anyone had a good meal in liverpool lately?

[Gary Marshall]

I was in Liverpool yesterday.

Was dragged kicking and screaming to Lark Lane, near Aigburth.  It's a piece of the city  that I think must have forgotten that it's in Liverpool.

We went to Keith's Bar (clunky wooden tables, no pretensions whatsoever) and had a really good pork and chorizo stew with rice, and a tomato and lemon risotto, both at a fiver each.  The kicker was the bottle of '97 Chateau Musar which only cost 14 quid!

Note to add:  I see in Jay Rayner's review of the Vineyard at Stockcross that they're charging £115 quid for a '97 Musar. Insanity.

Thence on to the farmers' market down the road, to buy a trio of black puddings and a really good pork pie for later consumption.

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keith's bar has been there for years, a popular hangout even in my student days that are now, errr 13 years past. Is marantos still there? That was a popular italian and a l'ouette french resto was about as haute as it got in the 'pool.

[Andy Fenn]

and no michelin starred restaurants in manchester (or leeds either (yet))

the best cooking is in the sticks, not that i am in any way biased 

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I thought Pool Court at 42 in Leeds had a star? I haven't been, opting instead for Anthony's, which was fantastic. Clearly michelin worthy. Has anyone been to Pool Court? I go to Leeds every couple of months and wondered whether I should give it a go, or return to Anthony's.

[YKL]

and no michelin starred restaurants in manchester (or leeds either (yet))

the best cooking is in the sticks, not that i am in any way biased 

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I thought Pool Court at 42 in Leeds had a star? I haven't been, opting instead for Anthony's, which was fantastic. Clearly michelin worthy. Has anyone been to Pool Court? I go to Leeds every couple of months and wondered whether I should give it a go, or return to Anthony's.

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Pool Court did indeed have a star but it shut its doors recently (think it was at Xmas / NY) - think the owners decided to go and live the high life in France! Just means that Brasserie 44 has more room.

Sadly I never got to go before it shut - but admittedly a mediocre meal at Brasserie 44 made me less inclined.

I'm terribly biased towards Anthony's - but there are other good options too. e.g. No 3 York Place not been mentioned in this thread yet?

[Gary Marshall]

and no michelin starred restaurants in manchester (or leeds either (yet))

the best cooking is in the sticks, not that i am in any way biased 

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I thought Pool Court at 42 in Leeds had a star? I haven't been, opting instead for Anthony's, which was fantastic. Clearly michelin worthy. Has anyone been to Pool Court? I go to Leeds every couple of months and wondered whether I should give it a go, or return to Anthony's.

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did have but as yin says it closed down. Chef jeff baker has taken over at rish in york, re-naming it j baker bistro-moderne, sounds more in the mould of galvin than somewhere with starred aspirations, i hope to go soon.

no3 york place is definitely worth a try, especially if you are interested in wine, denis co-owner/maitre d'/sommelier has a good list and knows his stuff.

[Andy Fenn]

Thanks for the advice - I'll give that a try when I'm next up.

Just had a look at the website for J Baker's. Quite interesting stuff. Check out his philosophy:

"The concept behind our Bistro Moderne is quite simple. Following in the footsteps of some of the world greatest chef's, ie Joel Robouchon, we aim to bring to the heart of Yorshire, simple yet stylish food in modest surroundings.

The family run bistro takes traditional values, then complements these with modern thoughts to create a warm and affordable dining experience where the kitchen uses its expertise to source and recreate your favourite dishes."

Joel, Jason, now Jeff?

[YKL]

Chef jeff baker has taken over at rish in york, re-naming it j baker bistro-moderne, sounds more in the mould of galvin than somewhere with starred aspirations,

Cheers Gary - another one to add to my to-do list

[edsel]

The North is thriving well, culinarily speaking, and has a goodly amount of good chefs doing good things (Messrs Pern, Flinn, Heathcote, Haworth, Laybourne, Rogan and Wilkinson, to name a few), but the incongruity of Liverpool's situation is striking :

City of Liverpool population (2002) : 441,477 - the fifth largest city in the UK.

In that area, there are four one-rosette restaurants :

Ziba

Simply Heathcotes (also holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand)

The Radisson SAS Liverpool

60 Hope Street

...and that's it. This in the city that in less than two years' time is going to become the European Capital of Culture.

...

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Well, as a Yank visiting Liverpool for the first time, I can certainly attest to the "Big Dig" impact on the scene there. I honestly couldn't figure out how to reach the docks from the city center. The choice of the term "big dig" is especially unfortunate, given the experience in Boston, US. Hopefully no concrete slabs will fall on the unsuspecting.

I tried to find "Simply Heathcotes", eventually giving up, not realizing that I had passed within a few yards of the place. The tourist guide gave a completely useless address for the place. Oh well. Missed it by that much

After walking up and down the Liverpool city center (centre) I eventually found my way to Hope Street.

60 Hope Street was nearly deserted at 7:00 PM on a Thursday night. I think there might have been something happening at the Philharmonic Hall nearby, but I was surprised to find that there was no problem getting a seat at the restaurant with no reservation.

My app, a "de-constructed Caesar Salad" was fun. The little plug of chicken smacked of "I've got a jar of Activa". I liked it.

The entree, a breast of pheasant wrapped in prosciutto, was a bit too salty. It was topped with a deep-fried cylinder of potato, resembling a bread-stick. I admire the efforts of the cooks at 60 Hope Street, even if their efforts fall somewhat short of perfection. Overall, not a bad impression of Liverpool.