Festive Dining: Langs Bistro

From a series of three blog posts on Festive December Dining.

I’ve been really keen to try new places around the Southport area as I feel that it’s been lacking on the food front in recent years. There used to be some really great restaurants many years back, but due to various reasons, usually a change of management, these once great places have gone downhill. It’s such a disappointment to go back to a restaurant with a certain level of expectation and then come out never wanting to back again.

Langs Bistro seems to have a good reputation. It’s had good reviews and is currently ranked 5th on Trip Advisor for the area. I’d attempted to try this place before, but unfortunately it was closed for some reason or another that at time. So, on this occasion, when we had failed to book somewhere else because they were closed (how ironic) we called up Langs Bistro to see if they had availability. And they did.

The highlight

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Langs. What I did not expect was such beautifully presented quality food. Each plate was enticing but also looks elegantly plated. Each mouthful and combination of flavour was a good one.

Turkey & Sausage Meat Spring Roll

Breast of Chicken

Fillet of Salmon

Overall impressions

Looking at the website, I wasn’t expecting a fancy place, or the quality of food that we experienced. To be honest, I thought it was going to be an Italian similar to Ask or Strada. Then the font used for the word ‘Langs’ along with the actual name being ‘Langs’, I don’t know if I’m being too presumptuous in thinking that it might have an Asian influence.

Totally not what expected.

Walking in, we are greeted by a well-dressed gentleman, offering to hang up our coats. The ambience is lovely and intimate. There is some festive decoration, but nothing at all that is over the top; a few bows on the picture frames, and crackers on the tables. The restaurant isn’t very large, so I was surprised I managed to get a booking for three on the day as the other tables were obviously booked and were all full up by the time we finished dining.

First impressions: good. On with the food…

The food

I originally had a nosey at the menu on my mobile, and it’s not easy to read this menu on such a small screen when the font is so curly. Anyway, once being able to actually make out the Christmas Table D’hote Menu (PDF), you can see that they have a good selection adding a bit of turkey in there for the festivities.

I was sat in a nice restaurant, and wanted to try something a bit different. Instead, I was really craving something fresh and fruity. I must have been eating a load of rubbish recently. So I ordered the melon starter and didn’t expect much of it; only that it would satisfy my fruit craving.

Duo of Melon
Exotic fruit and fruit coulis

To my surprise, a pretty little arrangement was served to me with an array of colours. It was certainly fresh fruit, and I was pleased with the wonderful star fruit making an appearance – something that reminds me of Hong Kong, as it’s always a fruit I eat when I go there. The freshness and the sugary coulis were a wonderful combination. I was literally just expecting fruit. Nothing more. So this was a really pleasant and delightful surprise.

Beef Bouruignon
Baby herb dumplings, sautéed potatoes &
braised red cabbage

My main was really wonderful as well – a warming stew with interesting crisp-like potatoes on top. Putting crisps next to a sandwich or a panini is normal, but if someone was to tell me that they were serving crisps with a main, especially a stew, I’d be inclined to raise an eyebrow. Yet, it seemed to work. The stew had a lovely sauce and the meat and dumplings were lovely and soft that the “crisps” were a good contrast.

Assiette of the Day
Pear drop ice-cream, chocolate brownie,
raspberry & white chocolate cheesecake, lemon posset

The dessert choice looked lovely, and as my boyfriend and I often share dessert and we had room, we figured we would share the Assiette of the Day. Plus, we’re greedy!

Four delightful looking desserts came to us. Who wouldn’t be excited by this?

The most interesting thing was the pear drop ice-cream. My goodness – it actually tasted of pear drop sweets in ice cream form. It was so yummy and reminded me of my childhood.

The chocolate brownie was ok. A decent chocolate brownie. But having ate the most awesome chocolate brownie ever at The Gastro, it was hard to think this was more than average… and I do feel bad for saying that.

The cheesecake was pleasant. As I’ve said before, I’m not a massive fan of cheesecake. This was nice and I ate it, so it must have been a decent cheesecake!

I really enjoyed the lemon posset. A bit of zing and zang in the cool and smooth mixture with a bit of shortbread on top. There was no way I wouldn’t be happy with something like that.

We all enjoyed our meals, and I hope to make a return visit soon enough. My mission to find a great restaurant in Southport accomplished. Thank you Langs Bistro!

More info

Langs Bistro, 21 Stanley Street, Southport, PR9 0BS
Website: http://www.botanicbistro.com/langsbistro.html

Festive Dining: The Gastro Bar and Grill

This is one of three blog posts on Festive December Dining.

The Gastro was a Twitter find and I’d been following them for a couple of months. I remember seeing the tweets about the Christmas and New Year menu (PDF), and although the menu didn’t really excite me greatly, it was top of mind for when I came to visit in Southport earlier in December. I’m always on the lookout for nice new restaurants in Southport and this would be my first Christmas meal out.

The impression I get from reading about The Gastro is that it oozes a bit of elegance that I’ve found lacking in Southport restaurants these days. It encourages a bit of sophistication, but also has a sense of fun. It’s certainly not trying to be completely snobby, but rather offers a place for casual dining.

The Gastro Bar and Grill

The highlight

Now, listen when I tell you that the warm chocolate brownie is nothing short of AWESOME! It is meant to come with chocolate ice cream but I asked it to be changed to vanilla as I thought it might be too much chocolate for me. It was the perfect combination. The brownie is nice and moist, melty and divine and the best brownie I’ve had in a long long time. I’d come back, just for this brownie. It’s served with honeycomb sweets which was a nice touch.

