For Fliss’ birthday I took her out to a recently opened restaurant in nearby Woolton. Negresco Deco has replaced what was a rather seedy looking lager and football joint with a homage to 1920’s jazz club style – the interior is really very nice, lots of dark wood and white tablecloths going on, with a sophisticated atmosphere to suit.
We arrived only a few minutes before our table time of 8:30, but the girl at the door suggested we went and got a drink from the bar first. We did that, with the same girl coming to show us to our table a short while later. I have to say, it was a little intimidating arriving in a place like this, as it’s not often we dine out, never mind in a place with live musicians playing away in the corner of the restaurant. It didn’t feel pretentious, though, which is important to note, because I have an exceptionally low tolerance for that kind of thing.
The meal started with some “complimentary” tempura, which we hadn’t asked for, but appeared just after we’d ordered. It also appeared on the bill at the end of the night, too, but it was buttons compared to the rest of the menu, so there seemed no sense splitting hairs over it. In the event it was tasty stuff, so hey ho.
Our starter was Mediterranean Vegetable Soup. Two bowls of which arrived with almost metronomic precision, and wow – it was sensational. Absolutely the tastiest soup I’ve had in a very long time. It was shaping up to be a very fine meal.
After the soup came our orders of beef, accompanied with a side of vegetables each. The vegetables were suitably quirky; full, shaped beetroot and a red cabbage filled courgette, for example. Not that I’m complaining – they all tasted great! Needless to say the beef was succulent and cooked to perfection.
Possibly kicking the arse out of it, Fliss wanted to try the desert after we’d finished the main course, so we got a couple of different things for the first time in this particular dining adventure. I forget the name, but mine was a sort of hazelnut chocolate filled pastry, while Fliss had pear tart. I didn’t try any of hers, because mine was rich and tasty enough that I gave it my full attention. If anything it could have done with a little fresh cream, but hey – it was obvious from everything we’d been served during the night that somebody else was the expert.
There were only two downsides. One male member of staff appeared to know the people in the booth table behind us, meaning he’d go and speak with them every now and then. This would be fine, except that they were really very loud when they were doing so and it did nothing to help the atmosphere.
The only other downside is that it’s just not the kind of place we can afford to eat at all the time, because, if I could, I really would be back at Negresco Deco on a regular basis. 🙂
