Charlie Parker's

47 Crosby Road North, Waterloo, L22. Tel: 0151 928 1101

This is a chic little establishment, a one-time favourite of mine, which I haven't managed to visit for several years. My recent visit started with a hurried glass of mineral water in the bar, which is on the split-level ground floor, above a small dining area for smokers. It wasn't long before I was being escorted to the dining area upstairs, which is a little larger. The decor is warm yet modern, and this feel continues through into a conservatory-style area around the corner.

The menu at Charlie Parker's is short and fairly simplistic, with a number of unimaginative themes running through the choices - peppered this, blackened that, and so on. On the whole, though, in my experience what comes to the table is well presented and very tasty.

We started with a warm duck salad, with a highly aromatic Thai dressing, and this was a great opener. Even better was a large field mushroom, stuffed with breadcrumbs, brie and spinach, with a garlic cream. It's traditional, homely cooking, nothing new or too flash, but presented in an attractive, nicely executed fashion. As a main course, blackened chicken, with a selection of spicy sauces, was acceptable in a Tex-Mex comfort-food style. Fillet of beef with green and black peppercorns and as cream sauce was terrifyingly familiar but had a good texture. All very pleasing.

Puddings were not a disappointment. They were quite simple in design, but this can often be the basis for a brilliant dish. Strawberries soaked in Grand Marnier, with meringue and cream patisserie was good, but a chocolate tort with chocolate sauce was very good indeed.

On the wine side of things, the list at Charlie Parker's holds some bottles of interest, The list is not particularly well written, and it can be a little difficult to figure out what exactly some of the bottles are. Thinking of my current Italian theme on The Winedoctor I opted for an Amarone:

Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Veneto) 1997: Good deep colour. Enticing nose, with freshly roasted fruits, chocolate and spice. Impressive, mouthfilling texture, very rich and structured. Plenty of flavour. Such a rich presence and structure carries the 14.8% alcohol well. Very good. (21/3/03)

Overall I have to give Charlie Parker's the thumbs up. There's no great innovation or spark, but there is friendly, laid-back service, tasty, well-presented, fairly priced food, all rolled up in a trendy environment. It doesn't quite excite in the way it once did, and there is something different about the restaurant today, although I find it difficult to put my finger one what it is exactly. Perhaps the cooking isn't quite so precisely executed as it used to be. But it remains an option for those looking for somewhere to dine, especially if coming from the north of the city.

Prices: £30-35 per head for three courses. A fair range of wines with typical mark-up, up to about £30 per bottle for the Speri Amarone.

Charlie Parker's

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