Emma Johnson spices up a cold and wet January night with some Asian flavours

IT SHOULD have been a simple stroll from the shopping heart of Liverpool into the city’s cultural quarter.

But throw in sideways rain and the sort of wind that dispatched Dorothy to Oz, and our walk to Hope Street for dinner had suddenly become an endurance test.

So cold and wet were my husband and I that it took all my powers of persuasion to convince him that our struggle would be worth it, once we reached our destination.

That destination was Host, the newest addition to the family of fine eating establishments on Hope Street, but when we finally staggered inside, soaked and windswept, it looked for a moment like our efforts had been in vain.

“Have you booked a table?” enquired the maitre d’. Hmm, we hadn’t.

Then again, it was 5.45pm and January.

Apparently it would be OK, so long as we were out by eight. I will return to that later.

As we shook off our wet coats, the waitress showed us to a long communal table at the back of the brightly lit restaurant, issued us with menus and explained the Host dining concept.

The menu is a mix of Asian dishes sampling Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Malaysian cuisine.

You can either order a bunch of small plates to share – or go down the traditional route and order a starter and a main. Oh, and you all sit together.

Think of it as a posh Wagamama and you have probably got the gist.