Menu, Liverpool Daily Post food and drink guide, January 2010

It passed the Michelin testwill Fraiche pass ours?

M E N UTHE DAILY POST FOOD AND DRINK GUIDE

SSuuppeerr ffoooodd

Star quality

Eat the Chef

Eat yourself well this month

TV cook Simon Rimmer onhis new internet venture

JANUARY 2010

TV cook Simon Rimmer onhis new internet venture

It passed the Michelin test– will Fraiche pass ours?

2 DAILY POST Tuesday, January 19, 2010

DAILY POST Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3

Chef’s Table

The foodand drinkscene inLiverpoolis reallystrongnow

Simon’s taste of the futureJade Wrighttalks to Wirralchef and TV starSimon Rimmerabout his plans toget us all cookingvia the web

R ESTAURATEUR,presenter, author andentrepreneur . . . is there

anything Simon Rimmer can’tdo, if he puts his hand to it?

Now the Wallasey chef is workingon an innovative new video websitethat allows foodies to share recipes– and see how they turn out in areal kitchen, away from the halo ofstudio lights.

Eatthechef.com is a new websitethat lets cooking enthusiasts showoff their skills from the comfort oftheir own kitchen.

It’s the brainchild of theSomething for the Weekend chefand Liverpool businessmen, OmarSaeed and Paul Finnegan.

“It’s great to see the enthusiasmpeople have for food,” says Simon.“We’re still suffering from threegenerations of adults that werenever taught to cook properly. Weturn to junk food and ready meals,because often we don't realise howquick and easy it is to make thingsthat are much nicer from scratch.

“I've been approached by similarprojects in the past, but what I likeabout this is that it is usergenerated. It's a slower grow, it'd bequicker and easier to buy 15,000videos in, but you wouldn't get thekind of videos people are posting.”

The site offers foodies the chanceto record themselves making theirfavourite dishes, submit theirvideos, and then watch theirrecipes go global.

“This is real cooking, by realpeople, for real people,” says Simon.“If you’re hungry, you’ll be able togo online and find a video of how tocook everything from a humblebacon sandwich to a sophisticatedsauce. Plus, you get to see otherpeople's kitchens. What's betterthan nosy parkering in somebodyelse's house?”

The site launched just beforeChristmas and already foodies areputting up their own signaturedishes – they're not all makingcordon bleu creations, though.

“Someone has done a video ofthemselves making beans on toast

that's hilarious,” laughs Simon.“Food can be taken too seriously.We want to be a little bit cheeky.We've got the biscuit dunkingchampionship, we want a drycracker eating competition.

“There are ham and cheesetoasties, and then there are somereally complicated dishes as well.Whatever you want to make,someone else has already made it,and they can show you what itactually looks like.

“I've got some of my mates to doit, some people off the telly, somefrom home.

“I've done six videos so far. Myfavourite is a really easy bananabread and butter pudding, andthere's one of my fail-safe cheats'dinner party recipes. It's a sea bass

that looks like you've spent hoursand actually takes about 10 minutes.

“As it develops, we're seeing thatcertain people are building up areally good reputation. When weget tens of thousands of videos, youmight get 50 chicken curry recipes.Then you might choose the onefrom the person who you saw onthe site last time making a crackingjam roly-poly.”

On Something for the Weekend,Simon is used to viewers sending intheir photographs of dishes they'vemade at home.

“People are really keen to showyou what they've made,” he smiles.“I love that. When we first started,we'd get about 10 pictures a week,now we get 200.

“I haven’t been classically trained

so I didn’t know what the ruleswere, and we went completely byinstinct. Good food isn't aboutsnobbery. It's just about enjoyingcooking and what you eat.”

Simon now lives in Manchesterwith wife Alison and his twochildren, but he's back and forth toLiverpool every couple of weeks.

“My parents still live in Wallaseyand I come back for the match,”says the Liverpool FC fan. “I wentfor a meal in Wallasey the othernight actually, in a little curryhouse. I wasn't sure what to expect,but it was really good.

