Olive Liverpool...

Olive Restaurant and Bar* has long been an established favourite on Castle Street in Liverpool. Olive is known for its hearty Italian cuisine as well as contemporary European dishes served in rustic surroundings. I have there many times over the years and it has been a favourite of mine for its consistently good food and service. It is the ideal place to pop in for some lunch when shopping and sightseeing as well as being a great place for a cosy dinner for two or a gathering of friends. Olive have recently added some new spring and summer dishes to the menu, so I went along to check out the new offering.

Upon entering the restaurant there is an immediately welcoming ambience, the design aesthetic is simple with wooden tables and an open kitchen as well as a well-stocked bar area. We settled in at the table and ordered a bottle of the house red, Il Banchetto, which proved to be a good choice, a soft red full of raspberry and cherry produced in Italy. The ideal companion to a meal with Italian flavours!

We started the meal with a garlic pizza bread topped with melted mozzarella on a light and crispy base. This is always a winner at Olive and I order it every time I dine there.

I chose the butternut squash soup with dolcelatte crème fraiche and toasted seeds as my starter, which was hearty and thick with sweetness from the butternut squash whilst the crème fraiche added a sharp balance and the toasted seeds gave the dish a crunch of texture.

My dining companion ordered the chicken skewers with romesco dipping sauce, the chicken was tender and the sauce complemented the dish well. This was a light dish ideal for summer, with vibrant flavours.

The menu at Olive offers a good choice of pizza, pasta and grill dishes such as steak as well as several lighter options including salad and seafood. I went for the grilled corn-fed chicken with truffle butter, green vegetables and sorrel cream which was a satisfying dish with succulent chicken, depth from the truffle butter and a burst of freshness from the vegetables.

The gnocchi with slow roasted pork, cherry tomatoes, pesto and rocket was a dish which delivered a real taste of Italy, with a generous portion of firm and fluffy gnocchi and layers of flavour from the slow roasted pork, tangy tomatoes and pesto.

It is a must to order the courgette fries when dining at Olive, thinly sliced courgette is coated and then fried to create a dish which makes the perfect side order with any meal.

It was time for dessert and the only difficulty was what to choose from a menu including sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownie! We decided to sample some of the new additions to the menu, salted caramel cheesecake with crème fraiche and a tiramisu trifle. I love tiramisu and it feels like a must to order it when dining at an Italian restaurant. The tiramisu trifle was creamy and sweet with a boozy kick and a nice style of presentation as it was served in a jar.

The salted caramel cheesecake was just divine, a creamy baked cheesecake which took me straight to New York, rounded off with a nice zing from the strawberries.

Service at Olive is always excellent and the team are very knowledgeable about the menu, and happy to recommend dishes to you. I always enjoy dining at Olive and I thought the new spring and summer additions to the menu were perfectly suited to the season with light and tasty flavours throughout.

Olive Restaurant and Bar 

25-27 Castle St, 

Liverpool

 L2 4TA

0151 227 2303

http://oliverestaurants.uk.com/

Which of these dishes would you like to try and which of the two delicious desserts would you go for? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*I was a guest of Olive. This meal was complimentary. Opinions stated herein are my own and honest.