29 Oct Bakchich
I can be quite lazy at dinnertime when I’m at the Phil. Despite it being a mere ten minute walk down to Bold Street, I often do a Co-op soup situation combined with a Caffe Nero gluten free ham and mustard mayo sandwich. On the days I fancy some air after rehearsing indoors all day, Bold Street comes to the rescue. It’s full of restaurants with a wide selection of cuisines from Indian at Mowgli to pizza at Crust and Vietnamese pho at…Pho! Last week I revisited Bakchich to get my Mediterranean fix.
Just being in Bakchich (pronounced ‘back-sheesh’?) cheers you up. Vibrantly patterned tiles cover the walls and tables, large pickle jars fill the shelves and all of sudden you realise you’ve been bobbing along to the insanely catchy music since you walked in! The menu is divided into mezze and mains. It may take you a few minutes to process all the different dishes, but the main sections are large salads, dishes from the charcoal grill, platters, house specialities, wraps, burgers and pizzas. I went for the grilled salmon salad as I fancied something light after a relatively late lunch. I should have paid more attention to the large in ‘large salad’ 😀 A humongous pile of lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, olives and pomegranate arrived topped with a chunky grilled salmon fillet. Actually, it’s brilliant the portions are so generous! The salad was dressed with tons of lemon juice and olive oil with a dusting of sumac, a Middle Eastern spice with a citrusy tang. Priced at £8.95 it’s definitely a salad worth the money. Most dishes on the menu are under £10. Wraps seem the most economical as they are served with salad and pickles, all hovering around the £5 mark. If you really want to push the boat out how about the full lamb kabsa, at a kingly £240? 😀 I’d actually love to do that with a group of friends – anyone interested, comment below! Mmm a whole lamb…?
Another fun item on the menu is the zaatar fries. Zaatar is a mixture of oregano and thyme which the chefs at Bakchich have turned into a paste, added sesame seeds to garnish and drizzled on top of a pile of fries. They even do tahini fries which sounds interesting, I imagine they’d be too gloopy for me but I’ll give it a go next time and see!
Now for the drinks. I tried a pomegranate mojito mocktail (being good before a concert!). The ingredients listed are lemonade, fresh pomegranate, rose water and pomegranate fruit puree. I was expecting something more refreshing, to my taste this was far too sweet. Rather than getting the fresh fruit flavour, it seemed more synthetic due to the sugar overload. My friend tried the halva and pistachio yoghurt smoothie and absolutely adored it. The yoghurt is frozen and the drink blended so it’s like a milkshake!
I’ve advise coming ahead of peak dinner times as tables fill up quite quickly. Bakchich has been doing so well they’re about to open a new branch in Williamson Square, down towards Lime Street Station. It would be a good shout for a train meal, I will definitely be doing that on return London journeys.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had on top of fries? Do you like whole roasted lamb? Let me know in the comments and give this post a like if you enjoyed it! See you next week for some tapas and what it’s like playing in a cave! ??
STATS
Nearest Venues:Â Philharmonic Hall, Bombed out Church, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Total Receipt: £12.90
1x Grilled salmon salad 8.95
1x Pomegranate mojito mocktail 3.95
Rating: 7/10 You’ll still be dancing while you eat
No Comments