“The food and drink scene inLiverpool is really strong now.You've got restaurants like LondonCarriageworks – that's one of myfavourites – and I've always loved

the Everyman Bistro. You get reallygood hearty soups in there – perfectfor this weather.

“Restaurant Bar and Grill has agood menu – I've had some greatmeals in there. And I love the pubs.I could sit in the Fly and the Loafon Hardman Street all day, thenwalk up to the Philharmonic andspend the evening there.

“Baltic Fleet does great beer, andthey're doing a beautiful cheesenow. It's made by an old friend ofthe landlord's, who happens to be acheesemaker. She finishes it off byrolling it in Baltic Fleet beer. Greatbeer and great cheese. What moredo you want?”■ SEE Simon's website atwww.eatthechef.com

jade.wright @liverpool.com

Simon Rimmer, centre – with Liverpool businessmen Omar Saeed, left, and Paul Finnegan – wants to encourage us all to cook better withhis new website

Dinner date Anton Powers is a DJ on Juice FM and a musicproducer with dance act Cahill

Anton Powers

Who would you invite toyour dream dinner party?Simon Cowell, Chris Evans,Duncan Ferguson, SteveCoogan (as Alan Partridge),Alesha Dixon, right, Jay Z andCheryl Cole.

What would be the topic ofconversation? God onlyknows with a table of gueststhis random!

Who would be yournightmare guest? DefinitelyPerez Hilton.

What would you serve? Tostart, it would be a selection of

seafood from garlic kingprawns to fresh musselsmariniere.

For the main – you can’t gowrong with Italian, so I wouldkeep everyone happy with atasty spicy pasta accompaniedwith a roasted pepperbruschetta.

For dessert it would have to

be my favourite – banoffee pie.

What would you all drink?Vodka lemons all round, withAmaretto and Coke to finish.

Who would do the washingup? Cheryl and Alesha.Imagine those two inMarigolds and pinnies.


Jade Wright finds out that January doesn’thave to be all about abstinence. Choose theright foods and you can eat well and healthily

Superfoods come to the r

Tasty treats

BEETROOT SALAD(serves one)

IngredientsOne large beetroot, peeled andquarteredOne good tablespoon olive oilHalf a clove of garlic, finelychoppedOne small banana shallot,finely choppedSalt and pepper, to taste

MethodBoil the beetroot for 25minutes, until thoroughlycooked.In the meantime, combine theother ingredients in a pestleand grind with a mortar until it’sall mushed up – about theconsistency of pesto.Finally, rub the beetroot withthe mixture and serve.

SUPERFOOD COUS COUS(serves two)

Ingredients

500g cooked cous cousOne red pepper and one greenpepper, chopped, deseededand slow roastedA handful of raw baby spinach,finely choppedOne large finely diced redonionThree tablespoons, olive oil75g of plump golden sultanasA teaspoon of Harissa

MethodThrow all the ingredients in abig bowl and mix well. It’s bestserved warm, so pop it in themicrowave for 40 seconds –any longer and the sultanas willget too hot.

Franklins Deli, in St Paul’s Square, Liverpool, is proving popular withhealth-conscious city workers looking for lunches which taste good and do themgood Pictures: COLIN LANE/ cl150110franklindeli-10

JANUARY is a contrary month. Onone hand, it’s a time of rebirth,healing and clean living; on theother, the weather is so bad that allmost of us want to do is hide under

the covers and eat chocolate digestives.Comfort food beckons – pies, pasta, biscuits

and crusty bread – to bring sweetness andstodge into the dark days.

But now is the time, almost more than anyother, to make sure you've got some superfoodsin your larder, ingredients that will build youup, boost your energy levels and immunesystem, and keep you hearty until springbreaks out again.

And there is such a thing as healthy comfortfood, but it just takes a bit of thought, saysAdam Franklin, owner of Franklins, in StPaul’s Square.

“January is like no other month for food –people start thinking about becoming morehealthy at this time of year and your diet is animportant part of that,” says Adam, from WestDerby.

