The Italian Club Fish - Review - 27th April 2012

The Italian Club Fish - Review - 27th April 2012

Irn Bru, advertised as “Scotland’s other national brew”, can be hard to find in these parts.  In the independent newsagents of the RopeWalks area, you are more likely to be offered Rubicon as your choice of exotic soft tipple, suspending your definition of exotic to include Scotland for a moment, that is.
Alas, look no further, next time you have a taste for the brighter highland spring, make your way to Liverpool’s only Scottish/Italian restaurant, Italian Club Fish.  The Italian Crolla family, moved from Scotland to Liverpool to open up first The Italian Club, followed by Italian Club Fish, bringing the unlikely culture mix in their food.

The restaurant, which is located at the top of Bold Street, near the bombed out church,  displays it’s position and identity as “someplace nice” to eat with its exterior mimicking a yacht club and the high quality that is suggested in the shop-front decoration is certainly maintained within. However the variety in the menu allows the customer provision on maintaining the price when ordering, so it offers somewhere a little more special than the other cheerful places surrounding it, but not massively above the average cost of a meal in that area.

Inside is light and bright, with the continuation of the nautical decoration, along with the traditional Italian wall of fame at the back of the restaurant, but not garishly so, the interior decoration has struck a nice balance, which too reflects the higher quality of the food.  I particularly appreciated the ‘fish-jug’ that pours water from its mouth,  when checking where it was from- part of me was a little disappointed that it didn’t say TK-Maxx, instead of the authentic Italian designer stamp which it did, unsurprisingly, have.

Italian restaurants is one genre which Liverpool is certainly not lacking in,  and some of the competition is pretty strong, Piccolino’s, San Carlo, Jamie’s Italian, are to name only a few.  It is nice then, to have the more niche option of an Italian fish restaurant, and as mentioned earlier, the inclusion of the Scottish influence is really special.  My heart was won over when I opened the menu, and saw the offer of adding a glass of Prosseco to ½ dozen oysters for just £3 extra (£12). I can’t really see why you wouldn’t?  The deal is extended to add half a carafe of house wine for £13, and ½ dozen oysters with a full carafe of house wine for £17.

We started with the Giant Puglian mixed Marinated Olives: the size of walnuts, giant balls of meaty olive deliciousness.
I chose from the special board, which always gives the option of four or five different grilled fish and any two of the side dishes- whole Lemon Sole with sautéed sea asparagus with chilli and garlic, and Rocket salad with parmesan shavings. Like all of the fish and seafood served, it was fresh. The meal was simple; the fish was crispy but soft and creamy too, seasoned perfectly with a nice amount of sea salt. My lunch date ordered the House special crabmeat and courgette risotto, which was generously portioned, a nice consistency and exceptionally cooked grains.

The menu is varied within itself, and within the other restaurants in the city. The ‘fish version of the Italian club sandwich’, grilled tuna, egg mayo, lettuce & tomato, in toasted bread, served with salad and chips, is a very luxurious deviation from the original. Similarly their fish and chips come in four different variations, Haddock, Pollock, Coley and Plaice- which comes with the thoughtful request to ‘save our friend the Cod and order the Coley instead’.

Italian Club Fish makes for a good special occasion choice, or an impressive business meeting meal, there is a strong ‘Non-fish’ section, including a traditional Scottish beef burger, as well as chicken and vegetarian options. Although I would not recommend making the trip if you are not a fish fan, choosing and reading about the fish you are ordering is the fun, and the place’s charm.

The alcohol is reassuringly expensive, and a very good quality. I would recommend the house white, Moretti Beer, or for something heavier, the Laphroaig 10 years is a beautiful scotch - It has tones noted in a strong, smoked peat flavour.

The atmosphere was calm, quiet and sophisticated. The service was un-faultable, which is only partly to do with the handsome waiter. Italian Club Fish is a massive benefit to Liverpool, and RopeWalks, it offers a more authentic Italian cuisine experience because it does not just rely on the benchmark dishes, I recommend it to all, and will certainly return.

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