Luke Traynor drops in on the subterranean delights of The Haymarket for a memorable meal

I REMEMBER stumbling across The Haymarket on the hunt for somewhere to watch the Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather punch-up, back one cold December night in 2007. It almost felt that my two mates and I had stumbled in on a private party, such was its basement hideaway feel.

It seemed that everybody appeared to know everybody else. Maybe it was just that we were new to a loyal following that had been in the know for years.

Since that trip, I’ve been determined to go back and relax back into those jazzy surroundings that seemed like Dean Martin’s very own dining room.

Billed as Liverpool’s “premier Steakhouse”, The Haymarket is somewhat tucked away from the hurly-burly of town.

At the far end of Victoria Street, it’s a short trot away from the chaos on Mathew Street and stands alongside the little-known River Bar and Cafe, run by the same owner at The Haymarket.

There’s a lovely feel to the basement restaurant with brick vaulted ceilings, booths and subdued lighting, together with swing music wafting through the air.

There are three separate dining rooms, which means you can be somewhat separated from the rest of the diners, but it lends a cosy underground feel to the whole venue.

It perhaps works better for larger parties, rather than a couple, as you can sometimes feel dwarfed by the shrieking laughter coming from raucous birthday parties stationed round long, long tables.

But its “away from it all” atmosphere, at the bottom of a long flight of stairs, makes it an intimate dining experience for a group of any size.

And so to the menu. There was plenty of choice for starters, prices ranging from £4-£6, which included dishes such as chicken liver and black pudding paté and roasted breast of quail.

I chose smoked haddock risotto (£4.95), while my wife selected Scottish hot-smoked salmon and blinis that was served with a mild horseradish creme fraiche and watercress (£5.95).

She said the dish was let down by the portion of horseradish sauce – minuscule blobs on the plate.