Liverpool

[Andy Lynes]

Next week I return to the land of my fathers to bathe my feet in the Mersey, to stand on a manhole in Matthew Street and to try and answer the question "Where is Beatles band?". Obviously, at some point I will need to eat. Any ideas?

[slacker]

Look at the weekend times magazine. Giles Coren had a good time with a vet. etc. Can't be bothered to look for the article - too hot.

[thom]

Ah Liverpool, the city that made me the man I am today... Well, it's where I went to Uni anyway.

You could do worse than have a look at Ziba just between Chinatown and the top of Bold St. It's been open for years, but was always quite smart and suprisingly it got picked up for review by Giles Coren in The Times last week.

He was pretty complimentary, and made special mention that a bottle of Louis Roderer Brut Premier was about half the London price. Ah, the joys of the provinces...

It used to be owned by Martin Ainscough, but I heard a rumour he sold it or leased it to another operator. If not, it should still be modern med/fusion Conran+ style food. A bit like the Restaurant Bar and Grill in Manchester. Equally, unless it's been refurbed, then it will be open and light with blonde wood and big windows. All the interior was fitted out by my dad actually.

Personally eating out used to be pretty grim in Liverpool (though as a student it was kebabs, lentils and pot nooddles for me anyway). A few big middle of the road players have opened in the city centre proper such as Heathcoate and The Living Room, but for more exciting food I'd head up towards Hope St by the Uni which links the two Cathedrals.

Hope St (the restaurant) itself was always a fairly smart place, and at one point was angling for Michelin standards. It has a restaurant and brasserie, and always got good reviews. There was also a decent place called Beachers Brook opposite, but that may have closed. For snacking the No 7 cafe round the corner used to be excellent for pasta, salads and sandwiches in a very nice setting (also used to be owned by Martin and also fitted out by my dad!).

If you are going out in Liverpool then make drinking a part of the night and take advantage of some of the most fantastic ornate Vistorian pubs in the country. Have a look in the wonderful Philamonic (corner of Hope St and Hardman St) which purportedly has the most ornate mens toilets in the world (marble and gilt a go-go).

I'm sure I can rustle up some more thoughts, but that should start you off. I have a real soft spot for Liverpool, and it is actually a beautiful city with some outstanding Architecture.

Cheers

Thom

[Mrs Woman]

Ziba has moved to the Raquet Club which Martin Ainscough took over and renovated last year and made into a hotel- the old site that Thom mentioned was sold on . Bechers Brook closed last year methinks. Hope Street website is here

Can't really think of any food recs, Liverpool has many bars that unfortunately serve crappy grub. www.ketchupp.com has a 'dining' guide for the city

Edited August 7, 2003 by Mrs Woman (log)

[Andy Lynes]

Thom, thats great. I'm there for 2 nights so Ziba and Hope Street sounds like a plan, although I have had some very good experiences in Heathcotes places in Manchester and Preston so maybe I'll check out the menus before making a decision. Its been quite a few years since I've visited the city and am quite looking forward to seeing how it changed since the last time.

[thom]

No probs Andy.

I've just had a quick glance at Harden's to see if much has changed since I last ate in Liverpool regularly.

It seems that my pervious rec's stand up (in fact Hope St won a 'Restaurant Remy' from them). And to be fair to Heathcoates, some of Harden's reviewers say it is the best of his outposts they have visited (though I assume they are excluding his ex-Michelin starred Longridge restaurant).

Ziba gets a good rightup, but apparently it was moved to Martin's new 'Raquet Club' Spa/Hotel across the Mersey (profiled in Caterer's Liverpool issue recently). This would fit in with my understanding that the original site was leased on, I think to a Shimla Pinks style Indian.

I always thought the Chinatown was pretty shocking, but Hardens's also single out Yuet Ben for praise.

Good luck, and I hope you'll be wearing your ceromonial Lyne's family shellsuit for your visit.

Cheers

Thom

[Mrs Woman]

Ziba gets a good rightup, but apparently it was moved to Martin's new 'Raquet Club' Spa/Hotel across the Mersey (profiled in Caterer's Liverpool issue recently). This would fit in with my understanding that the original site was leased on, I think to a Shimla Pinks style Indian.

I feel like the woman in the Fast Show where the blokes take no notice of her and then repeat what she said.

(See post in between Thom and Andy's!)

[thom]

'Get your knickers on, make a cup of tea'.

Cheers

Monkfish

[Andy Lynes]

Ziba gets a good rightup, but apparently it was moved to Martin's new 'Raquet Club' Spa/Hotel across the Mersey (profiled in Caterer's Liverpool issue recently). This would fit in with my understanding that the original site was leased on, I think to a Shimla Pinks style Indian.

