THE ART SCHOOL
by Nicky Rigby-Smith & Si Hall
Wirral Life have eagerly awaited our visit to The Art School.
Having attended the recent Liverpool Tourism Awards, where
The Art School’s Patron Chef, Paul Askew, was awarded for
Outstanding Contribution to Tourism in the Region, the
restaurant being recently named by The Sunday Times as
one of the top 100 restaurants in the UK and having intently
watched Paul on the Great British Menu – we could not wait
for this review!
With modern, sophisticated and clean décor, The Art School is
in a great location, just situated by the Liverpool Philharmonic in
the Georgian Quarter of the City. Greeted by Katie, our waitress -
who was very attentive and knowledgeable about all dishes on the
menu - and our sommelier Jitka, who likewise knew everything
there is to know about wines… we were seated to our table in the
beautifully appointed dining room.
A complimentary amuse bouche arrived to excite our palate.
Consisting of crème fraiche, cress, chilled asparagus and
pea velouté, and served in a teacup. Unexpected and genius.
Homemade breads followed served with the creamiest of Jersey
butters. Delicious.
To begin, we opted for; Warm salad of poached Cheshire duck
egg and spring truffle, Twice baked soufflé of local pink tip
spinach and Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese; and Cornish Red
Mullet. The duck egg arrived with Hooton watercress, goats curd,
spring truffle and a lightly pickled shallot. Presented beautifully,
the duck egg was cooked to perfection and the combination
of tastes were outstanding. The spinach dish was served with
a Hooton wild garlic & Ormskirk Leek, garlic cress and Dijon
cream sauce and a wonderfully light soufflé, sweet and with
delicate flavours. Perfect. The Red Mullet with lemon, parsley &
brown shrimp risotto, “Pastis” sauce & Morel mushrooms, was a
piece of art - this was no ordinary risotto! Carefully constructed
with beautiful saffron flavours and the best cooked Red Mullet
we have tasted.
30 wirrallife.com
For mains, we ordered; A plate of Callum’s Heswall Galloway beef;
Fresh Market Fish of the Day and a plate of Hebridean Hogget.
The beef dish was superb. A trio of tongue, cheek & sirloin with
turtle beans, oyster, cauliflower, spring vegetables and a natural
jus and a horseradish snow – the beef was cooked perfectly, the
presentation and depth of flavour was outstanding – first class.
We paired this dish with a Domaine Boutinot, a Grenache with
jamminess and red berry flavours which worked brilliantly with
the rich beef flavours.
The fish of the day, which changes daily - was a beautiful John
Dory, served with tender stemmed broccoli, new potatoes and a
fish stock. Fresh, subtle yet hearty, overall a delight to the palette.
The Hebridean Hogget (a dish that is sentimental to Paul) was
served four ways: pan roast loin, confit shoulder, sweetbreads
and hey roast rump. Accompanied with a natural jus served in
a sheep’s horn. Again, oozing with creativity and flavours – this
dish showed off Paul’s incredible talent to perfection. Superb!
At this point, we were feeling incredibly spoilt and euphoric from
our fabulous fine dining experience. As is the norm for Wirral Life,
we carried on with desserts... and chose: Crème Brulee of white
chocolate; Passion fruit & white chocolate delice and a Yoghurt
pannacotta with raspberry foam. A Pre-Dessert was served to
refresh our palate. A combination of honeycomb, dehydrated
raspberry, pineapple and mango sorbet – scrumptious! Desserts
followed and were spectacularly presented – colourful and fun –
and they tasted even better!
If you’ve not been to The Art School, then you must! Paul is an
exemplary Chef and is truly individual - his menu’s are creative,
dishes are exquisite, skilfully created and cooked to perfection.
To round up… it’s a piece of art! Without any hesitation, we give
it five stars… plus!
To book, call 0151 230 8600 or
visit: theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk.