After a cold brisk walk up from Lime Street Station, we stepped into ‘The Refinery’ placed on the corner of Hope Street in the heart of Liverpool Universities and Theatres. I was immediately drawn to the decor. With it being Winter, everyone is after a cosy environment to place themselves in and the restaurant proved to be just that. With dark, intimate lighting, leather seating, rustic wooden tables and fascinating chunky roped lights it set the perfect atmosphere to escape the icy cold Winter weather.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted and taken to our table for two. Walking through, I thought about how nice it was to see somewhere so busy on a weekday evening. Although it wasn’t the kind of busy that becomes annoyingly loud and you have to wait hours for service. It was the kind of busy that gives a restaurant a truly great and welcoming vibe..
When I first looked at The Refinery online and noticed it being classed as a place for ‘Social Eating’, I was slightly confused. After we settled, I said to my partner that it was nice to be a young couple dining in a restaurant that we felt it would attract an older audience but not feel out of place. From the moment we stepped through the door, the staff were friendly and cared about if we were happy checking in now and again.
After a recommendation from our hostess, I ordered a glass of ‘Da Luca Fiano’ a crisp refreshing white wine with Thyme and blackcurrant aromas. We laughed about the size of the wine glasses and how large they were with the hostess joking about how she is a student and tends to just put a straw in a wine bottle. Sadly, there are no longer many restaurants where when you order a glass of wine it comes in a glass that leaves a nice space at the top rather than a small glass being filled to the brim.
Whenever I go for a meal, starters are a huge thing for me as I feel they really introduce the quality of a restaurant. After a long debate, we opted for ‘The Refinery Taster’ – a sharing platter. The platter consisted of Scotch Egg and black pudding with a delicious explosion of flavours, incredible Honey Roasted Chicken Wings, Slaw and a variety of Ribs and Chorizo. The only thing that was missing that was listed on the menu were Crispy Onion Rings. To be honest, I didn’t notice until glancing back at the menu later on as I was too lost in the flavour of the Scotch Egg.
For the main course, we ordered a The Haddock and ‘Proper Chips’ and The Roasted Pork Belly. The Haddock was perfectly cooked, had an exquisite texture and the batter didn’t show an ounce of grease. I was most excited about the ‘Proper Chips’ and that is exactly what they were. Thick, tasty chips to dip in the tasty tartare sauce. I, of course had a sneaky taste of my partners Roasted Pork Belly which was topped with perfectly crunchy crackling accompanied by some creamy mustard mash.
Our meal was accompanied by Live Music from Victoria Sharpe. After playing a few Christmas Numbers, Victoria came over to our table with a list of songs that we were able to request by texting or using social media. It definitely added an extra twist to our experience being able to spot a song, send a quick tweet and hear it played beautifully a few minutes later. It’s often a difficult balance for restaurants to have live music but I felt this evening it was the perfect addition to a mid-week dining experience.
The staff at The Refinery were nothing but friendly and really appeared to care when taking your order or talking to you which made a refreshing change. The Refinery makes for the perfect place for Pre-Theatre dining or a few happy hour cocktails.
For more information and to book a table at The Refinery, visit their website here.
Georgia Flynn
