The Side Door - Hope St , Liverpool

[andrewc]

2nd time I've eaten here, all dishes were from the "specials" board rather than the previous theatre menu, and my dining partner was sadly not as cute as last months....(though I bumped into her husband in the  pub earlier..)

Razor clams with garlic buttter, Caesar salad with crispy bacon & anchovies,  Hake on a bed of garlic & chilli mashed potato with a lot of local asparagus,  salmon steak with indian spices & bubble'n'squeak. One bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc  Good cheeseboard......

£80 inc service charge.    Not exactly cheap , but very good food in pleasant surroundings.  Booking essential, several groups were turned away.

buuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrpppppppppp 

http://www.thesidedoor.co.uk/

[Valiant]

It is indeed very nice food

[longers]

I've got a weekend in Liverpool arranged for the end of september and am planning on trying this place after reading this a bit back, ta.
Has anyone any suggestions at the cheaper end of the scale for the other night please?

[andrewc]

Wherabouts in Liverpool are you staying and what do you like to eat ?    There are some themed French and Spanish places that do good value meals, and some good Chinese choices . What do you mean by lower end of the scale ?

I'm camping at the moment but should be home tomorrow night. Will try to look stuff up for you.

[longers]

Thanks Andrew, there's no rush so don't put yourself out.
All I meant by the cheaper end of the scale was something in the region of £50 for two including a bottle of wine rather than £80.

There's not much we don't like in the way of food so a couple of recommendations could be put to the boss and she could choose which she preferred. I like the sound of Spanish but it's not my choice for that night.

We're on Castle St but wouldn't be put off by a bit of a walk.

[andrewc]

Thanks Andrew, there's no rush so don't put yourself out.
All I meant by the cheaper end of the scale was something in the region of £50 for two including a bottle of wine rather than £80.

There's not much we don't like in the way of food so a couple of recommendations could be put to the boss and she could choose which she preferred. I like the sound of Spanish but it's not my choice for that night.

We're on Castle St but wouldn't be put off by a bit of a walk.

The Olive Press is on Castle St and always gets good reviews.

Etsu ,the girl who works in my favourite deli was waxing lyrical over this place. She said it was very good value & superb sushi.

La Vina  Part of the "La Tasca" chain I think. Some mixed reviews for this place, but I've never had a bad experience here. Check their website for discount vouchers.

Bistro Pierre  my Mum loves this place....

Maharaja I note you are  from Oldham way, so probably curried out, but this is a good one (though London Road is a dump).

Away from the food The Ship and Mitre at the bottom of Dale St is a dump, but with 14 well kept real ales and nearly 100 different bottled beers I don't pay attention to the decor....

[citoyen]

Is the Everyman Bistro still as good as it used to be?

d.

[andrewc]

The Everyman is still there and still doing good food.   They have big tubs of nommy stuff which is cooked earlier in the day. You queue up, place your order and  they microwave it in front of you.

However there is a plan afoot to demolish and rebuild the theatre, which will mean the closure of the bistro. Hopefully they'll be relocating somewhere else in the Hope St area.

[longers]

Thanks very much for the recommendations, we've narrowed the choice down to Etsu or the Maharaja. Might have to toss a coin to decide!

[longers]

As above, thankyou for the recommendations! The Side Door was excellent and we ended up in Etsu on saturday night. Superb food both nights in friendly surroundings.

Really enjoyed the bits of the city we saw too. Very impressed. I'll be living on beans and toast and dhal for a few weeks now though.

[Tigerrr]

Great to hear that good food is now available to the folk of Liverpool. Have they got a Waitrose nearby or something?

[andrewc]

No,  John Lewis have moved to a brand new site but didn't see fit to open a Waitrose for us. If we want posh grub it's Delifonseca or M&S food hall.  There are umpty dozen Tesco Metro's within a 10 minute stroll of my flat though, and another one opening soon which could kill off a mates business 

[andrewc]

Another meal here, with a friend who is now the happiest man in BT, because he is no longer a BT employee.....

Bread with oil & vinegar, olives..   crispy squid with spicy aoili (could have been crispier) , a huge slab of chicken liver parfait with toast.  Main courses were sliced Goosnargh duck breast  with a confit leg and for me, belly pork with rice, in a deep, black sauce that had me gasping for breath & words.... there was chilli in there, and fennel,  and lots of other stuff 

Cheeseboard was disappointing, 2 x 3 portions of different local cheeses with crackers.

£90 inc 2 large glasses of white & a bottle of rioja.

Afterwards we went to the 23 Club, I wasn't over impressed with my beer & I'm too fat to pass for a hipster, so I don't think I'll become a regular.  The restaurant upstairs The Clove Hitch has just got into the Good Food Guide though, perhaps I'll try there some time.