The deli has a menu packed with healthytreats to cater for customers who are trying torevitalise their bodies and generally improvetheir health. Adam was head chef at Daphne’srestaurant in London, and worked as operationsdirector for Frankie & Benny’s owner CityCentre Restaurants.

Franklins only opened last month, butalready word has spread about the New York-style deli with its flavour-packed salads, soups,sandwiches and wraps.

“We’re selling out of our salads as quickly aswe can make them,” says Adam, 38. “We’dexpected that they’d be slower growers, reallypicking up in the spring and summer, butalready people are wanting something lighterand healthier.

“It’s the same with our freshly squeezedorange juice. Before Christmas we might sell 10litres a day, now it’s 40 or 50.

“The soups have really taken off, too, we’redoing 60 litres a day now. People are keen to eatas healthily as they can, especially as they don’tneed to sacrifice the flavour in the process.

And it’s not just women who are thinkingabout their diets.

“We’re right in the middle of the businessdistrict and we get an equal split of men andwomen,” says Adam. “There’s no real differencein what they order. You might expect women tobe more health-conscious, but these days you

get just as many men thinking about the foodthey eat.”

One of Franklins biggest sellers is theirbeetroot salad (£2.25 regular/£3.25 large). Apartfrom the various anti-carcinogens that beetrootis thought to contain, it has beta-carotene andbetacyanin, powerful antioxidants which aresaid to help improve liver detoxification. It isalso high in folic acid, essential for a healthypregnancy. Impressively versatile, beetroot is agreat cleansing January food.

“Some people get put off beetroot – eitherthey have it in vinegar and it tastes, well, justlike vinegar, or they have it roasted badly and ittastes like soil,” explains Adam. “But if you doit well, it’s sweet and fresh and absolutelydelicious. Our beetroot salad flies out of thesalad bar every day.”

Adam combines it with garlic, anotherpowerful punch of goodness in its own right. It’san anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent. It also hasblood-thinning properties that can help reducethe risk of blood clots and several studies havefound that it can lower blood pressure andsuppress cholesterol production by the liver.And it tastes good, too . . .

“It may be January, but no-one is going tospend a month eating food they don’t like,” saysAdam. “These are foods that taste good andmake you feel good. There’s no compromise.”

Another healthy, tasty treat is their NorthAfrican cous cous (£2.25 regular/£3.25 large),with raw spinach and roasted peppers. Spinachhas been linked to lower rates of cancer. It alsocontains folic acid, iron and folates, a deficiencyin which can cause fatigue and anaemia.

“Cous cous is a great hearty food for this timeof year,” says Adam. “I serve it at home withspiced slow roasted lamb and drizzle some ofthe meat juice over it. That’s a real winterwarmer.

“The Harissa makes a real difference. I getmine from Harvey Nichols, they do a good spicypaste and it lasts forever. That’s the secret withall of these recipes. If you use good qualityingredients, they taste out of this world.”

■ FRANKLINS Deli,1, St Paul’s Square,Liverpool, L1 3SJ0151 227 5976www.franklinsdeli.com

[email protected]

Franklins beetroot salad

Blundell Street, Liverpool L1 OAJ (Opp Echo Arena)Reservations 0151 709 5779

Website: www.blundellstreetliverpool.com

2 Courses

£9.95

BlundellStreet

SUNDAY LUNCH23rd Jan - THE GRAND

thesupperclub

JANUARY SALE1 in 4 dines FREE! Fri & Sat

Sat23rd

NEILMcHALE

Amazing asMichael Jackson

Fri29th

TONYBLAZE Soul & Motown favourites

Sat30th

MIKEMcCARDLE

The sounds of Vegas(Rat Pack & Elvis)

5-piece band making a name forthemselves, with their roots inAmerican and Alternative Country


Cupboard love

HOW cute are these? Tom,Dick and Harry, as they areknown, must be the quirkiestway to store yourcondiments.

