Liverpool

DreamWorks Lights, Liverpool

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift… that’s why they call it the present” ― Master Oogway

Readers of my usual alcohol themed posts might want to look away now, for this review doesn’t feature a single cocktail. Instead it features Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar..… panic not, normal service will resume shortly!

The DreamWorks Lights Lantern Experience has arrived in the UK for the very first time. In fact, right on my doorstep, in the iconic St. George’s Hall in Liverpool. St George's is widely regarded as one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the world. Built in the early 1800s as a space for music festivals and the Civil and Crown courts, the hall has always been at the heart of community life in the city.

Richard Hollis from DreamWorks explains, "We chose Liverpool because it is an iconic city, a true cultural capital known all over the world for its great events and the stunning location of St George’s Hall is the perfect setting for DreamWorks Lights.”

Using my 7 year old niece as a guise, I went along on Sunday to meet Shrek, Alex, Po and friends.

There were over 100 figures on display from the three major DreamWorks films. As we arrived, we were greeted by a huge Shrek peeping out from the top of St. George’s. 

Upon entering the hall, we met a 12m by 12m dragon perched on top of a volcano. The illuminations then took us on a journey through each of DreamWorks best known films while working our way around the vast rooms of the hall. 

Tickets are staged so that there are never too many people walking around at once, meaning you can really enjoy each of the lanterns and can photograph them to your hearts content. 

It didn’t take us too long to work our way around, probably 15 minutes, however, we didn’t stop to watch the two films on display at either end of the hall so it would be possible to stay much longer.

There is also a green screen photo experience and DreamWorks shop to enjoy.

The Christmas markets outside St. George’s proved too tempting and we left the illuminations to get a hot chocolate and some roasted chestnuts. 

It was such a lovely atmosphere walking around both the lantern experience and the Christmas markets. If you’re looking for gift ideas for little ones, this is definitely worth the trip. 

I’d recommend booking tickets in advance via: https://sales.webticketmanager.com//default.aspx?companyid=1701

San Carlo, Liverpool

“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again” - George Miller

If I could only eat one cuisine for the rest of my life it would have to be Italian. In fact it would largely consist of the same two ingredients, tomato and mozzarella. Italian food is all about a few quality ingredients allowing the natural flavours to shine through.

One of my good friend’s is equally as enamoured with all things Italian and so we’re always on the hunt for an authentic Italian restaurant. 

Last week I introduced her to San Carlo in Liverpool. We visited for a pit stop lunch during a shopping trip. What was supposed to be a quick re-fuel turned into a leisurely three course meal with a bottle of red. 

San Carlo is part of a well-established chain of Italian restaurants across the UK and abroad. The San Carlo story began in Sicily where the chairman of the chain, Carlo Distefano, was born. Carlo arrived in Britain in 1962 aged 17, with nothing but £12 in his pocket and an entrepreneurial spirit. In 1992 he opened his first restaurant in Birmingham. 

The family business has since grown into a £60 million empire which currently owns 20 restaurants. Despite this success, Carlo continues to work in the business seven days a week along with four of his children.

I was first introduced to the Liverpool restaurant a few years ago when I worked in a law firm in the city. I contacted the company to ask if they would support a charity fundraiser that I had been put in charge of. Without question Carlo’s son, Alessandro, kindly offered a meal for two at San Carlo Liverpool to be used in a raffle. I don’t think there are many restaurants that would be so generous, expecting nothing in return.  

The Liverpool restaurant is housed in a former bank building on Castle Street, in the commercial district. Inside is contemporary, white walls with red and black leather furniture. Photographs of celebrity visitors hang on the walls along with striking artwork and mirrors. It certainly doesn’t look or feel like a chain restaurant.

The staff are typically Italian, very formal but super attentive. We were shown through to the back of the restaurant, passing a footballer or two on our way. The restaurant chain is particularly popular with celebrities including Rhianna, David Beckham and Zara Phillips. 

We began with an obligatory Bellini each before choosing from the menu. 

To start we both had ‘mozzarella in carrozza’, mozzarella in deep fried bread with garlic and pesto sauce.

For mains I had my usual, penne arrabbiata with fresh mozzarella. 

My friend had ‘Risotto San Carlo’, risotto with wild mushrooms, cream and white wine with Parma ham. 

