The London Carriage Works is a restaurant that sits comfortably in the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool. It’s a modern take on international food served without pretension, and without fault.
Many restaurants charge much more for less, and could do with learning a thing or two from here. The atmosphere is relaxed, the clientele upmarket, the service impeccable.
We were greeted and seated as soon as we walked through the door. The place was busy but the staff were coping easily. Our table was nicely laid, and had enough space around it to afford a little privacy.
We decided to eat from the a la carte menu to see what they could do.
Starter consisted of sweet potatoes and butternut squash gnocchi and soft baked beetroot and Kidderton ash goats cheese. The gnocchi was served with crottin goats cheese and red wine thyme cream. It was rich, but well grounded. It was so nice we almost ordered more.
The Kidderton ash goats cheese was served with balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and chicory. The combination of the salad ingredients with well-balanced seasoning made this a starter to remember. It was light, but very tasty.
Main was Lakeland venison wellington and pan roasted loin of saddleback pork with caramelized apple. The wellington was served with roast carrots, parsnips, cavollo nero cabbage and port wine jus. Having venison in a wellington is something new to me, but it worked perfectly. The rich meat was balanced with the vegetables which were cooked to perfection.
The loin of saddleback pork was a delight. The tartness of the caramelized apple was offset nicely with sautéed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips. In both main dishes, the rich meat was grounded by perfectly cooked vegetables.
We ended with hot “Amedei” chocolate fondant with white chocolate ice-cream. This was yet another rich dish, but it was well prepared. The fondant was cooked perfectly, done on the outside, gooey in the middle. The white chocolate ice-cream tasted home-made and was the perfect companion.
We also had a couple of glasses of L’Aristocrate Pinot Noir, which kept everything rounded and cleared the palate nicely between courses.
Our experience of The London Carriage Works was all positive. Great food, great service, great atmosphere.
The Bill: £56 per head
