horror show. The Earth will continue on without us, regardless of our actions, it has the ability to exist and continue with other life getting along and adapting, it is the change in our environment that will be our demise (if it ever came to that!). Like I say, hot and heavy for an introduction, but I felt it important to instill some context into why I engaged in the exercise I am about the explain. For those that don’t know me, my day job is as an Environmental Scientist. This role has always been about balancing satisfying the needs of a client and trying to push best environmental practice, sustainability and safety for every project. Working day-to-day in a waste management team, I have gained a deeper understanding of what happens to our rubbish once it is collected from the wheelie bins, crates, bags and caddies sitting on the kerbside on collection day. Speaking on to friends and people who do not work in this industry, it is often a preconception among many that waste all either goes to a landfill or into a big factory where all the waste is magically sorted and recycled. Whilst there is some truth in this, it is also massively over simplifying matters. So, consider your own behaviour, how good are you at separating your rubbish at home? Does the odd banana skin or a few potato peelings make their way into the box for recyclables, plastics, glass and metals? Do you try and make the most of off-cuts from vegetables and fruit, or do you throw away half-used tins of beans away as they have grown mouldy? Not only does this behaviour waste a resource and place additional pressure on the Environment (okay, hyperbole to an extent – but if everyone does this… that is a lot of waste and energy lost), on top of this, there’s the waste of money. The mixing of wet food waste in with recyclable materials can make it impossible for reclamation of materials like plastics, metals, paper and glass – even with gradually improving reclamation technologies we currently have at our disposal. Looking at the waste hierarchy (above), the prevention of generation of waste is the first action for sustainability, with the next stage is to ensure the waste is separated into the correct fractions for collection by your local waste authority. For example, avoid putting food/contaminated plastic food trays in recycling bin with other recyclable materials. Try to use up as much food as possible and avoid binning it – at least try to compost it at home or putting it into a food caddy for composting by the waste collection authority. Another potential outlet, albeit one of limited scope for most of us is to pass on scraps to anyone who keeps chickens or pigs (Although always consult owners and veterinary advice before doing so!). Recently, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been presenting a series trying to curtail the food waste on a large scale, with supermarkets dictating to producers what they should be growing and providing to the shelves. As you may or may not have seen, this produces a large amount of ‘ugly’ vegetables and fruit (which are often anything but) which the supermarkets will not take, due to it being ‘off-specification’. This is waste on a huge scale and when considering the rise of foodbanks and food charities, a pretty sickening blemish on us as a society. You can follow Hugh’s exploits here: [https://twitter.com/HughsWaronWaste] and get involved here [https://wastenotuk.com]. So what else can be done on a ‘ground level’ in our kitchens? One of the best ways to cut down on food waste is to get good in the kitchen and at cooking. Learning to cook is a gradual process, just like any other skill, developed by trial and error, repetition, practice and no little imagination. Though there are a few things you can do to get started and ensure that you are prepared to make the most of the fresh and perishable items you cook with; - Stock up on dry and tinned goods, even frozen items such as peas and sweetcorn can be used to add ballast to many dishes, including soups and risottos. Herbs and spices are key in providing flavour to dishes where there a lack of ‘focal point’ and bring something to the fore as that focus. As a rule of thumb in my kitchen, I always have pearly barley, various beans dark and lentils in dried form, dried soya mince (just add fried onions and dark soy sauce whilst frying – works to produce something that works instead of beef mince). Ensure you have tinned chopped tomatoes and tinned chickpeas available – always ready to make a quick homemade curry. - Try to be clever with what you buy in the first place; some vegetables will keep in there fridge or cupboard longer (carrots, potatoes, squashes, leek and, celery) than softer, more perishable items (most fruit, peppers, herbs and salad leaves). - Go ‘off road’ with your cooking. Recipes are often only a guideline when you’re cooking at home; a lot of dishes which are considered ‘classics’ only became so because certain items were available abundantly in a given region and seasonally. There is little need to buy everything you need for a single one-off dish, only to find yourself struggling to use up certain items left over from what you’ve bought following the preparation