- Location
- Edinburgh/Bordeaux
Liverpool
Casual dining in Liverpool seems to have advanced enormously. But fancier places aren’t quite there. (Ex Moor Hall - I’m sure - it wasn’t an option for us as this was all quite last minute).
London Carriage Works
Still enjoyable somehow despite being objectively quite terrible. Made to wait in the middle of the pathway from kitchen to tables without a hello from multiple passing staff. Our waiter was very enthusiastic but (for example) had never opened a bottle of sparkling wine before and nearly took out the glass storage with the cork. Wine list was hard to navigate. Nyetimber BdB was ok from bottle. The Nyetimber Rose was probably better btg. Food was ok with some astonishing misses. Lobster ravioli was stale and hard. Turbot was a small portion from a small fish. Served only with a kind of blend of sweet chilli sauce and marmalade that was inedible. Pieropan 2020 was replaced without mention with the ponderous and heavy 2018. The sharing steak was good with some excellent mushrooms. Can’t remember desert.
Previous trip in 2015 was much better. A rare example of regression in the Liverpool scene. Maybe the chef was away on a Monday or they were overwhelmed by graduation diners.
Berry and Rye
Very good cocktails, served appropriately with things staying just the right side of gimmicky as a speak easy. Two visits.
Arts School
Let down by poor service, two good dishes from the pescatarian tasting menu, the main beef dish was also good. Some of the various earlier plates were unmemorable. It took forever for a Charles Heidseck 2012 to arrive. On questioning they had been rearranging the cellar and left it at ambient temperature. A glass of Nv was suggested as we wait but we had already had the included glass. Again a list that was not hugely interesting and hard to navigate really. Probably worth another try, just. Annoying service.
Barnacle
Service that got everything right for the style of restaurant (same owner as Arts Club). Much more casual. A huge shared space, noisy but luckily (for us) not busy on a Wednesday night. Very good quality food with quite a lot of intricate touches. Wine list not easy but some exceptional local spirits/liqueurs. Really enjoyed it.
Leeds
Ox Club
Very good quality ingredients, simply grilled. 1kg Cote de boeuf from a 4 year old cow. Served medium (still quite pink) to render the fat as suggested. The 700g Turbot was bigger I’m sure, and cooked perfectly on the grill. Sides and starters simple but all very good. Wine list very short and unfamiliar to me, natural. We managed to drink quite well.
Alchemist
Gimmicky crap cocktails. The children enjoyed the silliness of it all though.
The Reliance
Clearly some kind of St John influence. Very good specials of Ling collar and fillet with herb broth. Fish and chips of very good standard. Main menu was decent. Everything as it should be. Wine list natural focus and good value. We took two 500ml carafes. Clearly very popular as we had a 17-19:30 slot and it was busy throughout.
Mojos
A letdown from an old favourite. Has shifted to the mainstream a little. Still fun nostalgia.
Casual dining in Liverpool seems to have advanced enormously. But fancier places aren’t quite there. (Ex Moor Hall - I’m sure - it wasn’t an option for us as this was all quite last minute).
London Carriage Works
Still enjoyable somehow despite being objectively quite terrible. Made to wait in the middle of the pathway from kitchen to tables without a hello from multiple passing staff. Our waiter was very enthusiastic but (for example) had never opened a bottle of sparkling wine before and nearly took out the glass storage with the cork. Wine list was hard to navigate. Nyetimber BdB was ok from bottle. The Nyetimber Rose was probably better btg. Food was ok with some astonishing misses. Lobster ravioli was stale and hard. Turbot was a small portion from a small fish. Served only with a kind of blend of sweet chilli sauce and marmalade that was inedible. Pieropan 2020 was replaced without mention with the ponderous and heavy 2018. The sharing steak was good with some excellent mushrooms. Can’t remember desert.
Previous trip in 2015 was much better. A rare example of regression in the Liverpool scene. Maybe the chef was away on a Monday or they were overwhelmed by graduation diners.
Berry and Rye
Very good cocktails, served appropriately with things staying just the right side of gimmicky as a speak easy. Two visits.
Arts School
Let down by poor service, two good dishes from the pescatarian tasting menu, the main beef dish was also good. Some of the various earlier plates were unmemorable. It took forever for a Charles Heidseck 2012 to arrive. On questioning they had been rearranging the cellar and left it at ambient temperature. A glass of Nv was suggested as we wait but we had already had the included glass. Again a list that was not hugely interesting and hard to navigate really. Probably worth another try, just. Annoying service.
Barnacle
Service that got everything right for the style of restaurant (same owner as Arts Club). Much more casual. A huge shared space, noisy but luckily (for us) not busy on a Wednesday night. Very good quality food with quite a lot of intricate touches. Wine list not easy but some exceptional local spirits/liqueurs. Really enjoyed it.
Leeds
Ox Club
Very good quality ingredients, simply grilled. 1kg Cote de boeuf from a 4 year old cow. Served medium (still quite pink) to render the fat as suggested. The 700g Turbot was bigger I’m sure, and cooked perfectly on the grill. Sides and starters simple but all very good. Wine list very short and unfamiliar to me, natural. We managed to drink quite well.
Alchemist
Gimmicky crap cocktails. The children enjoyed the silliness of it all though.
The Reliance
Clearly some kind of St John influence. Very good specials of Ling collar and fillet with herb broth. Fish and chips of very good standard. Main menu was decent. Everything as it should be. Wine list natural focus and good value. We took two 500ml carafes. Clearly very popular as we had a 17-19:30 slot and it was busy throughout.
Mojos
A letdown from an old favourite. Has shifted to the mainstream a little. Still fun nostalgia.