Many of the ingredients that San Carlo use are flown in from markets across Italy twice a week to ensure authenticity. Last year celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, who is Executive Consultant Chef for the San Carlo Group, took delivery of £60,000 worth of rare white truffles to use in the restaurants, the most expensive delivery of the delicacy in the UK. 

Although we were suitably stuffed, we couldn’t resist dessert. We chose a sharing plate meaning we could have a little taste of everything. It consisted of miniature cakes including pistachio mille-feuille, tortes and mousses. Every single one was delicious.

For Italians, food isn't just nourishment, it is life. So much so, Italy’s highest court recently ruled that stealing small amounts of food to stave off hunger is not a crime. 

We weren’t sure that that argument would stand in an English court so we asked for our bill and finished our wine. By the time we left the shops had closed, our leisurely lunch had taken over the day and our shopping trip was a distant memory.

There is an old Italian saying, ‘a tavola non s’invecchia’ - ‘at the table, one does not grow old.’

San Carlo, Liverpool

41 Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 9SH

0151 236 0073

Leaf, Liverpool

"Where there’s tea, there’s hope.” 

Us Brits love our tea, apparently we drink over 32 billion cups of it a year. So much so, an independent tearoom and bar in Liverpool has dedicated itself to our favourite pastime, offering over 50 different varieties of teas. 

Leaf, in the city centre, is a quirky, tea-lover’s paradise offering black, white, green, fruit and herbal teas… there’s even a Champagne Cassis option! 

Located in a beautiful art deco building on Bold Street, inside is kitsch with floral lampshades hanging overhead and large leather sofas spread across two floors, creating a nostalgic 1920s feel. The building was in fact a former tea room in the 1920’s before becoming a cinema in the late 20th Century.

I met a friend there one Sunday morning and it was already a hive of activity, people were queuing out of the door for a table, desperate for some tea and cake. Leaf attracts a variety of people and is popular from first thing in the morning for breakfast until late in the evening when the bar thrives. 

I naturally opted for the Champagne tea, a white tea with a delicate flavour. My friend ordered a fruity Blood Orange blend. Both arrived in lovely little “Where there’s tea there’s hope” teapots. 

Each of the teas are available to take away with you in a tin or to buy on the Leaf website, so you can enjoy a little piece of Leaf at home. You can even become a member of the Leaf Tea Club which gives you a yearly subscription of tea.

The ethos behind Leaf is to provide a space that can accommodate creativity and good times. With it’s laid-back, bohemian atmosphere it has become one of the most popular places to visit in Liverpool.

And it’s no surprise why. Not content with offering a huge array of tea, Leaf also hosts gigs, art exhibitions, vintage markets, film screenings as well as a knitting club, a book club and a pudding club!

Leaf

65–67 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4EZ

0151 707 7747

Hard Days Night Hotel, Liverpool

“We thought we’d be really big, in Liverpool” - Paul McCartney

Having been born and raised in Liverpool, it’s safe to say that the Beatles music has featured heavily In My Life. As such, I was very excited to receive an invitation to visit Hard Days Night, the world’s only Beatles themed hotel. 

It is set in a grand, Grade II-listed building in the heart of Liverpool’s city centre, two minutes away from Liverpool One shopping. Just around the corner is Mathew Street and the world famous Cavern Club, where the Beatles rose to fame. The hotel is filled with Beatles memorabilia, from exclusive photographs and artwork on the walls and a Yellow Submarine jukebox in the lobby. 

Beatles music, as you would expect, features throughout but not too much. Just enough to create a feel-good atmosphere and a buzz in the bar area. Underlying the musical theme is excellent service, contemporary interior decor and, most importantly, a stylish cocktail bar serving aptly named cocktails such as All You Need Is Love and Strawberry Fields. 

I took my mum along with me who is a huge Beatles fan and who wanted to join me as a Day Tripper to visit the hotel. When we arrived we took a seat in the Lounge & Bar for a light meal. We each chose a sandwich and cocktail. My Grilled Halloumi and Tomato Fondue ciabatta (£6.76) was so tasty and much better than the usual bar food you receive in hotels, as was mum’s Roast Beef and Creamed Horseradish (£6.75). Both accompanied with a side of the most delicious chunky chips!

The Lounge & Bar is located in the heart of the hotel. With stunning imagery and artefacts of The Beatles all around. It’s where guests can also enjoy the hotel's famous afternoon tea and is also one of my favourite places to go to in the city to meet friends for a cocktail. On this occasion I had a Cosmopolitan and mum had a White Album Mojito, both £8.00.