of the one-off masterpiece! This is where a bit of cooking initiative comes into play and good cooks thrive. It isn’t a difficult skill to learn, just ask around if in doubt, read up and practice. There are plenty of resources out there to help you learn to think of your feet whilst cooking. - Keep off-cuts of vegetables in a sealed plastic tub in the fridge – by the end of the week you’ll have a small pile of vegetables which whilst unappetising, can be boiled up with some herbs. Herbs such as thyme, bay, peppercorns and cardamom pods can help produce a lovely vegetable stock as a base for gravy, soups or even for addition to curries and stews. If you’re feeling brave, you can even blend down some of the softer elements from the boil to leave in the soup and provide a bit of texture and roughage. - In relation to the last point, this is where you need to too-up; utensils and cooking gadgets can be a life saver – I would struggle in a kitchen now where I didn’t have a blender and a slow cooker to draw up for certain dishes which are good for using up leftover food. - Inspect your fridge daily; are there any smaller items left over and lurking at the back of the shelves? Are there small bags of herbs or salad buried under newer items of food? If the latter results in a yes, then bring those items back to the top and find a use for them. - If you find it helps, plan your meals out a week at a time, this approach is often favoured by families and will help with those less able to think on their feet with an ad-hoc cooking approach. - Making extra; If you have made too much food, you can set a portion aside and put this into a plastic takeaway box (available from curry houses or chinese takeaways, failing this, from oriental or specialist supermarkets) which will readily freeze down. These will then be ready to be used up as a homemade microwave meal. Better than a supermarket sandwich and often better than a takeaway, depending on what you have prepared! - If you have room, maybe consider getting a compost bin for the food you don’t use, this can be spread on the garden and even used to feed and provide a growing medium for your own herbs, fruit and vegetables. - There are no stupid questions; if you’re struggling to know what to do, how to cook or get an idea how to cut down on wasted food, there are plenty of websites out there now. I have spent a good deal of time looking at my own cooking habits recently, and although I have been resourceful, there is always room for improvement. This is why I joined in with the HubbubUK #ExpressYourShelf Challenge, following their kind invitation to do so in October of this year. The hashtag and challenge were used to highlight any tips that food bloggers or other interested parties could pass on to other people via social media to improve their cooking habits and techniques, not to mention the passing on of potentially excellent home economy advice. The outcome of such a challenge is to hopefully limit and where possible, eradicate food waste. The challenge was also carried out in conjunction with Tesco and Society and the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign. https://www.hubbub.org.uk/Event/express-your-shelf https://twitter.comTescoandSociety http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ By a bit of awkward timing, I wasn’t in a difficult position food-wise; I received the invitation to join in after I had been on the weekly shop and as such, wasn’t forced to into the position of showing off my initiative, although I like to think I did my best and used what tricks I could over several twitter broadcasts during the last couple of weeks in October. This meant I had to be a little more creative in developing the tips I was sharing, though it wasn’t impossible; getting into good habits and using up as much food as you buy doesn’t necessarily mean getting by on scraps all the time. It is more about just being clever about what you have in and how you use it at any given time. I would advise anyone interested in trying to improve their own home economics and cooking to try the approaches above and have a look at the links provided if they think they can improve. I certainly learned a few things over the course of this exercise! Pedro. Renshaw Street is rather polarised these days; there have been a raft of small independents opening on one side, to accompany The Dispensary and assorted curry houses (which are potentially going to be bordered by a large student development to their rear should some proposed plans be realised). The other side has rather more glitzy and polished establishments, such as letting agents, a karaoke bar and barbers. One of the relatively new establishments on the more earthy side of the road is Damas, a Lebanese style restaurant which has a budget friendly menu and a reasonable amount of charm. Whilst it has to some degree been overshadowed by other more visible establishments on Bold Street, it is only a stone’s throw away to this café. Liverpool is no stranger to the type of cuisine on offer, with the likes of Kimos being almost an institution and with Maray, Casbah and Bakchich amongst others lining the next road over. The restaurant itself is furnished