Liverpool - Food for the Soul and the Body
One of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Liverpool is the Anglican Cathedral. It's the largest cathedral in England and is quite new, construction having been completed in 1978.
The architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was only 22 when he won the competition to design the cathedral. His brilliance, it might be argued, was hereditary. His father, George Gilbert Scott, Jr. designed St. John the Baptist Church in Norwich. His grandfather, Sir George Gilbert Scott, designed the Midland Grand Hotel and the the adjacent elaborate façade of St. Pancras station as well as the Albert Memorial. Quite a family. Sir Giles never lived to see the completion of the Anglican Cathedral; its construction started in 1904 and took 74 years to complete. He is memorialized with a stone mosaic under the bell tower.
I've written about the cathedral before on this blog, so this time I thought I would supply a feast for the eyes in the form of photos of its stained glass windows.
One little detail I hadn't noticed before was the Titanic Stone Carving which serves as a tribute to the ship and all who were affected by its sinking in 1912.
In a field adjacent to the Cathedral stands The Oratory, the former chapel of St. James cemetery.
Completed in 1829, it was built in the Greek Doric temple style, resembling the Parthenon. After the cessation of burials, it fell into disrepair but was restored in the 1980s. Inside the building is a collection of monuments, mainly Neoclassical reliefs, many of which were taken there from demolished buildings in the 1980s. It is only open by appointment. What a shame.
That evening we treated ourselves to dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Barnacle which is located in the former School for the Blind. What a find!
They have a very enthusiastic mixologist who has created a formidable list of signature cocktails from which we chose a Bonne Nuit, made with avocado-infused Mezcal, and a riff on an Old Fashion, All Hands on Deck. The chef, who embraces seasonal produce, is very creative. We ordered a couple of Carlingford oysters to go with the cocktails. They came with a cherry and vermouth mignonette, whiskey and Angostura gel, and orange oil.
For my starter I ordered the Lisboa Plaice Fillet with a white bean, garlic and lemon puree and roasted red pepper.
The fish was lovely and the roasted red peppers brightened up the whole dish. Bruce chose the Asado Pork Belly with burnt onion puree, quince glaze, red wine pickled grapes, chimichurri oil and asado jus.
His choice of main course was the End of the World Duck Breast with wild mushroom and duck farce, fondant potato, charred Roscoff onion with balsamic glaze, cavelo nero and wild berry duck jus. It was perfection.
My choice, the Charred Celeriac Pave with whipped tofu and cashew cream, burnt lime gel, peanut and cashew crumb, crispy tapioca pearls, smoled coconut veloute, and herb oil was a master class in how a talented chef can create a vegan dish that rivals anything on the menu. It was sublime!
Sadly, the lemon and olive oil gateau didn't live up the rest of the meal, being quite dense and not terribly flavorful.
That aside, it was a glorious meal and I will definitely return when I'm next in Liverpool.
We walked towards the flat passing the bombed out church with its wonderful sculpture that illustrates the story of when, during WWII, British and German adversaries took time out of the war one Christmas to play a game of soccer. They enjoyed themselves, taking the time to recognize the humanity of the enemy.
We were probably too full of wonderful food and drink to retain any sense, so we walked on to our favorite Liverpool bar, Fish Market. It's a speakeasy down a side street which you would never find unless someone told you about it.
There are differing stories about why the surgery sign is there, but it's probably because during prohibition alcohol could legally be prescribed by doctors as "medicinal liquor," making a pharmacy or doctor’s surgery the perfect cover front for a secret drinking den. Since prohibition was a purely American phenomenon and this bar wasn't around then, let's just call it a decorative choice. We remembered Peter, the bartender, from when we were last there and he entertained us with stories and little samples of wonderful concoctions. It made the very chilly walk back to the flat a much happier experience.
Comments