A little later than planned, I’ve finally gotten round to writing about the resurrection of a once famous pre-club establishment, which initially disappeared with the fading of the lasers from Cream only to come back as a vegetarian bar and café/restaurant for a few years and then fall into the abyss once more. The building is still there but The Merchant now stands in what was once Mello Mello and there is quite a difference in sensibility between the two. Although the building is essentially the same, with Edison bulbs and stressed and bare brickwork now taking the place of plastered walls and music sheet lampshades, there much different about the use of the establishment. The Merchant uses much more of the space that was available that Mello Mello, with a courtyard now open to drinkers and diners, a serving hatch is present there from a burger kitchen. Nightcrawler Pizza now takes up part of the old front space of the seemingly empty next-door premises, serving directly into the bar area. Though some are disappointed with what has appeared in the place of the former tenants, there is much to be pleased with, a solidly stocked alternative venue which plays host to North Bar’s North Brewery beers, lots of local stuff from Mad Hatter, Liverpool Craft and also some Five Points and Vocation on draft. The venue has caught the current mood, but it will be interesting to see how the next 12-18 months plays out if gin, craft beer and real ale and pizzas take a dip in popularity, with people seeking other forms of enjoyment. I can’t see that happening though. I managed to grab a few moments to speak to Lewis Boardman, who is involved with the Merchant venture and involved with the same guys who run Circus and Chibuku, to ask him a few questions about what The Merchant will be bringing to the Liverpool scene. Hi Lewis, What is the Merchant about and what will it bring to the Old Mello Mello site and what's different about it to other places in the area? The Merchant will be focusing on craft beer, gin and our great food offer. We have a strong selection of craft beers on tap including Mad Hatter / Wylam / Cloudwater / Five Points plus a great can selection too. Then we have a great offer on gin goblets before 7pm were you can buy one get the second for a £1. Then we have Nightcrawler Pizza, were you can get half price slice also before 7pm with some amazing toppings and even better names. What sort of beers can we expect you to be getting in? Will you be looking to get some more of the 'experimental' craft stuff in, or is it mostly going to be tried and tested beers? The beer selection has gone down really well and impressed a lot of people through out the UK, and is something we are looking to improve on every week. And yes we have some specials on the way! I've heard from the guys at LCB and Mad Hatter that you're going to be stocking their beers... are you going to look to expand the support of the local brewers on the pumps and in the fridges? 100 % yes, we are huge fans of both Mad Hatter and LCB and are looking to support all local brewers in both food and drink. Do you think that the market will continue to expand with more bars, given Liverpool City Council's reticence over the last few years of having more 'nightlife spots' spring up in what is sometimes perceived as a saturated scene? Since we have opened 4 days ago we have found out that 4 new bars and a restaurant are planned and on the same street, so yes its only going to grow and grow. Cheers to Lewis and maybe see you down there! Pedro. ------ The Merchant / Nightcrawler Pizza 40 Slater Street, Liverpool. Web: http://www.themerchantliverpool.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/merchantpub / https://twitter.com/nghtcrawlrpizza Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMerchantLiverpool
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