As with my previous review of Maray, this is another restaurant that it had taken me some time to get to following numerous recommendations from friends. There are such a number of new places opening at the moment, it really is quite difficult to keep track of where to prioritise. Liverpool isn't one of the most forward thinking of cities when it comes to vegetarian cuisine, only the Egg Café springs to mind when most people used to ask me where to go, but Sanskruti does fit the bill rather well - as long as you are a fan of Indian Punjabi and Gujarat cuisine. Luckily for you dear reader, I am. Tucked away on Bixteth Street, by Mercury Court and the old Exchange Station on Liverpool's Dale Street is a below-street-level establishment, which has been a Mediterranean restaurants amongst its other incarnations and it now houses Sanskruti. Sanksruti eschews the traditional 1970s British curry house look of carpets, ornate but tight wooden booths, crushed velvet fittings and garish décor in favour of something a little less ubiquitous. There is a sensitivity to a customers personal space with more of an open canteen feel, along with a slightly more terracotta and tiles look in place. It is comfortable albeit a bit more spartan with the soft furnishings, but not an overload on the senses. Service was polite and timely throughout the experience, with staff happy to discuss any of the dishes and friendly enough to make you want to indulge in discussion. You can't ask for a lot more. The food was overall, very very good and hugely enjoyable to eat. Looking enticing on the plate is one thing, but delivering upon hitting taste buds and providing a pleasing texture are another matter. Sanskruti's wares delivered on pretty much every front, with great contrast between spice and cooler elements, crisp and harder textures with softer, chewier and the more fluid. The first foray into the Sanskruti kitchen experience was with the puri; recommendations to come to restaurant had come with the caveat that we simply had to give some of the street-food elements a try here and they proved to be correct. The Sev Puri had a wonderful punch to them, an array of textures in a single mouthful along with fruity notes, deeply savoury and a balanced pinch of spice. The dahi puri were gilded with pomegranate (isn't everything these days?!) stuffed with potato and chickpeas and again, ticked all the boxes in providing an enjoyable appetiser. Having watched videos of professional chefs trying to master the technique for cooking and preparing dosa (large rise and lentil pancakes to the uninitiated), I have a huge amount of respect for cooks who can provide something flattering on the eye as well as providing a balanced and spiced filling. Sanskruti's kitchen provided this without fuss. Lightly chewy, crisp and with a lovely spiced potato and beetroot filling, the mysore dosa ticketed a few boxes. The chickpea and paneer curry was a welcome saucy dish to go with the array of bread, dosa and puris that we ordered and as with the other items, the balance of the dish was excellent. No over-reliance on chilli to provide some punch, this was a wonderfully subtle dish on the side. The only bum note of the whole evening was more a matter of personal taste; perhaps we had made a mistake in ordering the sahi naan, which was heavily perfumed, flavoured with cherries and was too heavy on the tang of rosewater for many of the other dishes we had ordered. It was also simply too sweet. All in all it was a very pleasant and rounded experience eating at Sanskruti, service and food were very good, although the menu does have some pockets of confusion. Switching between Garbanzo peas and Chickpeas is a bit odd (there are subtle differences, along with channa and gram) considering to the ley person, it doesn't mean a huge amount. The drinks menu was good on cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, but given other places are now catering for more discerning drinkers, it would have been nice to see some IPAs, pale ales or saisons present to provide something more flavoursome than kingfisher to wash down such lovely food.
I'll finish with this anyway; any vegetarian restaurant that can make you smile at the competency of the food and forget you've not eaten anything with meat is okay in my book. Pedro. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanskruti Bixteth Street, Liverpool, L3 9NA Tel: 0151 236 8886 Web: http://www.sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk/liverpool/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sanskrutil3 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanskrutiliverpool/
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Maray has been open for around two and a half years now on Bold Street and I am fairly ashamed to admit that I have never actually darkened its doorway... (waits for the gasps of horror to cease). In my defence, there has been rather a lot going on and it's been one of those things that has been filed under 'get round to it soon' for probably well over 18 months. Fret no more anyway, as I managed to drop by the recently opened sister to the Bold Street eatery on Allerton Road to check out what all the fuss was about. The fuss was very palpable for a while with the Bold Street premises, numerous friends and acquaintances had eaten there and were generally flowing in their praise; even The Guardian's food write Jay Raynor, one of the hardest of critics, was also remarkably generous in his review. He stated that in lesser hands it could have been a car crash but was very competent in its mission to bring together many Mediterranean and French influences along with some Scandinavian and American influence thrown in with good measure. So, the burning question is whether the Allerton Road establishment backs up the big talk? Maray on Allerton Road is a strange beast, the bright interior décor and large glass windows appear on the face of it a rather stark dining environment, but being seated upstairs, the use of exposed and fatigued brickwork actually brought a comfortable contrast and overall, we did feel quite relaxed. The approach and demeanour of the staff helped with this no end too, service was brisk, competent and timely from start to finish. The menu on first glance appears fairly scattershot, with some clear north African and middle eastern influence, but there are other elements which have clear French bistro or Asian heritage to them. Nonetheless, Jay Rayner was correct in his assertion that all this did come together quite well, nothing felt clumsy about the food that we ordered and was put in front of us. From the sourdough loaf with chilli butter to the excellent, tender smoked duck with raisins and aubergine there was a lovely array of textures and flavours to get involved with. The lamb koftas retained plenty of moisture and a huge amount of flavour and nearly ran the meal off the rails due to their strength, but using the softer elements of the superb whipped goats cheese and honey with crisp flatbread and the gentle saltiness of the larger than expected whitebait, there was some come back. Overall, the food was brilliant aside from one or two dishes suffering from a bit of heavy-handed seasoning; not usually a gripe - it seems most complaints in the industry are about underseasoned food, but then it might just be a personal preference to take the salt content of some food down a notch or two? Sadly there was no room for dessert, but the selection did look incredibly tempting, notably espresso kulfi and hazelnuts for me. In terms of drinks menu, there is a heavy, heavy slant towards cocktails and from what I can gather a little something for everyone. The wine selection is short, but looks to have been very well thought out, with the top end selections in both white and red coming from some surprising regions instead of the usual Italian or French safe bets. The beer selection was (for admittedly, someone who is primarily a beer writer these days) pretty disappointing. A couple of lagers, a Vienna-style lager and Icelandic brewed Einstok pale do not give the range which could best work with this menu.
Summing things up, it's worth your time. The food is well sourced (they are fairly open about their suppliers online) and put together for enjoyment in a competent and reasonably attractive fashion. Things are continuing to be on the up in Liverpool, they are also thankfully filtering out quite nicely into the suburbs, with this latest addition to the Allerton Road scene, there is now some additional substance. Pedro ------------------------------------------------------------------ Maray 57 Allerton Road, Liverpool, L18 2DA Tel: 0151 709 5820 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.maray.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarayLiverpool Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marayliverpool/ 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 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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