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MAMASAN by Si Hall & Arthur Gold
INSPIRED BY THE FLAVOURS OF SOUTH EAST ASIA , ELEVATED WITH THE BEST OF BRITISH PRODUCE FROM FARM , FIELD & SEA - AND DELIVERED BY A TEAM WITH MORE THAN A LITTLE KNOW HOW ...
We were hosted by Manager Joel Lee ( no distant relative to Bruce or especially Brandon , I did ask , ' childhood hero ' geek-out for a moment ) accompanied by specialist creative chef Ojas Naware . Set just behind the Blue Coats - Liverpool One . As you enter , the restaurant is a visually striking and opulent space , with clearly no expense spared to imaginatively and successfully capture their grand vision across a number of thoughtfully designed levels .
They pride themselves on all the freshest ingredients , not just in their own unique twist on food , but also cocktails - interestingly they don ' t carry any purees and very few of the cocktails have juices or traditional dilutants , so they can capture the authenticity of South East Asia and raise their game several notches by making everything from scratch ( a difficult ambition in these tough times , I guess ).
On with the show !
• Miso Black Cod / sesame aubergine / shitake mushroom pickle / white miso ginger sauce . Another perfectly cooked piece of fish with some heavy hitting flavours , very nicely constructed .
• Coconut Smoked Short Rib of Beef & Bone Marrow Massaman Curry with pak choi / charred potato . - Bit of a show stopper - ( Ojas and his team make their own coconut cream in-house and instead of discarding the husks , they ' re used as a coal substitute when smoking this beef for a different depth of flavour ). Resulting in one of the best Masamans we ' ve had in a very long time .
We ' d heard nothing but great things about Mamasan , and now we can see why - they are constantly pushing for the next unique ideas with thoughtful clever twists that will one day replace your familiar favourites .
Halal , Vegan , Vegetarian and Gluten Free Options available . Full marks ! Highly recommended . Excellent work team .
MAMASAN , Liverpool One , 24 College Lane , L1 3DS liverpool @ mamasan . uk Booking suggested on 0151 909 8709
Starters
• Cantonese Char Sui Buns / with cherry hoisin / seasoned vinegar - their own tasty interesting twist on the ' Chinese Bacon Butty ' we all love .
• Ichimi Crusted Carpaccio of Beef / teriyaki onions / pickled shemiji mushroom / wasabi emulsion . Beautiful presentation with delicate and considered flavour touches . Great .
• Black Pepper and Ginger Squid / palm sugar / green peppercorns in a banana leaf cone . Squid can be a divider ( some diners ' fear the rubber ') but this was perfectly done and packed with flavour .
• Dressed Dorset White Crab / crispy wonton cups / yuzu & cucumber caviar / apple . Such a fresh , delicate , delicious and light combo of textures .
Mains
• Teriyaki Salmon / edamame / pickled ginger / soba noodles with goma dressing . Worked really well . Butter soft and lovely .
• Pad Thai of King Prawn & Crispy Soft-Shell Crab / tamarind / peanut chilli / lime . Now , this is a hard dish to crack ( pardon the pun ) but this soft shell had the perfect amount of seasoning , crunch and softness . A very substantial serving too .
• Sweet and Sour Crispy Iberico Pork / pineapple / white grape / peppers . Another in-house twist on a well know favourite , but packed with so much more flavour than the old school beef .
• Wok Fried Pakora Manchurian / peppers / ginger soy / chilli ( vegan ). This was very moreish - as a lot of the flavour base has that irresistible Umami selection of tastes . This particular ' Manchurian candidate ' had us thoroughly convinced . Excellent .
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH - MAMASAN ' S " BUBBLY PORNSTAR "
Ever since they opened , their guests have been crying out for a Liverpool favourite that we didn ' t have on offer - the Classic Pornstar Martini . As mentioned they don ' t carry any purees and very few of their cocktails have juices or traditional dilutants , so the bartenders came up with their own unique ' Bubbly Pornstar ' which consists of Fresh Lemon , Passionfruit sugar , Vanilla Vodka , Cocchi Americano Aperitivo and Bubbles made from prosecco to ensure that you get a real ' bang ' for your buck with a super light and fresh , punchy well rounded personal twist on a classic . A Pornstar like no other .
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