Dinner at Koukash...

It is always a pleasure to dine somewhere I have not been before and I recently went for dinner at Koukash*, located within the Doubletree Hilton Liverpool. The hotel is a stately building with flags fluttering outside, and the imposing grandeur reminds me of a hotel you might find in London or Paris.
We swept through the glass doors, away from the chilly night air and in to the plush surroundings of the restaurant. The first impression is one of understated refinement, with a large bar area which gives way to the restaurant space beyond, which has a modern and stylish feel. Horse racing ephemera is visible throughout and we took our seats in a comfortable booth with velvet seating.

We were dining from the chef''s monthly menu; I find the idea of offering a menu which changes monthly to be a good one, as you never need to become bored if you dine at the same place regularly. The menu is good value too, with two courses for £19.95 and three courses for £24.95 and there was a pleasing range of options available.
We sipped a bottle of chilled Borsari Inzolia, a refreshing Sicilian wine with peach notes, as we settled down to enjoy our starters. My tuna tartar, avocado, lime, sesame and crisp rice cracker was a light dish with ingredients which sat well together, the mild tuna was lifted by a zesty rush from the lime, while the rice cracker added texture.

My dining companion selected the ricotta mousse, served with aubergine, radish, lemon and chickpea wafer pancake, another good starter, with the creamy ricotta contrasting well with the earthy aubergine.
I am a big fan of stone bass, so for my main course I could not resist the pan fried stone bass, char sui pork, rice noodles, soy and chilli. The stone bass was tender and flaky and the char sui pork added a smoky quality to the dish, while the noodles were light and buttery with a slightly fiery taste from the chilli.

My dining companion ordered the homemade potato gnocchi, butternut squash, smoked almond and blue cheese.The blue cheese worked well with the smoked almonds while the gnocchi were satisfying and the butternut squash rounded off the dish with nutty sweetness. I must also mention that we ordered side dishes of skinny fries and hand cut chunky chips; you all know what a chip lover I am and these were some of the best chunky chips I have ever tasted, they were so thick cut and cooked until they were perfectly golden.

On to dessert and the dark chocolate pave with cookie dough ice cream was the perfect treat; the silky bitterness of the pave was amazing with the cookie dough ice cream, I would say this is a must for any chocolate lover!

The second dessert was equally tempting, freshly made raspberry doughnuts with vanilla custard and sherbet which took me back to the childhood memory of being treated to hot doughnuts in a paper bag at the fairground, I love the way food has the power to be so evocative of memories.
This was a real treat; the hot sugary doughnuts had an intense raspberry taste and the vanilla custard was light. A delicious surprise to this dish was the sherbet, which added a crackling texture reminiscent of popping candy.

We relaxed with a coffee before we were given a tour of the opulent hotel, which is an architectural gem full of elegant staircases, carved wood panels and polished marble.

I enjoyed dining at Koukash and I would return, the food was beautifully presented with sophisticated flavours and the attentive service and relaxed atmosphere were further plus points.

Koukash

6 Sir Thomas St 

Liverpool 

L1 6BR

http://www.koukashrestaurant.co.uk/

What do you all think, do you like the sound of a menu which changes on a monthly basis and which of these dishes would you like to try? 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 invited to review Koukash, this meal was complimentary. All opinions stated herein are my own and honest.