It’s a Saturday afternoon, the match is on and I am in need of some lunch (dinner to us scousers), but I want to avoid the raucous football-loving crowd. So where do I end up I hear you say? Well, “Pi” on Rose Lane of course!
I am told that this place has recently extended next door to double its size, so it was a very good indicator of its popularity and I was eager to give it a go.
My friends and I walked into a near empty bar that only had one table occupied, and that was fine by us as it meant we had pick of the best seats in the house, the window seats.
It has a very welcoming, cosy feel with lots of wooden tables, a wooden clad bar, pieces of beer memorabilia and the piste de résistance, 60 odd bottles of beers from around the world displayed on the wall behind the bar. If you don’t know about this joint yet, it’s a pub that has a huge selection of beers and some fantastic pies. Hang on… a beer and a pie? I was surprised that there wasn’t a huge TV in the corner of the room, but then I think it would take away from its rustic charm.
Today was food only so we chose our pies from the board behind the bar and we all opted for the “Shamrock pie” as it sounded so comforting, consisting of slow roasted beef steak in a rich gravy with Irish Stout at a reasonable price of £4.50.
We then added the extra sides of minted mushy peas, mash (“Desiree potatoes with lashings of butter & cream”) and gravy at £1 each. The barman was good enough to tell us that one portion of mash would easily feed two people so we saved a bit extra. Every little helps!
Whilst we waited for our food we all mulled over, “The Pi Beer Bible & Beverage Compendium”, a great little booklet that explains every draught and bottle being sold along with recommendations of similar tasting beers if you find one to your liking. We all decided that we would taste every beer in here (not in the one outing) once we all had a bit more money as prices varied from £3.20 up to a whopping £11.00.
However, the pies came out a lot sooner than expected and we all gasped at the massive portion of mushy peas and mash that surrounded the plump looking pie.
The pastry was perfect, not too crusty, and the generous beef steak filling poured out. It was a real melt in the mouth moment and the minted mushy peas really complemented the flavours along with the ultra smooth creamy and buttery mash.
This is not a place to visit on your diet day, however, a little bit of what you fancy never does you any harm and if you are wanting a little bit of peace and quiet during match days, then Pi it is!
Laura Evans
