4/04/2015

#AtoZChallenge / Dinner at Puschka

Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog


Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog

Just Add Ginger blog

For part of the Boy's birthday shenanigans  I booked us in for a romantical meal at Puschka - an intimate, bohemian, and incredibly cool restaurant on Rodney Street in Liverpool. I have actually been twice before to Puschka, but Boyfriend had never been and has been keen to go for ages

I must admit that I'd left booking a table quite late. The restaurant is only small and can get very busy.  I'd definitely recommend booking really far ahead if possible because I don't think it's one of those places you can just walk in on the night and be seated. When we went, it was pretty busy, and when we were leaving, it had filled up even more! 

For starters, I had the ham hock terrine, with wild mushrooms in a lovely spreadable form (I honestly can't think of the word to use for it!) Boyfriend had black pudding, chorizo and apple. Oh. My. Goodness. My ham hock was so succulent and so tender that it just fell apart, and the wild mushrooms were a perfect accompaniment. But I'm not going to lie. Boyfriend's starter was the best. The black pudding was gorgeous, and the chorizo complemented the intense, earthy flavour to perfection. I am the biggest black pudding fan, and this starter was the best example of how to get it really, really right. 

There was a litle wait for our main. But that's understandable. I know that the Puschka kitchen is quite small, and everything is cooked to order so is really fresh. We didn't mind. We sat talking and laughing and sipping on our glasses of raspberry kir royale and pinotage.

Mains were definitely worth the wait. I picked pork belly and pork cheek, and Boyfriend chose venison wrapped in pancetta. My knife slid through the pork belly like butter and the crackling on top was crisp, and crunchy. I don't really think any of the meat touched the plate I gobbled it up mouthful after mouthful sat in Foodie Heaven! The Boy was really impressed with the way his venison was cooked, but he said that it didn't really need the pancetta. The venison stood out on it's own. 

As wonderful as the first two courses had been, it was my dessert that was the star. Peanut Butter Mousse. Chocolate. Ice Cream. Need I say more? It was honestly like eating a giant peanut butter cup and I didn't want it to end! The chocolate topping counteracted the saltiness of the peanut flavour, and the peanut brittle which was scattered around the edge of the plate brought some welcome crunch (I have this thing about crunchy foods. They absolutely rock my socks!) Boyfriend tucked in to his dessert - cheesecake - and particularly enjoyed the ice cream, but we knew whose had won. 

Dinner was an absolutely gorgeous experience. The staff were friendly and really helpful, and the food was just as yummy as I remembered it to be. We did have to wait a little while in between our mains and desserts, but we weren't in much of a rush so this didn't bother us. I had been given a time when we needed to be finished at the table, but in the end this wasn't enforced, and it was nice not to feel rushed. If you are making plans for after a visit, bear in mind that the chefs do cook to order and allow extra time for this. Believe me the food is worth the wait

Has anybody else been to Puschka before? What did you think? 


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