Warm Triple Chocolate Brownie
chocolate ice cream and honeycomb

Overall impressions

The place has a nice casual dining feel to it on arrival. Nice ambience, well stocked bar on the right and plenty of room for diners. It was a Tuesday evening, so I wasn’t expecting a whole load of people but it was obvious that they were expecting a couple of large parties as there were some tables set out already.

The staff are friendly and quick to serve. A bit too quick, if I’m honest, as I do like to let my food settle just a little bit between courses.

Restaurant interior

The food

We had lovely fresh and filling breads and oils to begin with so I knew I wouldn’t have enough room for a 3 course meal! It wasn’t long before our mains were served. A tender leg of duck for me and a festive turkey breast for my friend. Both meals were quite pleasant and we enjoyed them, but neither of us felt that it was anything spectacular. My friend wasn't too keen on the sprouts as he felt they were undercooked but I don't know anyone who isn't picky about this certain type of veg!

Roasted Turkey Breast duck fat spuds, pigs in blankets, chestnuts and crispy sage

Confit Leg of Duck braised red cabbage, English plum chutney

Desserts were served very soon after, and although I rave about the chocolate brownie, I literally could not fit it in. I wanted to, honest! My friend was not too enthusiastic about the Christmas pudding, but agreed that my brownie was the business.

Gastro Bar Christmas Pudding
with vanilla bean custard

All in all, a pleasant meal and a nice location. Not altogether sure that it lives up to the place that it is trying to be, but not bad at all.

More info

The Gastro Bar and Grill, 45 Liverpool Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR8 4AG
Website: www.thegastrobarandgrill.com
Twitter: Follow @gastrobirkdale

A Fresh and Delicious Addition to the Seaside Town of Southport

Arriving on a grim October’s day, I really fancied some nice warm food. I’d heard about Finos at the Waterfront, a new Spanish restaurant in my home town of Southport, and had been waiting for my next opportunity to visit home and give it a try.

I’ve chosen this location to meet with a friend of mine to talk business, but also to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other for a while.

We were at the restaurant at 2.30pm on a cold and rainy Monday afternoon, so it’s no surprise that it wasn’t particularly busy. On entry, we are greeted by a smiley waitress and I’m quiet uplifted by the bold and bright decor. Our order of tea’s were quickly served providing the warmth ordered for this rather autumnal day.

The Food

The menu’s seemed to have a good choice. From a selection of tapas to paella dishes and grills. My friend and I quickly opted for the lunchtime deal - 3 tapas for £6.95. I felt the selection slightly limiting, but was quiet pleased with what came out.

Not too long after we ordered, a delight of colours and aromas were served in front of us. I’ll give an overview with mini descriptions if one is, like my uncultured friend, unfamiliar with Spanish lingo:

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Yes, I did take the photo after we had eaten half already!

Albondigas - meatballs in tomato sauce (x2)
The meatballs were of a nice size, but in a very small dish. So we were glad we ordered two. They were meaty, juicy and delicious!

Crisp Calamari - fried squid served with alioli (garlic mayo)
I adore calamari, and have been disappointed so many times. This was not one of those times. Cooked perfectly and seasoned beautifully. The accompanying alioli was a wonderful subtle dip. Not too garlicky as with many I’ve tried before.

Chorizo - Spanish spiced pork sausage
I’m a big fan of good chorizo. Well, if only I managed to try some! My friend enjoyed it very much, however. It’s drizzled with orange blossom honey and thyme which sounds lovely to me.

Patatas Bravas - cubed roasted potatoes in tomato sauce
These were nice. Not the best I’ve had, but nicely cooked and the sauce was tasty. I like mine with a bit more kick.

Anchovies on Tomato Bread
The pile of anchovies were staring at me being placed on a slice of tomato bread on a bed of rocket drizzled with a wonderful mustard dressing. Oh my. This was my favourite dish and highly recommended. So full of flavour and textures - just divine!

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I’d really recommend the anchovies and the calamari in particular. Delicious!

Service and Atmosphere

The waitresses were friendly and quickly served us drinks and food. They were quick to take away empty plates without being intrusive at all. Aside from the restaurant phone ringing without anyone to pick it up whilst an interview was taking place at the other end of the restaurant, the atmosphere was not bad at all. The decor is nice an bright - inviting and welcoming.

Location, location, location

Having walked past the restaurant a couple of days before dining there, it seemed like an odd location. I passed this area on the promenade a couple of days before when I was heading down to get to the cinema. The restaurant is positioned just before the pier at The Waterfront. What was this Waterfront? Obviously, I’m behind the Southport times. I’ve found that it’s a new development, directly linked with the Ramada Hotel next door. There is not a great deal of activity here, but is offering Southport a lot of new opportunities for businesses and once it’s a little more established, I think Fino’s will really thrive in this location.

The location is it’s only downfall at the moment as it’s a little away from the high street, but it’s not far to walk to - only 5 mins. It’s just not really on the way anywhere unless it’s a bright and sunny day in which case you might walk past it on the way to the pier.

Is it worth it?

I hear that business is not too bad considering the restaurant has only been open for a couple of months. Being fully booked on the weekends, it’s just the weekdays which are not consistent. I think this could be a really popular location for a business lunch, or a casual eat out on a lunch break. The service is so quick that you needn’t worry about being late for your afternoon shift! I can see this would be a great place for an evening too. I’d like to take my family there next time I’m in the area.

As long as people know about it, whether it’s through marketing and promotions or word of mouth, I think diners will be pleasantly surprised with the wonderful food and atmosphere. I feel that many restaurants in Southport have taken a turn for the worse, and this place offers a fresh and new injection of culinary delights to this seaside location. I shall certainly make a return and I hope to try something from the main menu next time!

More information

Finos website: http://www.finossouthport.co.uk
Finos blog: http://finosatthewaterfront.wordpress.com
Twitter: Follow @FinosSouthport