as would be expected from a café; a kitchen visible from the main area of the café and an abundance of light wooden tables and chairs, menus on the table with small table top chalk boards for specials. That said, nothing feels too cluttered in the premises and the large windows facing out onto Renshaw Street are pretty much perfect for people-watching. So how’s the menu? With Damas being of middle-eastern persuasion, there is no alcohol on offer here, only canned soft drinks, juices and teas. The food menu has plenty to offer, from meze plates, salads, main dishes and wraps for those looking for a quicker lunchtime experience. We opt for some Arabic flatbread and Baba Ghanouj (sic) to start with, the prospect of order kibbeh and falafels on top of the other components seems just a little too daunting, although it really wouldn’t have left the wallet tapping for submission if we proceeded down the greedy route. Light scatterings of spice, a puddle of oil and a few pinches of fresh parsley adorn the silky Baba Ghanouj which is sweet, satisfying and gone within a matter of minutes. The main dishes of chicken shawarma and Kharouf Mehshi (lamb shanks with spiced rice and almonds) follow the moment the baba ghanouj has been swept away, and the portions are really something – unless you have hollow legs for feeling particularly greedy, you are unlikely to wish to go beyond to the temptation of baklava. The shawarma is presented on a dreadnought of a plate; salad, chicken, spiced rice with flecks of what appear to be a wholewheat noodle and more flatbread all neatly laid out for the diner. The chicken is succulent and has flavour (a great start), the salad fresh and the flatbread still warm but alas a flat note is the rather dull rice, which whilst claimed promisingly coloured is a little drying in the presence of the other components, aside from some yoghurt and tahini sauce at the side. The lamb shanks is a scary and initially not aesthetically inviting prospect; sitting atop a mountain of spiced rice scattered with powdered spices and blistered, sweet almonds. Again the dish suffered a little from being in danger on the dry side, but the cucumber and yoghurt sauce provided with the dish gave some much needed glue to bring the dish together. The main player of the dish was the lamb shank; whilst it was studded with nuggets of soft and quite unctuous meat and a couple of pieces of bone (with delicious marrow left in), the fatty matrix provided a rather distracting and unwelcome task to try and surgically remove the lamb. One more comment on the lamb is the finishing of the meat; whilst it was delicious, some additional colour would have been welcome, perhaps a flash on the grill to tease a bit more flavour out. As it was, there was too much work to do to in retrieving edible morsels.
There is some value for money with Damas, though the menu does cover a lot of bases and whilst not generating volumes of excitement, it’s a viable option for lunch or an evening meal on the hop. Just be wary that some of the menu is very hit and miss. Pedro. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Damas 79 Renshaw Street Liverpool L1 2SJ Telephone: 0151 345 3240 Web: http://damasliverpool.weebly.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/damasliverpool Will Lyons sits relatively calmly and centrally at the table with some esteemed local company from social media, print media and including a former master chef entrant. He is looking to reboot the Monro and in hiring new head chef Alex (who was no doubt industrious in the kitchen) has enabled development a new tasting menu for the evening. Although the master in the kitchen is still relatively young, he has built some valuable experience into his portfolio before this new adventure at The Monro. The Monro is looking to reboot their menu, although their reputation is a complex one, as one of the forerunners of the Liverpool Gastropub scene, they somehow straddled between high-end pub dining and being a bit of a local boozer without ever really sitting comfortably in either camp or as a true hybrid. Now The Monro is looking to really push their reputation along using a foundation of talent and experience along with a new menu excellent front of house staff and judging by the evening’s progression, in the kitchen along with some promising promotions from within their existing ranks. James Campbell has done the rounds; Fraiche (which still holds its Michelin star), the Art School with Paul Askew (one of Marina O’Loughin’s high points of her visit in an otherwise disappointing review [http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/12/art-school-restaurant-liverpool-review-marina-o-loughlin] and Wirral’s Thornton Hall (where Great British Menu entrant, Matthew Worswick resides as head chef) and is now settled at The Monro; although this event was only his first night, it was a calm and experienced show from him, giving the impression of an easy symbiosis to come. The tasting menu was well put together and for the most part, well executed and very well presented. Bearing in mind the pressures of the evening, a relatively experimental menu and some testing techniques required, there was plenty to