Tom stores your tea andDick holds the coffee whileHarry keeps the sugar, eachone preserved perfectlyalong with a spoon.

Find them at www.prezzybox.com, priced£29.95

foods come to the rescueIF YOU are on a Januaryhealth kick, a blender is anessential bit of kit for allthose soups and smoothies.

If you’re not, then it’s idealfor making frozenmargaritas. Thisprofessional quality Model908 blender from HamiltonBeach is used inprofessional kitchens allover the world.

Priced £214.89, atwww.drinkstuff.com

IT LOOKS like a preciousantique, but this cutefloral jug will cost you theprincely sum of just £12.

Perfect for poshafternoon teas orshowing off when the in-laws call around, you willfind it at Berry Red(www.berryred.co.uk)

Adam Franklin spreads theword on superfoods in hisdeli Code: cl150110franklindeli-11

Superfood cous cous

Situated in the recently restoredStanley Park, Kemps Bistro at theThe Isla Gladstone Conservatoryis perfectly located for enjoyinglazy Sundays in the park. With freeparking, and acres of beautifulgardens it’s the ideal place to goand unwind. You will be delightedwith everything we have to offer,with our delicious, home~made,locally sourced, organic, freshlyprepared food.

Sunday Lunchserved 12.00 - 4.00pm

£7.95 ~ 1 course

£10.95 ~ 2 courses

£12.95 ~ 3 courses

open daily9.30am - 4.30pm

book now on:0151 263 0363

stanley park anfield road liverpool l4 0td

telephone: 0151 263 0363 [email protected]

www.theislagladstone.co.uk


Eating Out

Food facts

A little taste of luxuryVicki Kellaway visitsFraiche in Oxton tosample some Michelin-starred excellence

Simple, yet stylish: the interior of Fraiche

FRAICHE, 11 Rose Mount,Oxton, Wirral.Tel: 0151-652 2914Email: [email protected]: ExcellentValue: £110 for two people,which did not include wine.Expensive, but worth it for atreat.

STATUS symbols arestrange things. Theright shoes, bag,sunglasses . . . theright shade of tan.

They’ve all had their moments.But it seems none of them are

quite so in vogue as paying a lot ofmoney to eat . . . foam.

I’m mildly sceptical, I’m afraid. Ifear the day when a chef turns tome, laughs and mutters somethingthat sounds suspiciously like“Emperor’s new clothes”.

(I won’t reply – it’s rude to speakwith your mouth full of chemicalfroth, you know).

But seriously, I like to play theLord as much as anyone, so whenthe chance arose to visitMerseyside’s only Michelin-starredrestaurant, I couldn’t resist.

I say “arose”, but I had to bookour Friday night table at Fraiche,in Oxton, a whopping six monthsago – they were in demand and Ithought that would give us time tosave.

When the big day finally arrived,I could barely eat my breakfast forfear of ruining my appetite.

After such a long wait, walkinginto this tiny restaurant wasalmost a shock – even though Iknew it barely seats into thedouble figures.

Two smiling waitresses guidedus through a tiny lounge and into adining space where our tableoccupied one corner.

Beside us were another coupleand opposite just three – sevendiners in a fully booked restaurant.

It was like eating in someone’sliving room, albeit a sophisticatedone with discreet lighting, trendyglass wall hangings and creamcarpets throughout (brave).

I’ll admit the place had thatintimate, you-must-whisper feel atfirst, but we soon relaxed –probably because the waitresseswere so friendly yet clearly proudof the food they were serving.

We chose the restaurant’s six-course Concepts menu for £48above its three-course Elementsone, which is £38.

The wine list started around £19for a bottle, with some £4.50glasses, but with one driver (him)and the other food obsessed (me)we coped with a bitter lemon(£1.75) sparkling water (£3) and a£4.35 gin and tonic.

We had the teasers first – thedelicious spiced pecan nuts, thebrittle parmesan “crisp” and acrunchy poppy and maple biscuitplus several flavours of bread bunserved with seaweed butter.

