Ha!Ha! Bar and Canteen, Atlantic Pavilion and Anchor Hall, Atlantic Block (Block A), Albert Dock, Liverpool _320
In need of fresh air and food, Emma Johnson headed for a favourite place – the Dock
IT WASN’T so much the morning after the night before as the afternoon after the morning before. A long Saturday night of dancing had ended somewhere around the 6am mark on Sunday.
Now, as the clock ticked towards evening, my husband and I were hangover free and plagued by that raging appetite that inevitably follows a night on the tiles.
Heads still slightly fuzzy and in no mood either for dressing up too much or tackling a hot stove, we found ourselves in Liverpool city centre, with one dining destination screaming above the rest . . . Liverpool’s glorious Albert Dock.
It has everything two blurry beings could want; fresh air (even if it was raining) scenery and a good walk for good measure after the food.
Ah, the food, another thing the Dock offers in plenty, which is why I can often be found down here post-work enjoying a bowl of pasta at Est Est Est or some manchego chicken at Babycream, rather than actually going home and cooking something myself.
On this occasion, we turned our attention to the Ha!Ha! Bar and Canteen, one of the dock’s newer additions.
With its comfy couches and laid-back atmosphere, not to mention a menu full of the sort of flavoursome, high-carbohydrate dishes we were craving, it was the ideal place.
Wandering through the bar, we flopped down on the first available couch somewhere in the middle of the somewhat cavernous venue.
On opening the menu – and probably due to my low blood sugar – my eye was drawn straight to the desserts, in particular the delightful-sounding warm chocolate brownies and ice cream (£4.50) but more – or in fact less – of that later. To the savoury courses first.
Both of us knew exactly what we were looking for here – carbs and comfort food – it was simply a matter of the form in which that would come.
Over a hair of the dog glass of Chardonnay (£4.25 for a very big glass) for me and a bottle of Peroni (£3.20) for him we made up our minds.
We had missed the extensive breakfast and brunch offerings, served until noon, by several hours so it was on to the main menu where a good variety of starters were to be found from bruschetta (£3.50) to chicken satay skewers (£4.25), pan-fried goat’s cheese (£4.50) and moules marinieres (£5.50).
We fell for the “to share” options, settling on a big bowl of spicy nachos between us (£7.50).
They arrived shortly after we ordered, and just as my brain was beginning to clear enough to peruse what sections were left of the Sunday papers, which Ha!Ha! offers diners. The nachos were exactly how I like them – traditional, smooth Mexican-style tortillas (not like the bumpy tortillas you get at the supermarket), smothered with shredded cheese and topped with lashings of tomato salsa, guacamole and sour cream with a smattering of little chillis.
It was incredibly messy but brilliant food and while my husband was defeated a third of the way in, I kept on going, my fingers dripping with sauce. Eating so much would be my undoing later.
For my main course, I was hankering after a burger. It’s not something I often eat, but my alcohol-ravaged body was obviously craving the nutrients.
Ha!Ha! had just what I was looking for, a gourmet 8oz burger (£8.50), which comes served with skinny chips, mayonnaise, plum tomatoes and lettuce, to which you can then add your own desired toppings.
These include cajun-spiced battered onion rings; cheese, fried free-range egg, flat mushrooms, bacon and even a prawn skewer. The cajun battered onion rings sounded fab but in the end I just opted for some bacon and cheese.
My other half, not massively impressed with the orgy of cheese, beef and bread I was embarking upon, went for something slightly more sophisticated in the shape of breast of corn-fed chicken (£8.75). Topped with buffalo mozzarella and crispy Parma ham served on potatoes and green beans, in a rich tomato sauce and mixed herb dressing, it was typically him.
Both main courses arrived swiftly. My burger was a stunning tower with a genuine home-made beef patty sandwiched between two lightly-toasted pieces of focaccia.
The burger was fantastic, as good as they get and just what I needed, as it had no fatty bits and was wonderfully moist.
The chips had plenty of flavour and the little caddy of spices, chutneys and sauces which the waitress brought over was the icing on the cake.
Unfortunately, due to overloading on the nachos, I couldn’t bring myself to the burger or the chips, as much as I would have liked to.
My husband’s dish had nothing on mine but he assured me it was just what he needed too. The chicken was tender and the sauce was rich and herby; however, a few more potatoes would not have gone amiss.
Barely able to breathe, so full were we by the time we gave up on our main courses, that suddenly all thoughts of chocolate brownies vanished from mind, despite the fact it is my ideal dessert.
As my mother used to say – a categorical case of our eyes being bigger than our bellies.
Ha!Ha! Bar and Canteen, Atlantic Pavilion and Anchor Hall, Atlantic Block (Block A), Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AF
Tel: 0151 707 7877
Style: Open-plan, relaxed bar/ restaurant
Service: Swift and friendly
Value: Good
Bill: £36.50 for two, including alcoholic drinks
