Food for thought
MELLO MELLO Parr Street/Slater Street
A visit to Mello Mello is always a pleasure, Object of Dreams’ affinity with
ITALIAN CLUB FISH Bold Street
the cafe/venue/bar is obvious, since we had the magazine’s first birthday party there. This gem in the arty street of Parr Street, contrasts the boozy nights of Slater Street with their own brand of chilled out cafe during the day, with
My dinner friend Louise declared, before we had sat down and perused the
an impressive selection of teas and a delicious assortment of vegetarian
menu, this her favourite restaurant in the city. Tall order, and a challenge
food freshly prepared.
I was ready to put to the test. The verdict (can you put verdicts at the
During the night, Mello Mello comes into its own, opening up its stage to
beginning?) - best for fish in the city.
a varied selection of music, from the free Rock n Roll night on alternate
The Italian Club Fish is not really a hidden find, tucked away in an alley
thursdays to the Jazz collective, not to mention the top quality acts on
or a basement, yet even though I had walked past this European-looking
every weekend. A perfect venue to enjoy good music while drinking an
restaurant thousands of times at the top of Bold Street, I had never visited
organic beer. This is fast becoming a top venue for touring acts, visiting
it. To my immense loss.
the city.
For starters we had grilled marinated King Prawns & Calamari on a bed of
The quirky vintage decor and welcoming feel of settling down on one of
mixed leaves, and Louise had the saute of Clams, Mussels, Cockles, Fresh
their comfy couches to play chess or ludo, creates a much needed haven in
White Fish, parsley & cherry tomatoes on slices of ciabatta, although
a city full of chain cafes trying to recreate that ‘comfortable’ feel. There’s
the restaurant was slightly busy the food arrived promptly, with, to my
a reason why so many of the regulars look like they live in one of the
delight, fresh Calamari. Now, Calamari may be my favourite seafood but
upstairs rooms.
I can’t ever find it fresh and not dipped in batter. The last time I had it
Mello is truly independent in every sense of the word; founded and rebuilt
fresh was in New York, where it cost £30 for the tiniest portion - anything
a few years back by volunteers from The Arts Organisation it considers
for good food, eh. The Calamari was perfect, not overcooked to plastic
itself more of a community project than a bar (umm...sounds a little bit
proportions or undercooked to make me gag, a perfect combination of
like what we’re doing here at Object of Dreams). The venue, with its vast
sauces. Louise’s dish was full of sea food and white fish, a joy she relished
number of rooms in the building, also offers rehearsal spaces drama,
to the last single drop, unashamedly licking the plate.
dance, workshops, meetings and music practicing.
The owner served each dish with a friendly smile. The restaurant opened
There’s nowhere really like Mello in the city, a comfortable space to sit
just a little while after its sister restaurant The Italian Club, opened half
and read a book, or catch up with friends, and a venue at night to discover
way down the road. A family-owned company, they hail from Scotland and
new music and dance away into the night.
Italy and are feeding the people of Liverpool with their delicious mixture
Verdict: It’s basically our second home.
of the two cultures. Moving onto the main, we settled on the freshly caught grilled Monkfish for my dinner partner and, the best of all fish in my opinion, the Seabass with spinach . Cooked to perfection, the seabass was lightly seared and not bathed in sauce as so often happens in higher end restaurants killing the good, honest flavour of fresh fish. People watching through the window, we just about had room for the panacotta dessert drizzled in __ . The Italian Club Fish can only be summed up in the words of Louise: “so good, it’s the the only place where I finish all my dinner.” In other words, finger-licking, mouth-watering, fish and seafood.
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