Once we’d finished eating we went up to our room on the 4th floor. I was pleasantly surprised at how spacious the room was for a city centre hotel. There are 110 rooms in total ranging from luxury to deluxe. Despite being a themed hotel, the decor oozes class and sophistication. Taking pride of place above the bed was an original piece of Beatles inspired art names ‘Let it Be’, mum’s favourite Beatles song.

All of the rooms are equipped with free WiFi and an interactive LCD TV. Initially the technology in the room got the better of us and we considered phoning reception to ask for Help! but we persevered, promising ourselves We Can Work It Out. Sure enough the TV soon sprang into action and out blasted some classic hits while we enjoyed the view across the city from our private balcony.

The bed in the room was so comfortable, I slept like a log. Four Liverpool lads famously sang that Money Can't Buy Me Love, but it can buy you a thoroughly relaxing stay in this gorgeous hotel. If you really wanted to splurge, £650.00 will buy a night in the Lennon Suite, a stunning white room with it’s very own white grand piano.

The following morning I woke up feeling refreshed and thinking I Feel Fine. I went out onto the balcony to watch the sun come up before heading down for breakfast in Blakes restaurant. 

Blakes is named after Sir Peter Blake who created the iconic sleeve for the Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The restaurant houses original Beatles artwork including a centrepiece display of 60 images of icons from the album's sleeve.

After a hearty breakfast we collected our bags and bid the doorman Hello, Goodbye before setting off on the Long and Winding Road home. 

Do you want to know a secret? Q Park in Liverpool One offers a discounted rate for Hard Days Night guests and is just a two minute walk away. 

Hard Days Night Hotel

0151 668 0486

Central Buildings, North John Street, Liverpool, L2 6RR

Cocktail Saturdays was a guest of The Hard Days Night Hotel.

 

The Pen Factory, Liverpool

Throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries, industry in Liverpool flourished, it even became the world leader for cotton production. Today, the city has plenty of buildings which have been renovated from former factories to give them a new lease of life. 

One such building is The Annex on Hope Street, which is now home to The Pen Factory. The restaurant’s name is a nod to when The Lang Pen Company produced fountain pens in the building. 

A huge, sliding iron door in the foyer leads you into the basement where the restaurant is located. Everything inside appears to have been recycled or reclaimed. Bare brickwork, exposed metal piping, old church-hall chairs and a wood burning stove retain the industrial feel. Yet, it still manages to provide a warm, laid back atmosphere which makes it a lovely dining space.

The menu is primarily European in style, seasonal small plates and tapas style dishes are served throughout the day and into the evening. Everything is cooked fresh in an open plan kitchen and the plates arrive at the table as and when they’re cooked. 

To accompany the food, the bar serves a wide range of drinks, an extensive wine selection and a bespoke seasonal cocktail list. There is a lovely terraced garden to enjoy drinks outside in the sun. 

We visited last Saturday and ordered a selection from the small plate menu to share. 

Baked Camembert served with Red Onion Marmalade & Sourdough bread (£8.00). Look at that gooey goodness.

Patatas Bravas (£4.95)

Spanish Chip Butty served with a fried egg on top (£5.95)

Asparagus, Pea & Wild Garlic Risotto (£5.95)

Leek & Manchego Arancini with Pesto (£5.95)

King Prawns in Garlic Chilli and Lime Butter (£6.20)

Chicken Thigh with Chorizo, Potatoes & Aioli (£6.20)

My favourite of the veggie options was the Arancini which was creamy and beautiful. Least favourite was probably the chip butty as the bread was a little soggy from the sauce, still, it was very tasty and I liked that it was served with an egg on top. 

As we paid our bill the restaurant manager, Hannah, told us about the history of the building, explaining that it was also used to manufacture the radiators for spitfires and that when it was renovated lots of gold nibs from the fountain pens were found under the floorboards. She took us outside to show us an old advert for The Lang Pen Company which hangs pride of place in the foyer, a little reminder of the inspiration behind the restaurant today. 

I love it when a bar or restaurant has a story about how it came to be and I’ve since discovered that our family has a personal connection to this particular building. When I told my mum about our visit, she recalled that her two aunties had worked in the factory as young women making the fountain pens. 

That’s the beauty of Liverpool, it has become a modern, vibrant city filled with the best bars and eateries but it’s underpinned by fantastic historical buildings with a rich heritage. 

The Pen Factory

0151 709 7887

13 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BQ