Albion Market
STREET food markets are becoming quite the thing – and just as jumble sales became vintage fairs and now they are “bazaars” - there's still a lot more evolution to be realised than our present “Continental” efforts here in Liverpool.
Polystyrene box of paella and a tub of overpriced olives anyone?
Steve BurgessSteve Burgess, who runs the kitchen at Camp & Furnace, last week helped launch Crosby's first night time street food market. The good people of the village queued at stalls in their droves to devour meatballs, burgers, hot dogs and pizzas. The nearby Blues Bar did a roaring trade in ale and a good time was had by all.
But hello, what have we here? Fidgit pie and Mrs Beeton's Snow Eggs?
Burgess's very own stall was doing a roaring trade in these olde English delicacies. The pitch was a plug for the restaurant he will soon be opening in Coronation Road, called Albion, which will serve nothing but very traditional British food and British wines. Curry, yes, but the sort of colonial version you might find Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims eating in Carry On Up The Khyber.
Given the form of the Furnace food slams and its other innovations to stay ahead of the game, Albion, which will be "opening soon" could be Crosby's first truly remarkable restaurant.
And the next night market? Thursday December 5.
Battering the rest
The Crolla crew of Bold Street are celebrating after Italian Club Fish was declared the best restaurant in Liverpool.
The awarder, this time, was every dentist's favourite glossy, Cheshire Life, whose judges decided that, never mind the pollocks, Fish (and chips) was better than Puschka and Santino in Mossley Hill.
ICF boss Rosaria Crolla moved to Liverpool from Glasgow opening the first café operation, The Italian Club, i 2008.
She runs the restaurants with partner Maurizio Pellegrini and says: “Both businesses were inspired by my late father who turned his hand from fine dining to fish and chips, Scottish Italian café-style. My mother, Maria, sister Gabi and other relatives have helped tremendously in driving our two multi award-winning ventures, making The Italian Club name what it is today. Dad would be so proud.”
Black-E and tan
Once upon a time, if you wanted to go to a beer festival you had to queue up for the single annual CAMRA happening at the Catholic cathedral. Tickets were snapped up in minutes. Mad.
Sensing an opportunity, the Liverpool Organic Brewery stepped in and now you can't move for supping and silent nodding opportunities in big scale venues.
Fresh from staging the largest beer festival outside London in September, at St George's Hall, and the popular Waterloo fest last month, the Black-E is now getting a visit.
They will be rolling the hundreds of barrels out down Great George's Street (by the Chinese Arch), from Thurs 5 to Sat 8 December at the Black-E Christmas Beer Festival; Tickets are £8 and can be bought here.
Angel Cafe Angel eyes
Afraid of gluten? Fear not, there is a flour free zone just off Renshaw Street with the opening of the Angel Cafe.
The Angel, which replaces the Green Fish in Upper Newington, is run by two well known “angels” around town, Paula Mclean and Felicity Wren. Still as warm and cosy as ever, the cafe serves home made soups, cakes and sandwiches, coffee and a range of teas – all at bargain prices (£2.50 for a bowl of gluten free pasta).
Not only that, but it is a brand new opportunity for artists to show their work on the walls.
Angel cafe looks like it will be a surefire winner for all those coeliacs.
You know, it's a gut feeling.
Rum do
There's a whole lot of Sailor Jerry being consumed this Sunday night at Heebie Jeebies in Seel St. This is because the spiced rum maker has decided that Sunday night is the best time of the week for people to get loaded on cocktails rather than iron shirts or have their annual bath.
So they are running a cocktail competition between the bartenders from Aloha, Mojo and Peacock.
Oh wait, "this ain’t your run-of-the-mill cocktail competition – it’s a no-holds-barred shootout," say organisers. "We’re inviting people to come down, sample some spiced rum punch and vote for their champion bartender."
It all starts at 8pm and it's called Roll With The Punches - and your kidneys will be doing just that for most of Monday.
