NYL Restaurant and Bar, Liverpool

I'm dead lucky. Two reasons. Firstly, I get invited to try out new menus at restaurants, which is ideal for someone whose main hobby is eating. Secondly, I have a ready supply of folk who want to accompany me on these ventures! My friend Lee is my usual partner in crime as we share a mutual love of mid-afternoon cocktails, eating lots, and making friends with strangers. 

This week we went on a little trip to NYL Restaurant and Bar in Liverpool. We made a bit of a day of it, which also involved buying lots of goodies from L'Occitane, befriending a delightful young chap called Alan in Kiehl's, an epic trek to the Rookwood (which was closed - hiss, stamp), and more cocktails in Lucha Libre. It was quite a day. 

When we rocked up at NYL, we weren't expecting anything quite so grand. The vibe is very much 'New York meets Liverpool' - thus the name. We thought it reminded us much more of traditional English high society, in a similar way to the styling of Hawksmoor. 

The impressive former Royal Insurance building has been lovingly restored to its former glory, with wooden panelling on the walls, intricate plasterwork on the ceilings, and brown leather-clad seating. Lighting is muted as natural sunlight pours through the huge windows. It feels special.

We were greeted by the delightful Hannah, who seemed genuinely pleased to see us; she was probably wondering if we were already drunk - we were not, we were just very excited. After a quick chat we were offered drinks and given menus. We just sat and took in the scenery for a couple of minutes before deciding on cocktails.

Big Apple: Smirnoff Apple vodka shaken with apple, lemon juice and caramel syrup.
Rum Old Fashioned: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, sugar syrup, Angostura bitters garnished with an orange zest.
Lee and I have a standard MO for cocktail purchase. I tend to go for something very sweet and fruity, whilst she will opt for the one with all the alcohol in it. Seriously, the Big Apple has to be one of the best cocktails I have ever drunk in my entire life. It was sweet but tangy, and very refreshing. They should serve it in pints. The Old Fashioned was reassuringly strong with a lovely orange aroma.

There's plenty of choice on the lunch menu, so we really didn't struggle finding something we both liked.

Chicken liver parfait, sourdough toasts, mango puree, chilli jam, sea salt: This was Lee's choice. A good ratio of parfait to bread which was snaffled with ease.

Slow braised BBQ ribs, house salad, homemade slaw: I know what you're thinking; 'I can't order ribs because they make a mess'. Yes, they usually do. These were great. The meat just fell off the bone so eating them was a breeze. The accompanying coleslaw was just brilliant. 

Brooklyn ale battered haddock, triple cooked chips, minted pea puree, homemade tartar, lemon gel: It was a contest between the fish 'n' chips and the sea bream, but Lee had been coveting this dish on a nearby table, so it won hands down. Nothing like a bit of food envy to cement a decision.

NYL Burger - hand formed 8oz beef patty, smoked streaky bacon, brioche bun, baby gem, beef tomato, onion rings, pickle, applewood smoked cheese, triple cooked chips, NYL relish: It's not the prettiest burger I've ever eaten, but it really doesn't matter when it tastes this good. I'm sorry to say that I managed less than half because I got overly involved in those mammoth chips. I was floored.

Ginger crème brûlée, orange sable biscuit, chilli ice cream: This portion was huge! The custard was delicately flavoured with ginger, which was complimented by the sweet orange biscuit. We felt the chilli in the ice cream was a little overpowering, but that may just be our preference.

Lemon tart, raspberry sorbet, golden crumb, raspberry gel, lemon cream, basil coulis: I need to learn how to make basil coulis, for I declared it my new favourite thing ever. I was very fond of this concoction of flavours, but would have preferred it in traditional tart format, as that beautiful filling was lost a little in the smaller pastry shells. That's greed talking.

After cocktails, several glasses of Pinot Grigio, lots of delectable food and a lovely chat with Hannah, we realised we had been there for pushing three hours. Neither of us could remember the last time we had experienced such a relaxed and leisurely lunch. The food was all great, but the surroundings and service really made it for us. If you're visiting Liverpool city centre any time soon, I suggest you make time to visit this beautiful restaurant.

