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Restaurant review: Steven Gerrard's new eatery The Vincent - Liverpool
- Formby Bubble
- Jun 25, 2015
- 4 min read
Marc Waddington finds himself accidentally having dinner with the Liverpool FC legend in Exchange Flags.
When I was a kid and would go to McDonald’s, sometimes I’d see Ronald McDonald throwing a kids’ party.
But generally, when you go to KFC you don’t expect to see Colonel Sanders there, and rarely ever do you go to a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef and see them sweating over the grill.
So it was a real surprise when, on arriving at Steven Gerrard’s new restaurant in Exchange Flags, Vincent, the legend himself was sitting at a table just along from us, with a table of mates. They were having a good night, posting pictures online.
Steven Gerrard enjoys his goodbye meal with the lads
It must surely be a good sign, that the multi-millionaire footballer who has put money into this venture wants to eat there himself.
As we sat down in the big, grand hall that was once office space as part of Exchange Flags and latterly a Japanese restaurant that didn’t last long, it made me think about the last time I ate food in a place owned by a footballer: Connelly’s Plaice in Brierfield, near home - owned by ex-Burnley legend John Connelly.
Some photos of inside The Vincent - Liverpool.....
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
The interior of new restaurant Vincent Cafe and Cocktail Barin Exchange Flags.
But there, Connelly himself - who was in the World Cup winning squad of 1966 - really does the cooking.
Players today certainly don’t tend to end up as landlords manning the pumps or donning chefs whites themselves, but in a way the likes of Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are carrying on the tradition, albeit in much more glamorous settings.
More glamorous it certainly is. A mixture of tables and booths against the walls in front of the high windows, and a lot of chrome and leather. It’s solidly representative of other its position in the market place, and very similar to some of the city’s other, exclusive-looking dining destinations.
As we ordered, I looked around. The checklist was nearly all ticked off: a football legend there, a model having dinner with a stylist, a PR man joining them at the table, all that was missing was ... oh, hang on, there was a table of local property developers.
Yes, it really was like a Scouse theme park.
The starter that spoke to me was the lobster macaroni and cheese (£9).
When the waiter raved about it to me in such a way that you could see was genuine rather than professional, I was decided. It came in its little cast iron pot alongside a small tuft of salad.
Visually it was beautiful, with the thick creamy yellow mac and cheese contrasted with the pink edges of the lobster meat. From the first mouthful, I was enraptured. The sweetness of the meat and the slight sourness of the cheese were perfect together.
My girlfriend, who is vegetarian, went for the asparagus, egg yolk and truffle dressing (£7). Formby, around which Gerrard lives, is famed for its asparagus. Whether this was local we never got chance to ask. Still, worrying about how many food miles it had travelled was quickly forgotten about.
The spears themselves were delicious, although the dressing was less of a dressing and more of a smear that had somewhat congealed on the plate.
It is very much the in thing presentation-wise to smear dressings on plates, but it doesn’t make for the best eating experience.
For my main course I was torn between a number of options, but in the end chose the crisp skinned pork belly, black pudding, hock and pea beignets and apple (£16).
TASTE TEST - The Vincent, Exchange Flags. Dessert and coffee at Steven Gerrard's Vincent restaurant
Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful to look at, but far too salty.
All the main elements conspired together to assault the palate, and there wasn’t enough apple to counterpoint the saltiness.
The sweet contrast was lost beneath the salty pork, black pudding and hock and pea beignets - all of which on their own were delicious. But together they were too much.
Jade’s sushi (£10) was largely excellent. This was not your supermarket meal deal sushi, made three days in advance, this was rolled moments before it arrived on the table. It came with a little cone of home-made wasabi and a teapot of soy sauce.
Some of the seven pieces were a little too similar, though, and the cucumber side salad seemed a little incongruous. A small Asian salad would have made more sense. But it was well received, and fresh sushi always feels like a treat.
For desserts, I chose the creme brulee (£6.50) and Jade the chocolate pave (£6.50).
My creme brulee had the necessary crunchy lid but the interior was a little too runny, but the vanilla seeds inside were a nice touch.
The pave, however, was superb, probably her favourite dish of the night: a thick and well textured slab of chocolate mousse that went well with the salted caramel popcorn and the peanut ice cream.
At the final whistle, we were happy with the result.
Were I now standing in front of a board full of sponsors’ logos with a mic thrust in front of me, I’d have to say of Vincent: “It had some good chances, converted some well but was just wide of the mark with others. But overall, yeah, it was a strong performance, and we’re confident things’ll continue to improve, Clive.”
Need to know
Venue: Vincent Cafe & Cocktail Bar, Exchange Flags, Liverpool Tel: 0151 236 1331
Details of meal: Three course meal for two plus a couple of drinks for £68
Service: Slightly over-attentive at times, but very pleasant and friendly
Value: Very good, considering the grandeur of the surroundings
Disabled access: Yes
TASTE TEST - The Vincent, Exchange Flags. Dessert and coffee at Steven Gerrard's Vincent restaurant
Story and Photo Source: Liverpool Echo
Review by Marc Waddington
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