I’ve been trying to get to Spire, off Allerton Road, since the end of November when a friend recommended it. One look at the menu and I knew we had to try it, a menu full of game and fish will always get my attention. What with us being busy, Christmas and them never seeming to have a table on a Saturday night we finally sat down for dinner on a freezing Saturday in late January.
Walking in I was a bit disappointed; the decor is a bit dull (polystyrene ceiling tiles?!) and there didn’t seem to be much atmosphere. We were shown to the table by a rather rushed and bit standoffish waitress and a drink order taken. It then took them another 15mins to take our food order and about 5 minutes after this they brought some bread. Even the bread was worth the wait. The cute five inch diameter focaccia was sweet and warm and the basil oil accompanying it deliciously fresh.
When the food arrived I quickly forgave the lack of atmosphere and the slightly standoffish service as it was delicious. I started with a trio of duck with some crispy fried confit, a couple of very thin slices of pink breast with hoisin and a truly divine duck liver parfait. This is most certainly the most beautiful parfait I have ever had. It was pure joy and better that the parfait I’ve had in France. It felt like it had been whipped and was probably about 40% butter. It came with a little bit of brioche and the plate was finished with segments of tangerine, cucumber, fine slices of radish and some micro-leaves. These fresh accompaniments worked perfectly with the rich duck. They also had chicken liver parfait, elderflower jelly and toasted brioche on the menu which I definitely want to try.
Mylady friend had roasted diver scallops with cauliflower puree, crispy black pudding, red wine sauce. She reported the scallops were divine and even liked the crispy sweet black pudding (which she can normally pass on). Tthe cauliflower puree was a bit overwhelming. It tasted more of strong onion and garlic and not really of cauliflower.
The main courses were also brilliant. I chose roasted chump of Lancashire salt marsh lamb with a herb crumb, pressed garlic and cumin potato, carrot puree. The lamb tasted of the amazing garlic lamb my grandmother used to make and made me incredibly happy, nostalgic and a bit sad. The pressed potato was tasty though the garlic and cumin wasn’t overly evident but the lamby sauce/jus and the carrot puree was divine. The puree was vivid orange, smooth as anything and so sweet, earthy and buttery I could have spread it on toast. My other half had Goosnargh chicken breast with creamed savoy cabbage and smoked pancetta, crispy potatoes, mustard and thyme sauce. The chicken had been cooked in a water bath and then the skin seared so it was beautifully moist. And the creamed cabbage with pancetta was lovely – a smoky, rich, creamy, sweet and very satisfying base for the chicken. The potatoes weren’t overly crispy and a few more would have gone down well. We also had a side of onions rings (well we had to try as many dishes as possible) that were crispy and huge.
We shared a pudding of apple tarte tatin with caramel and vanilla ice cream (well when I say ‘shared’ I probably ate about 80% of it). The apples were great, they hadn’t turned to mush and the caramel just rich and sweet enough. The vanilla ice cream was a good one and worked perfectly. The only criticism would be the pastry, which tasted nice, was a bit flaccid and flat under the apples, it could have done with my puff.
The only thing letting the evening down were the rather unfriendly and uncommunicative staff though this improved as the evening went on.
All this, an espresso and a bottle of very tasty house Chilean sauvignon blanc only came to £72. Incredibly good value for the best meal I have had in Liverpool for a long time. They also do early evening and lunch deals and I will be going back as soon as I can find an excuse.