Disclaimer: Lee and I were invited to sample the new menu at NYL. We were under no obligation to get quite so giddy, and I'm sure they did not foresee us striking up such a wonderful lunchtime friendship with Hannah - that was a happy accident.

 

The Clog and Billycock, Pleasington

The Clog and Billycock used to be our regular haunt. We sort of forgot about our Pleasington based pals as more and more decent establishments opened closer to home. A couple of weeks ago we were in dire need of a decent Sunday Roast. Manchester was off limits due to the current state of rail-specific doom, so we headed towards the Ribble Valley for guaranteed beef based happiness. 

They have a pretty good deal on Sundays now too; two courses for £17.50 or three for £21. You can also book online, which makes things simpler. In the past you could only book for tables of six or more. 

Basket of Clog bread with local butter, rapeseed oil, treacle vinegar, black pea humous: I needed this after a considerable amount of fizz the evening before. Sorted me right out. Pea humous is the future my friends, and I'm fairly confident that treacle vinegar can cure most ills.

Cream of asparagus soup: Deeply comforting, creamy, and surely very good for you as it's green.

Roast rump of beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, mash, seasonal vegetables, red wine shallots and roast gravy: Seriously, it's one of the best roasts around. It's not hard, yet so many places get it so wrong. This one is from the school of thick cut, pink roast beef with a load of well executed carbs. Their mash had me spritely in seconds, only to be inflicted with a new ailment moments later; I was so full I may have died.

I'd been coveting the rhubarb and apple crumble for dessert, but when push came to shove, I'd already eaten way too may carbs. Thinking about it, the sugar would have helped to revive me, but I just couldn't face it. I'll just have to go back for round two...

Thailand Cafe, Bolton

Last year John Torode hailed Bolton's Thailand Cafe as 'the best Thai food I have had outside of Thailand.' That's right; it's in Bolton town centre. I've intended going ever since, but never quite got round to it. Cue my friend Dave hailing it as a tour de force, and suggesting we go on a lunchtime jaunt.

So the other week I had this particularly 'interesting' morning planned, so decided to meet up with homies Dave and Phil for a lunchtime trip to Thailand Cafe. I was never a massive fan of Thai food until we went to Buddha Lounge in Whitefield, and now I'm sort of hooked.

It doesn't look much. In fact, it looks like the kind of town centre cafe you would expect in Bolton. However, we walked in to a warm welcome and a wonderful smell, so we were more than happy. All three of us are big fans of 'bits', so we ordered a nice little variety of picky things which we could share.

Chicken satay with peanut sauce: That peanut sauce... sweet, sticky and a bit sickly. It was out of this world. I could make myself quite ill with that stuff. The perfect accompaniment to the chicken.

Steamed dumplings - pork and prawn dumplings with dark soy sauce: I've just been thrown into a state of confusion. I adored these. I just checked out the menu - prawns!? I hate prawns, the evil little things. Turns out I like them in steamed dumplings. Who knew?

Massamun - chicken with potatoes, onions and peanuts: A creamy dish which is perfect for those with a sweet tooth like me. Turns out that Thai food is all about the mixture of sweet and savoury. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for only discovering this now at the age of 33. This was my favourite of the three curries we tried. I can almost see you all shaking your heads at me...

Yellow curry - chicken with coconut, potatoes and onion, topped with shallots: It's not giving a lot away with the name there, is it? Again, a lovely savoury dish sweetened by the addition of coconut milk. Although the sauce is quite runny, it was soaked up by the pile of rice we had on the side.

Jungle curry - beef with ginger, fresh peppercorns, red chilli and vegetables: This was the boys' favourite. That warming peppery sauce was just delightful. It's worth mentioning that all the curries are available in beef, prawns, chicken or pork too.

Sticky rice: I loved these little pots! I'm a very simple soul at heart. Sticky rice was the perfect option to mop up all that beautiful curry sauce.

I cannot wait to go back to Thailand Cafe. Turns out that Torode chap knows what he's on about.