John Sutton enjoys excellent food – and an impressive reaction to a problem – at Spire
FOOD prices continue to increase, while wages for those fortunate enough to be in work remain as likely to rise as a Jack-in-the-Box with a broken spring.
So the time has come to forage for what is ubiquitous in the urban landscape of our city, and start setting traps for pigeons, the much maligned rats with wings that disgrace every open space and statue. I reckon you’d flog them for ten a penny.
That’s not to suggest those who procure the produce at Spire Restaurant on Church Road, Wavertree, are out at all hours scouring the eves of public buildings for the plumpest specimens. For a start, theirs are too expensive for that.
But it was the breast of a special beast served up with black pudding, caramelised onion cake, pea puree and red wine sauce for £7.45.
On a night I really should have taken a coat out with me for the walk from car to restaurant, it was autumn on a plate. Gamey dark meat, rich black pudding, hearty onion cake and warming red wine sauce cut through by the fresh pea mixture, the taste of a season. I’d have eaten a whole loft of pigeons in this state.
Miss was equally impressed with her Indian inspired starter of spiced duck leg samosa, red lentil dahl fritter, marinated duck breast, ginger and mint yoghurt, micro coriander for £7.25.
The samosa looked a bit anaemic for my part, like it could have done with 30 seconds longer in the oil, but was packed with meat and like the fritter, paired beautifully with the ginger and mint yoghurt dip.
Both were excellently presented and devoured after the teaser of a small loaf of warm rosemary bread with butter and green pesto left us jealously looking at other tables and popping up our heads like hopeful meerkats every time the kitchen door swung open.
Spire’s a small place, with probably fewer than two dozen covers downstairs and an upstairs floor which opens at the weekend. If you ring for a table for this coming Saturday it will probably be fully booked.
The restaurant has picked up a smattering of awards and has such a strong reputation tables, at busy times, are secured well in advance. The young and polite waiting-on staff were taking the orders one table at a time on the steady Wednesday night when we visited, which made me think the kitchen may have been a man down.
Mains were a roasted chump of Lancashire salt marsh lamb with broad bean puree, roasted aubergine, balsamic marinated cherry tomatoes served with garlic mash for Miss, which came in at £16.50.