enjoy and little to concern thus far. The Beetroot and Strawberry consommé was a jolt and a bit of a rewire for the senses; somewhat sweet on the nose, it was intensely savoury with a meaty buzz to it; which is interesting, not entirely unpleasant and meets with mixed responses from the table. The temperature also provided a somewhat uneasy edge to the amuseé bouche, being served cold with such an earthy and savoury flavour set wasn’t altogether accessible. The first foray proper into the menu was wood pigeon served alongside pickled carrot and a brioche crumb, the plate was also scattered with a speckling of puree and some salad leaves to bring some colour forth. The pigeon was cooked almost perfectly, although there was possibly a little too much resistance in the texture for perfection, but the partners for this dish worked excellently, aside from a slightly redundant note from the crumb. I’ve never been a huge fan of razor clams, but this dish certainly piqued my interest once again; good ideas aplenty, sorrel ice was an interesting and pleasant touch on the plate. The clams themselves were tasty and seasoned well, although some toughness at the ends was evidence they were possibly a little overdone and the tomato lacked a little acidity to punch above its meagre weight. Going back to the sorrel ice and use of sea aster, these touches make a clever yet simple dish, which with a little refinement will be welcome in any tasting menu. Next we moved to lamb rump, which judging by the flavours and response to solid cooking technique is sourcing of some good cuts. The black olive caramel sauce served with the lamb was intensely umami rich and other elements were spot on for bringing total balance to the dish, including a potato wrapped feta parcel and pea shoots. Pre dessert required something a little lighter than the incredibly intense olive caramel and lamb, this was delivered in the form of a gin and tonic granita palate cleanser; citric, clean and crisp. This then set the stage for the blue cheese beignet, served with a green apple puree. The beignet was flavoured well but on this occasion needs more acidity and sweetness from the apple element to counterbalance the slightly stodgey but flavoursome cheese; that said, the beignet was very moreish and eating the course could have easily been repeated.
Finally a raspberry sauce hiding a vanilla pannacotta beneath in a kilner jar, dotted with raspberries, lemon balm microherbs and biscuit crumb – deliciously sweet, acidic, palate cleansing and supremely balanced. This is how to get a dessert to sing; well thought out elements, kept relatively simple but put together with skill and care. The Monro’s intent was pretty clear on the night, up the game for the food and retain the charm of the surroundings to push forward as a place more focussed on its menu, whilst nurturing some of the pub sensibilities it is known for. The Monro is certainly not just a pub that does good food if they build some sort of positive trajectory, based on this showing. Pedro. ----------------------------------------- Disclaimer: This meal was offered to ElectroKemist Cuisine in return for feedback following an invite to review this restaurant, however, the review above remains an honest opinion of the experience. Thanks to Charlie Hooson-Sykes for the use of a couple of images in this piece. You can follow her on Twitter under @The_Lady_Sybil The Monro 92 Duke Street Liverpool L1 5AG Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMonro Web: http://www.themonro.com/ Tel: 0151 707 9933 Having sat empty for well over a decade, last year saw the Old Blind School on Hardman Street played host to the Liverpool Biennial and its numerous art installations and displays throughout a building evidently in need of much love, attention and paint – lots of paint. The ‘Liverpool School for the Blind’ was founded in 1791 on London Road, but was transferred 60 years on to the current site, apparently stone for stone. The building has undergone some other transformations throughout the years and the school moved on to its current location on Church Road in Wavertree by the ‘Mystery’. The next tenants of the building were Merseyside Police until the early 1980s when the Trade Union, Community and Unemployed Resource Centre took over. The centre closed in 2004, although admittedly, I personally thought the building had remained unused from a date much earlier than this. A good, albeit slightly out of date piece on the building was written by Gerry Cordon in October 2014: [https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/the-scandalous-decay-of-a-brilliant-representation-of-liverpools-radical-past/]. Eleven years on from the closure of the Trade Union and following the departure of the Biennial, works were underway to kit the building out and bring a 200-cover dining experience to Liverpool. Step forward Dave Mooney, Paul Newman and the New Moon Pub Company, who have had recent successes with the Old Sessions House in Knutsford, Beef and Pudding in Manchester (soon to have a second iteration in Liverpool), the Montgomery in Eastham and the Mockingbird Taproom in Chester. Though much of the fanfare has heralded the arrival of a ‘Gastro-pub’, I am reticent to give it this disservice. Not that there is anything wrong with a Gastro-pub of course; it’s just that it feels like so much more that is on offer. The building was never a pub and although the menu reads much like a steak, burger and country-pub fayre template the ambience, décor and service suggest a more ambitious remit. The downstairs performs as a bar area, with currently, 3 cask lines, reasonable wine cellar and a healthy cocktail menu; it is light, airy and has touches of the new and original features working together, but the real business is up the impressive flight of stairs. The stairs at The Old Blind School have been retained and refurbished from the original building, with some ornate tiling and much tenderness if slightly odd choice of paint colour. Impressive, if slightly unusual plaster murals with three dimensional casts of hands and shoes await the back wall of the mezzanines, before one enters the upper bar and dining area through double doors. The upper level replicates the feel of the ground floor bar, high ceilings, peculiar anthropomorphic canine portraits, typewriters and Edison-style filament bulbs adorn the room which still gives healthy and knowing nods to its past. The seating arrangements are sufficient (when considering it is a 200-cover, there is some suspicion it may be a little cramped – not so) and although the music was perhaps a little out of place (too much, too loud) to be in keeping with such surroundings, the atmosphere was relaxed and warm but brisk. The private dining area looks the part; slightly Arthurian, secluded, peaceful and an easy environment to suddenly lose 3 hours to eating from TOBS’s kitchen and sinking one too many beers, brandies or cocktails. Service was good; it was especially pleasing to speak with our server and hear that some care had been given to matching wines and beers with the food, so often this is overlooked in many restaurants, with staff not getting an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the menu and which drinks will offer the best pairing. The level of attentiveness and friendliness was perfect, plus although it was the dry-run of the first week, the staff seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. Although this is not set out to be a review, the food is certainly worth a mention; a special nod to the quality of the starters must be made; excellently earthy, sweet and with a slight piquancy, the black pudding provided more than a few agreeable murmurs around the table and eyes widened at the sight of large deep fried prawns, sweet, crisp and oil-free. The Gordal olives even made converts of those who usually shun the nibbles at the start of a meal, fat, juicy and waiting to burst. Those manning the steaks and other mains may need a little more calibration, but after two days you can’t ask for total perfection, the cuts of T-bone and skirt bavette were generally good, although the latter was much more variable with some immaculately succulent cuts cooked exactly, whilst another was a bit on the sinewy side and underdone. The idea of sharing planks may be one to raise eyebrows amongst the ‘we want plates’ crowd, but nothing was really out of place on the one ordered; a miniature feast of seafood scattered across a wooden board; though maybe some scallops wouldn’t go amiss? The beers available range from casks from Tatton Brewery (currently) to bottles of Founders All Day IPA with not much in between; the usual Becks, Stella Artois and Corona (plus some other uninspiring bottled offerings) do thankfully have Freedom Brewery nestled in between – both the pils and the Pioneer lager. The cocktail list is broken into four sections, established, established with a twist, new iterations and champagne based; I have it on good authority from a companion that the espresso martinis were executed very well, plus the menu seems to cater to a broad palatal preference. The wine list seems to have been given the most thought, with three broad categories apiece for red and white, a rose and fizz category. The stand out note from these wine menus aside from the interesting choices for inclusion (the Tasmanian Pinot Noir was excellent by-the-by) is the reasonable pricing and although this is alluded to in a head note on the wine menu, it does ring true. A pleasing dimension to the TOBS dining. There’s a renaissance fermenting in Liverpool at the moment, with plenty of new establishments opening their doors and providing as much choice as the city has seen for some time. The Old Blind School definitely provides something a little different in terms of the grandeur and scale it provides. The menu is a well-travelled path, but competently executed on first impressions. A return visit is in the offing; reasonable pricing, startling surroundings and good cooking – a recipe for success that everyone is able to see. Pedro. ----------------------------------------- The Old Blind School 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9AX. Tel: 0151 709 8002 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.oldblindschool.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/blindschooll1 |
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