I'VE never been a fan of taxidermy. Ever since I went for a pub lunch as a child and we found ourselves being watched by a stuffed fox that would have given Freddy Kruger the creeps, I've objected to eating in the presence of dead animals. Except for the ones on the plate, of course.
 
However, I was forced to overcome my discomfort when visiting Negresco, the newest addition to Lark Lane's gluttony of restaurants and bars.
 
Created by Rob Gutman, owner of Alma de Cuba and Alma de Santiago, it is almost unrecognisable from the old man's pub it was before he took it over earlier this year.
 
I'm told that out of all the venues he has ever run, this is the one in which he has most indulged his personality.
 
This means shabby-chic decor, lots of antiques and the enormous animal heads that have become a signature feature of the Korova brand.
 
Its facade is now painted black with a bit of gold detail. From the outside, the building is an imposing edifice on the usually friendly-looking Aigburth street. I have to admit I don't like it - particularly during the day - but don't let the exterior stop you from going inside.
 
Based on L'hotel Negresco, the eccentric palace-hotel which has dominated the Promenade des Anglais in Nice for nearly a century, the interior is as plush and warm as the outside is cold and bare.
 
The bar area is painted floor to ceiling with cavorting masked figures, while the restaurant is a relaxing shade of light blue.
 
Unlike its namesake, there is no carousel turning gaily in the middle of the room, but the food has a definite French influence.