Becher's Brook

29a Hope St, Liverpool, L1. Tel: 0151 707 0005

Since this review was written Becher's Brook has ceased trading, and the premises have been reopened by the proprietor of The Other Place.

I've been meaning to try out this restaurant, one of the more recent additions to the Liverpool dining scene, for some time now. By and large, other than one note of dissent, I had heard nothing but good about the place. Never one to be led by others, however, I had to see for myself if all that I'd heard was true.

The entrance to Becher's Brook is at basement level, which is reached by steps leading down from the street. Downstairs there is a small bar, where patrons can peruse the menu and wine list over an aperitif. I did my usual trick of ordering a glass of house white, as a rapid guide to the likely quality of the rest of the wine list. The wine was pleasant enough, a fairly light, lemony wine, clean, with somewhat prominent but tolerable acidity. Unlike the wine, however, the glass certainly wasn't clean. In fact it was filthy. I don't expect Riedel stemware when I eat out, in fact I don't even expect crystal. But I do expect clean glasses. I could only hope that things would get better, and fortunately they did. Whilst making our selections, a complimentary tray of tasty canapés arrived. These were all good, but the 'scouse' samosas ('scouse' being a local meat and potato dish), being tasty and a particularly original concept, certainly lifted my spirits.

The wine list was better than many I have seen, although there were a few non-descript wines where more information would have been appreciated. Mark-ups are considerable, and most of the interesting wines hide in the £30 - £70 range. Although there were a few less expensive choices touted at the beginning of the list these were all from unfamiliar producers and thus I can't recommend them. There were a few famous names dotted about, including Drouhin and Cape Mentelle. Two NV Champagnes from Bollinger and Veuve-Clicquot were too pricy. In view of our selected courses, I plumped for one of the gems on the list, a Bandol:

Chateau Vannières Bandol 1998: Wonderful purple-black hue from this young wine. The nose, full of blueberry and blackberry fruit seemed almost exuberant, but the wine was more typically Bandol on the palate. Although rich in fruit, there is a firm layer of ripe tannins that will take a good few years to come around yet. Sufficient but not prominent acidity. A good match for Welsh fillet and slightly pink duck. Very good. (3/8/01)

After I had inspected the unopened bottle, I was unnerved to see this wine disappear into the kitchen, only to appear a few minutes later with cork extracted. I'm not suggesting for one second that anything untoward happened here, as the wine, although a little too warm, tasted just as an immature, tannic Bandol should, but in my opinion no-one is above suspicion. Why can't restaurant staff simply open the bottle at the table?

The menu is limited in choice but nevertheless appealing. For our first course, we selected a smoked salmon and leek roesti with roasted lobster and a lemon grass cappucino, together with an asparagus, Jersey Royal and pea salad on samphire with a walnut and herb dressing. The roesti was delicious, very flavoursome, nicely textured and moist. It worked wonderfully with the lemongrass sauce, and the roasted claw of lobster, a touch dry and too firm for my liking, became an unnecessary flourish which only worked to spoil the dish. I revel at the thought of local restaurants using unusual and delicious ingredients such as samphire, and in this case the particularly tasty samphire worked well, to save what was otherwise an uninspiring dressed green salad with potatoes on the side.

Our main courses comprised fillet of Welsh black beef served as Tournedos Rossini with fresh crouton, foie gras and a Madeira sauce, as well as Reg Johnson's cornfed Goosnagh duck breast with a prune and tomato tart tatin and a spiced tomato sauce. The beef was not quite correctly cooked, but on the whole was as desired, and the accompanying foie gras, perhaps unsurprisingly, bordered on heavenly. The duck was nicely pink and quite flavoursome, and the sweetness of the tomato and prune tart tatin worked very well in place of the more ordinary orange or other fruit sauce.

For dessert we tried a pleasing selection of cheeses, which included some particularly good Stilton, so it was a pity that they came accompanied by such a mundane selection of biscuits. We also tried the chocolate souffle, which was accompanied by a raspberry coulis and creme de menthe ice cream. We freely admit that this was delightful, and quite possibly one of the most pleasing desserts we have ever been fortunate enough to try in our sampling of local restaurants. Some complimentary truffles were much appreciated whilst we waited for our coffee, which was fresh and very tasty.

All in all we enjoyed our evening at Becher's Brook. We received impeccable service from the only waiter on duty that evening (although we were one of only two occupied tables), the food was good, and the wine list hid a few interesting bottles. At these prices, however, I expect a little more 'wow' factor. The food was interesting and of good quality, but it lacked the flair that is required for a restaurant to gain the reputation that I think is desired at Becher's Brook. Bear in mind that the mark-up on wines also seemed high.

Prices: £35 - £40 per head for three courses. The Vannières 1998 Bandol was £32.50. Expect to pay £30 upwards for an interesting bottle.

Becher's Brook

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