But soon it was time for themain event, and first up was . . .foam.

Ah. Except it wasn’t really, it wasartichoke mousse masquerading asfoam – all frothy and green servedwith hazelnut and creme fraiche.

It was fun and beautifullypresented, but we wolfed it far tooquickly, eager for the light taste.

The same could not be said forthe artisan foie gras. We wereserved a generous lump of the stuffwhich was much easier to savour.It was gorgeous and it’s worthnoting the artisan variety of thisfatty liver is produced the mosthumanely.

We gossiped and zipped throughthe courses, but relished all ofthem – every plate was beautifullypresented, every detail perfected.

Frequently, our waitress would

announce an ingredient and leaveus flummoxed – either because wefailed to spot a familiar favourite,or because we’d never before tastedthe item mentioned.

But that’s the whole point of arestaurant like Fraiche. It mighttake a chef or a scientist to fullyappreciate its brilliance – but, hey,there’s still plenty on every plate todiscuss and dissect.

Now, call me a Philistine, but Iwas underwhelmed by the fishcourse – the wild brill fillet with itsseaweed and discs of radish.

It was nice, perfectly cooked I’m

sure – it just seemed to lack thewow factor.

Unlike the next course, theGoosnargh duck. Delicious – if Ihadn’t been so full by then, I’msure I could have eaten it threetimes.

Everything on the plate workedtogether. The duck was superblycooked; the plump little cylinder offondant potato was exactly theright size and bursting withcreaminess, even the parsleycream was understated yet ideal todribble over your fork. I believethis is why they hand out those

fancy stars. I was in a very goodmood at this point. I was full. I’deaten lots of random flavours. I’dfelt like a smug Masterchef judgeas I’d unearthed each new treat onmy plate.

Then the waitress arrived withour next course – a dessert, solikely to make my favourite list.

“This,” she said, with a flourish,“Is the lemongrass panna cottaserved with sour cherry foam.”

I almost groaned. The boyfriendlaughed. He shook his head andhanded me my spoon.

I was cross. Fraiche was fun anddifferent – unpretentious yetambitious – yet here was . . . foam.

Except, annoyingly, I might havebeen a tiny bit wrong (tell no-one)

I adore panna cotta. I love it. Andhere was a tangy foamy interlopermaking this light lemongrass“cooked cream” taste even better.

Hmmph. You can have that one.The finale couldn’t fail either. It

was a chaotic chocolate orangesprawl – everything from slenderslabs of chocolate to the boldestorange ice-cream I’ve ever tasted.

Fraiche is not a restaurant whereyou should dress up to be seen – allpeople spotting and paparazzi.

No, this a temple to food – wherethe passion oozes from every plateand you’ll enjoy the odd surprise.

Just book quickly, before thewait leaves you foaming at themouth.

[email protected]

Wegossipedandzippedthroughthecourses,butrelishedall ofthem

Marc Wilkinson’s roast codfillet with sea urchin salad, atFraiche


Sommelier – Mathew Sloane Best bar none

OFFERING a diverse blend offood, drink, entertainmentand music, Blundell Street isone of Liverpool’s favouritecabaret restaurants.

Housed in a formershipping warehouse andideally located opposite theEcho Arena and KingsDock, it is a populardestination venue for bignights out.

Inspired by the “RatPack” and the lounge barera of the 50s and 60s, therestaurant serves

international cuisine andcan accommodate up to 160

diners either downstairs nearthe stage or up on the mezzaninelevel, plus there is a large bar area,should you just want to drop in fordrinks.

A bustling live music venue,Blundell Street offers all types ofmusic from soul to Motown toswing, with appearances fromtribute acts and crooners onThursdays, Fridays and Saturdays,and on Sundays they offer aSunday lunch followed by asongwriters’ showcase.

If you are celebrating or on anight out with a big group, thenBlundell Street is perfect for you,while, if you are looking forsomewhere for pre-concert drinks,they offer a discounted dinner tomake sure you don’t miss yourshow.

