The Gallery bar and grill, Allerton Road, Liverpool

Feb 1 2008 by Jane Haase, Liverpool Daily Post

I THINK restaurants should start introducing loyalty cards like supermarkets. If they did, I would be quids in at The Gallery bar and grill on Allerton Road, in south Liverpool.

Having only moved to the area three months ago, I have already been there several times and it gets more impressive with each visit.

I don’t tend to be such a creature of habit, but now that I am practically living next door to a street full of bars and restaurants I am loath to get a cab in to town for a night out.

And whenever I’m due to meet friends or family I steer them towards my new local.

Is it a sign of me getting old, or of just how good The Gallery is?

The bar and restaurant opened in April last year, and it needs to be impressive to compete against the established venues which already have a strong foothold in the area.

It’s certainly elegant, with a 1930s feel. It has smart, dark wooden tables and floors, porthole windows on the doors, and art deco-style lettering for the signage.

Apparently it’s called The Gallery to reflect the artwork adorning the walls but I’d only noticed a couple of pictures. The management said they were waiting for more prints to arrive.

Downstairs is a large bar area as well as seating space which, on the occasions I visited, tended to attract the more mature discerning south Liverpool crowd.

The main restaurant is upstairs, housed in a spacious room with a skylight and impressive centrepiece chandelier.

It has a lovely atmosphere, and on the occasions I have been it has always been pleasantly busy with a mix of couples, girls on a night out or just groups of friends catching up.

My last visit was just before Christmas when I was looking for somewhere to take my sister and her new Italian husband, Roberto. I had been determined to try a different venue, but was lured back to The Gallery because I wanted to be sure we would have a good night and I knew they would deliver.

Foodwise, I can’t detect any discernible theme, there are no real surprises – just good food cooked well.

There are 10 starters to choose from including dishes such as chargrilled asparagus and Caesar salad and a further selection of pasta dishes as either starters or main courses.

There are fish and meat dishes and steaks from the grill along with specials available on the night.

Roberto is something of a wine buff (not snob) and when we had ordered our bottle of white and red he actually got out his mobile phone to take pictures of the wine labels for his collection. This did attract a few funny looks from neighbouring tables, not to mention my sister, but, hey, he’s Italian. And he was duly impressed with our bottles of Stormy Cape Chenin Blanc, (£13.95) and De Gras Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva (£18.95).

A fish lover, my husband had sardines (£5.50) to start, with a warm cherry tomato compote and flat bread. He said they were very fresh tasting and made a nice, light start to the meal.

Roberto was equally pleased with his choice of succulent king prawns with a mango and papaya salad (£6.95).