'A handsome neighbourhood spot': Amici, Aigburth, reviewed

Neighbourhood Italian restaurants are such a staple of suburbs across the country that when one closes, like Justino's did in March of this year, it's never too long before another one opens. 

It doesn't necessarily have to spring up in the exact same spot, but in the case of Amici on Aigburth Road you might as well. 

While the whacking great central reservation on the road - admittedly grassy - may take away somewhat from the quiet suburban feel of the village, once you step inside Amici there's a pleasurable sense of being shielded from too much of the outside world.

Inside is a reasonably bougie world of its own, kitted out in tasteful teal banquettes, hanging pendant lights and a centrepiece bar vaguely resembling a block of amber. 

You could perhaps argue that being an Italian restaurant in the North West of England bears a lot of similarity to being a mosquito embalmed in fossilised tree resin, but the menu of Amici would suggest otherwise. 

This is why I swerved the admittedly tempting sides of the menu that are very Italian - arancini, burrata, risotto - and decided to see how it fared with the side of things from the a la carte menu that maybe speaks more to a Saturday night than a Wednesday afternoon.

This began with a starter that doesn't necessarily scream Wednesday 1pm but would more than suit the more decadent leanings of a Saturday evening - chicken liver pate with homemade chutney and artisan bread (£8.95). 

The pate was the right side of rich and had that sweet note streaking through it that keeps you returning to it even as you begin to think you're filling up. The chutney was well-balanced, managing both the sweetness and earthy oniony undertones. The bread, that deeply buttery version of what is effectively toast, was just the right receptacle. 

Now there's generous portions and then there's being served a challenge, and this was definitely the latter. Such was the amount of pate that I had two servings of bread. This could feasibly be shared as a starter or you could eat the entire thing yourself for a more than satisfying and slightly decadent lunch.

For mains I was particularly tempted by the prosaically named 'a pot of mussels' but for the purposes of our dear readers went for something more substantial and Saturday night - Branzino, or 'pan fried whole fillet seabass, cream leeks, pressed potato cake, mussels, cherry tomatoes and white wine sauce' (£26).

The seabass was cooked to the ideal degree, the skin brought to a crispy golden brown while the flesh remained soft and flavourful - cook a piece of seabass for too long and it starts to bear no resemblance to something that was swimming about in the sea that morning, instead taking on the appearance of a flip flop after a night on the tiles. 

There was none of that here - just a fish cooked with care and attention. What's needed next is always a good sauce. This particular sauce was rich and creamy, given a sweet tartness by the cherry tomatoes, all of which does well to both lend the seabass a rich accompaniment but not detract from a fish that is almost tasty enough with a bit of lemon. But as I say, a good sauce is always best. 

The mussels were a welcome addition, adding that note of shellfish that helps to imbue a sauce on the creamier side of things with something a little bit more interesting. 

I wouldn't have minded the potato cake getting another few minutes in the pan, as I'm of the opinion that crispier is better, especially when it's coupled with a subtle white fish and creamy sauce. 

All in all this was a more than solid main course when you consider that Italian restaurants could completely avoid the likes of seabass and roll out the classics without so much as a raised eyebrow. I would argue that if Amici keep the likes of this dish rolling out regularly across their a la carte, and while we're at it the lunch menu as well, then it will lift it beyond the boundaries of your typical 'neighbourhood Italian restaurant' fare.

You could argue that in this country we need more Italian restaurants like we need a hole in the head, but there's a reason their popularity reaches so far, from delis and understated trattorias to full-blown Milanese opulence all cut out in marble. 

Amici seems to balance the two well, the menu a mix of homely familiarity and more bold offerings, while the decor is laid up perfectly for a weekend night when the neighbourhood descends on the doors in search of a good time. 

Amici, 380 Aigburth Road, Liverpool L17 6AE