■ BLUNDELL Street, 63-65,Blundell Street, Liverpool. L1 0AJ.Tel: 0151 709 5779. Thursday - 5pmto 1am, Friday and Saturday - 5pmto 2am.

Blundell Street restaurant and bar

HAPPY New Year! May2010 bring us all joyousquaffing, outrageouscarousing andregrettable dalliances.

I feel that this new decade could bethe dawn of a new age – an age whenbold men will make increasingly boldadventures into the torrid world ofcatering and hospitality. Each new dayin our fair city brings rumour uponrumour of mad culinary warlocksconstructing fresh strongholds ofdecadence to tempt us ever further intospiralling debt and forgotten trousersizes. It is during these revolutionarytimes that jaded professionals such asmyself demand challenge andinvention – in lascivious fashion, tospawn new devils of delight to enrichour moribund palates.

I bring three tales – one bold, onebeautiful and one terrifying.

My new jousting ground, The NobleHouse, Brunswick Street, sets thescene for my first chapter. We havelisted a divine New Zealand gargler –Mount Cass Gewurztraminer – aluscious, fruity, floral, harlot of a winethat would normally suggest a tidy bitof Thai or some cheeky Chinese but,for reasons better known to oldBacchus, I had a feeling it’d be a rightbelter with a whack of homemade porkcrackling. Our chef roasts the goodstuff and seasons with some five spice– it’s one of the most welcome matchesI’ve ever tried.

I hate turkey. Let’s get that out there.The old bird just doesn’t move me likeshe used to. Aware of my growingfeelings of distaste and increasingpropensity towards random violence,my old pal at Vinea, Albert Dock,James McGrory, suggested I triedcalming down my shouting chakrawith a spot of Morgan Twelve ClonesPinot Noir. Jimbo claimed it would

make a prince out of any turkey, sowith boundless trepidation I saddledup, settled down and raised a glass ofthis Californian, purple number withthe admittedly impressive partridgeand duck stuffed turkey. How swiftlymy fickle soul can turn. The wine is,simply, incredible – ripe, juicy, smooth,complex, sexy, challenging – a perfectbedfellow for the earthy, rustic feel to agreat British dinner. Imagine suddenlydiscovering Audrey Tatou on thiswriter’s arm – at first every fibre ofyour soul fights and screams at suchan incongruous image, until you seethe divine purpose in such a perfectmarriage.

Finally, and I thought for a while itmay have been the last thing to evergrace my highly trained cakehole. Abrief visit to Rigby’s, on Dale Street,led to a chance meeting with Fiona,Lady of said manor and recent visitorto Iceland – returning with husbandintact, horsemeat cured and sharkmeat . . . putrefied. A palatableexchange with the recently thawed-out Dominic led swiftly into aquick taste of the surprisinglydelicious cured Dobbin, a firmcouple of pints gifted us thecourage to delve into theundiscovered world of long-rotten fish. As instructed, weprepared for this sensualassault by slugging down aload of the equally alienBrennivin – a local spirit,presumably distilled fromKryptonite and ravens’ tears.Undoubtedly the most unique flavoursI’ve ever experienced, in the same waythat heartbreak can teach a man a lotabout himself, rotten shark andfermented demon eye taught me aharshly learned yet immenselyvaluable lesson – when in Iceland, doas in Rome.

www.jalons.co.uk ~ www.myspace.com/jalonslive

Jalons Bridewell RestaurantCampbell Square • L1 5BL

0151 709 4195

Jalons RestaurantSmithdown Road • L15 5AE

0151 734 0329Live Music from our Boston Piano

every Wed, Thurs, Fri & SatTraditional Sunday Lunch

Starter & Main (early doors)£13.95 every day up till 7pm

~ Monday Night - A Night of Sinatra

~ First Tuesday of every monthGary Potter

~ Sunday - WednesdayStarter & Main - £12.95 all evening


0151 263 6886facebook: blush liverpool

email: [email protected]

Documents

Menu, Liverpool Daily Post food and drink guide, January 2010