The Italian Fish Club

Despite its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, there isn’t a particular wealth of seafood restaurants in Liverpool City Centre. The Italian Fish Club at the top of Bold Street is one of the few that chooses to pay homage to the delights of the deep dark blue. I remember visiting this restaurant several years ago and having a reasonably enjoyable meal, therefore I felt it was about time to revisit.

We arrived into the warm, glowing dining room on a Saturday. The restaurant was practically full with a sociable atmosphere. Despite the tall ceilings, the simple white wooden interior with brass furnishings and dim lighting lends itself to a relatively intimate setting.

Inside

As with all decent seafood restaurants they have daily specials dependant upon the market that day. After being seated we were told that that monkfish had run out and there were only two sea bream and one lemon sole left. This was rather disappointing because I love monkfish and it was only half eight in the evening, but I guess it’s hardly their fault and it’s just unfortunate.

The menu is pretty standard with fish pies, various fish & chips, mussel pots, pastas and risottos. There is also a selection of vegetarian and meat dishes for those with an enmity towards seafood.

A starter of bruschetta with lightly pickled mackerel was clean and simple with soft charred notes from the grill, however the mini hill of rocket dumped in the centre was a bit excessive.

Bruschetta marinara

Rice in the risotto granchio e zucchini was well cooked. The flavour from the crab was just peering through the creamy sauce whilst the zucchini added contrast to the texture, although the crab claw meat was overdone. 

Risotto granchio e zucchini

Fish pies can often be heavy on the sauce and light on the meat but fortunately this was not the case here. The well-portioned layer of potato with a subtle aftertaste of parsley yielded a heap of various fish underneath. Despite this, whilst some pieces of fish were perfectly done, others were again overcooked.

Fish pie

Lobster Thermidor was a letdown, whilst the cheesy and creamy sauce was not too overpowering, the sweet lobster meat was overdone. This may be overlooked in the previous two dishes as they were still enjoyable, but I am slightly less forgivable when it comes to this one. Firstly because, it is a premium bit of produce and secondly, the lobster was supposed to be the star of the dish, as opposed to a mere component. 

Lobster thermidor

The star of the night was the Spaghetti Alla Pescatora or mixed seafood pasta. Perfectly al dente spaghetti contained a wonderfully sweet and rich tomato sauce whilst bursting with crustaceans.

Spaghetti alla pescatora

Desserts were pleasant whilst being particularly unadventurous. Lemon cheesecake was creamy with a subtle but not overpowering lemon flavour. An enjoyable end to the meal that hit the spot, despite the unnecessary addition of a strawberry ice cream. 

Lemon cheesecake

Panna cotta had a strong vanilla flavour but was a similar consistency to the cheesecake, which is a bit too thick for a panna cotta. It needs that lovely wobble to be the real deal.

Panna cotta alla vaniglia
con salsa al cioccolato

Overall, the Italian Fish Club is a straightforward, solid but uninspiring venture. Service isn’t exactly slick but neither is it problematic. With its huge portions and bold flavours, you’ll probably leave satisfied without feeling the pinch in your pockets and sometimes that’s all you really want from your dinner.

Price: Starters £5-8. Main courses £10-17

Where to go before/after: The restaurant is located round the corner from the excellent independent FACT cinema so this is a good option before/after your film.

Website: Click here

Location: 128 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4JA

Nearest Tube: Knightsbridge

Opening Times: 10.00 - 22.00 (Mon - Sat) 12.00 - 21.00 (Sun)

Michael Caines at Abode Chester

I visited Michael Caines at the Abode Manchester over a year ago and had a satisfying, if not mildly underwhelming, dinner. Michael Caines at the Abode in Chester is the latest clone from this fledgling and ever expanding empire.

On first impressions this new MC restaurant was in my opinion more impressive than the one in Manchester. It is located on the 5^th floor with great views overlooking Chester racecourse and a modern and fresh, if not indistinct, interior.

Bar

Interior 

The a la carte menu at first glance struck me as slightly disappointing, with only five options for starters and main courses. Also, the way the menu is written in that wearisome fashion with a fully descriptive style that borders on essay writing (see picture descriptions). However there was a ‘Grazing menu’ with ten or so dishes available. These are smaller dishes (priced between £5-10), some of them from the a la carte menu and you have to order a minimum of three per person but fortunately we were told that we could mix and match between the two. In the end we mainly went for the several grazing dishes in order to try a variety of dishes.

The pictures depict the separate dishes but due to the dim light in the dining area I apologise for the poor quality of the photographs. I had four of the grazing dishes myself and whilst the presentation of each dish throughout the meal was not the most exploratory, they were certainly pretty. Tomato risotto was luscious and rich and was probably my favourite of the evening. The addition of sweet lemon to the soft, herby cured salmon was wonderful, however the seafood mayonnaise was lost. Mackerel was perfectly cooked but slightly over seasoned whilst the linguine delicate and carried the flavour of olive well. Lamb was delectably tender, a fantastic piece of meat. If my last ever meal could contain a juicy piece of meat of that calibre, I’d die a happy man. It’s accompanying fondant potato was moist (normally I find fondant potatoes too dry and tend not to enjoy them) and the aubergine with lamb shoulder carried each other sufficiently, but again was slightly over seasoned. The bread service was great, with three types of hot fresh rolls available. I ended up eating two of each. Cocktails were very good and a relative bargain at eight pounds each.