I feel like the woman in the Fast Show where the blokes take no notice of her and then repeat what she said.

(See post in between Thom and Andy's!)

Mrs Woman, looks like you posted at the same time as I did, yours hadn't appeared when I responsed to Thom. So thank you as well.

[Andy Lynes]

Good luck, and I hope you'll be wearing your ceromonial Lyne's family shellsuit for your visit.

Looks like whoever said that the award of European City of Culture to Liverpool had overturned 30 years of prejudice in a moment was quite possibly fooling himself.

[thom]

Calm down, calm down, it was only a joke.

And watch your hub caps.

Anyway, where's the harm in a little intercity rivalry. What fun would life be without Scousers in curly perms dodging work; Manc's with flat caps and flares saying "Mad for it!"; Cockney pearly queens with jellied eels; 'Viz' style Geordies with their fags in their cap sleeve T-shirts; and Brummies with... With, uhmm... Well, I guess there's the funny accent...

Cheers

Thom

[Gary Marshall]

Ah Liverpool, the city that made me the man I am today... Well, it's where I went to Uni anyway.

me too, what a great advertisment for the establishment we are

I think you've covered the obvious spots in previous threads, in my student days the 'est, est, est' in the albert dock was the height of sophistication (and where the stars hung out, they had pictures and everything to prove it!).

recently i had a chinese at the restaurant on the pier head where the 'ferry cross the mersey' goes from. As a client lunch had gone slightly awry, the pre-lunch drinks lasting till the best part of 4pm i wasn't holding out much hope for 'lunch' but it was A) open B) quite busy and C) actually quite good.

Oh and d) much better than the berni inn it replaced!

a great city, a night out in liverpool has to be seen to be believed.

gary

[thom]

I too remember the joys of visiting parents 'treating' you to a meal at Est Est Est, with gondoliers bobbing in the dock outside and crayons for scribbling on the tablecloths. The group was actually founded by my CEO, Edwina Lilley, and her husband before they sold it to City Centre Restaurants (of Frankie & Bennys and Chiquitos 'fame').

Gary, I didn't realise you an also ex-Liverpool university; the scars barely show. Funny, I would of thought the alumni organisation would have been on the phone seeking out our services as poster-boys for the 'Original Red Brick University' .

Did you ever used to darken the doors of the Augustus John, or were you more of an Oxford or Cambridge chap? (The pubs, not the universities).

Cheers

Thom

[Bapi]

"Funny, I would of thought the alumni organisation would have been on the phone seeking out our services as poster-boys for the 'Original Red Brick University' "

I think they ran with the Laurel and Hardy article a couple of months back Thom - so you missed your chance.

"Did you ever used to darken the doors of the Augustus John, or were you more of an Oxford or Cambridge chap? (The pubs, not the universities)."

I think in Gary's case it was probably B & Q for a bottle of meths -drunken with aplomb from a brown paper bag

[Gary Marshall]

Gary, I didn't realise you an also ex-Liverpool university; the scars barely show. Funny, I would of thought the alumni organisation would have been on the phone seeking out our services as poster-boys for the 'Original Red Brick University' ™.

Did you ever used to darken the doors of the Augustus John, or were you more of an Oxford or Cambridge chap? (The pubs, not the universities).

absolutely, spend years in education, get good job, climb the greasy pole of careerdom, to reach the pinnacle of achievment. ....

Being able to waste your day writing about food and drink on a website, without anyone shouting at you to do some bloody work

I was a cambridge man myself, as noted by my best man recently, i'd told him in his speech not to worry about 'the truth getting in the way of a good story' (a motto i have built said career upon) but when he started talking of me being educated at cambridge i thought he gone a bit too far, but of course he meant the pub.

it was rather conveniently located 2 doors down from my fabled seat of learning the economic history department, a whopping 3 hours of lectures in my final year and 2.1's seemingly awarded on the basis of being 'bloody nice fellows'. Great times.

I loved the old photos in the pub, especially one entitled 'men waiting for pub to open 1895' dockers sat on the very steps where we'd wait ourselves, thirsty work those early 10.30 lectures!

Obviously i wasn't clever enough to hang out with the true academics in the AJ!

[thom]

As a science undergrad the AJ should have been my home turf, but unfortunately it was full of nerdy lank-haired scientists. And IT students.

Also, my girlfriend was an arts student ("Combined Arts, that's handy") so I had two excuses to spend more of my time in the Cambridge. Anyway, although arts students are also nerdy and lank-haired, I think they represent a better class of dweeb.

Cheers

Thom

[Gavin Jones]

I always particularly liked the Roscoe Head (its feature: A collection of ties) and Peter Kavanagh's.

[Gary Marshall]

the names ring a bell but i can't place them gavin, where are they?