Other dishes of quail tartlet, sea bream and spinach tortellini were enjoyed by the rest of the family, however I did not try them so can’t comment.

Tomato & parmesan risotto

Quail tartlet, poched quail's eggs,
confit  onions, wild mushrooms

Tortellini of spinach & parmesan,
pea puree, braised celery,
girolles a la greque & mint foam

Pan fried sea bream, tomato,
romanesco, baby leek,
anchovy chilli butter

Citrus cured salmon, sweet lemon,
avocado puree, shellfish mayo,
crisp ginger

Neil Frost's herb crusted lamb rack,
crisp lamb's shoulder, herb puree,
caramelised aubergines,
cumin sauce

South coast mackerel,
sautéed squid,
confit heritage tomatoes,
kalamata olive,
tapenade linguine

My dessert of rich vanilla mousse with peaches and raspberries was decent enough but was far from memorable and the champagne foam was hugely redundant. I had a taste of the banana soufflé, which was much better, especially with the toffee bananas at the bottom. Petite fours arrived with the coffee and consisted of an unmemorable small biscuit with some form of fruit cream in the centre, heavy, thick and altogether forgettable madeleines and sharp but sweet macerated cherries.

Vanilla mousse, Muscat poached
peach, fresh raspberries and champagne foam

Petit fours

All together I certainly enjoyed this meal at Michael Caines, being much more impressed than the offering at Manchester. Dishes were mildly inventive without being groundbreaking and the cooking, despite a few blemishes, was accomplished without ever wowing. In terms of fine dining in the Northwest, I’d say this is one of the better options.

Price: £200 for a meal for 4 with drinks and service

What to do before/after: With the Abode hotel overlooking the Chester racecourse, this could be a great way to start with a day at the races before you round it off with dinner here.

Website: Click here

Location: Grosvenor Rd  Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, CH1 2DJ

Kabana

For me, a trip to Manchester always results in a craving for a classic Rusholme kebab from Abdul’s or Saajans. Now anybody who knows Manchester well knows I’m talking about probably the best kebabs in the country. By kebabs, I don’t mean the filthy, grease-engorged, angina-inducing slithers of questionable meat stuffed till bursting inside a tiny pitta, clutched as a magical cure to some semblance of sobriety in the hands of thousands of inebriated Brits across the country each night, but chunky pieces of juicy, marinated chicken breast nestled atop a substantial bed of green salad on a huge pillow-soft naan bread and covered in lashings of yoghurt & mint and spicy chutneys. That’s a proper kebab takeaway. It was on a journey to one such fine establishment that we passed Kabana and decided to change plans. My parents have waxed lyrical about Kabana for a while now but had never got round to taking me there.


It's not quite in the city centre, located near the warehouses, on the corner of Cheetham Hill Road & Derby Street. From the outside it doesn't look like much an the inside is the same story. It looks like any old takeaway/kebab shop with a big visible kitchen behind the counter and a rather large seating area reminiscent of roadside cafes throughout much of Asia, the difference being the noticeable cleanliness.

Interior

We ordered at the counter, going for a Karahi ghost (lamb curry), chicken curry, some lamb chops, keema saag (minced lamb with spinach), garlic naan, plain naan and some tandoori roti and then took our seats. The food arrived thick and fast and by god it was good. Keema saag was wonderful; meaty with iron undertones from the spinach. The chicken and lamb curries were mild and a bit oily but bursting with gorgeous flavour. Freshly made naans were large, thick and soft, if not as fluffy as you would find in some places. The second garlic naan had an incredible amount of garlic on the top and a lot more butter than the first, but that epitomised everything in general; a head-on collision with full-on flavourful home-style cooking. Tandoori roti can often have a tendency to be made a bit tougher and flakier than I would like, but this was also soft and perfect for scooping up the curries. Then there was the highlight; the lamb chops. Without a doubt, the best lamb chops I can remember having in a very long time, including, dare I say it, those found at Tayyabs in Whitechapel. Perfectly cooked, tender meat and a spicy, complex marinade coupled with that charred excellence of the grill dancing like Michael Jackson all over my taste buds. I had simply no choice but to order another round of four. Apparently on Friday’s they make a biryani, which is ‘to die for’. I shall certainly back to check that out. I should also mention how cheap this place is, between 4 of us we had 3 dishes, 8 chops, 5 breads and 3 soft drinks all for under 30 quid!

Counter

Keema saag

Chicken curry

Lamb curry

Tandoori roti

Garlic naan

Lamb chops

Kabana is the kind of no nonsense, down-to-earth, honest cooking that Indian cuisine in general is famed for. A classic roadside café with gutsy food drenched in flavour. Make sure if you’re ever in Manchester and in the car (I’m not sure how good the transport links are to that area) you check this place out, it’s only open Sun-Fri till 4pm. I really can’t imagine you’d be disappointed.

Price: £29 for the whole meal inc. soft drinks

Where to go before/next: There’s a retail park up the road if you fancy a bit of shopping or the city centre is a short drive away. Alternatively hit Rusholme to carry on the Indian theme and get some Indian sweets, you can’t go wrong with a bit of rasmalai from Ambala.

Website: None available

Location: 133 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M8 8LY