14 Bar & Grill

Sometimes, the clue is in the name and in the case of 14 Bar & Grill, the number refers to the top floor of Daniel House – an unassuming apartment block in Bootle – where you’ll find the restaurant, along with 360º views of Liverpool and across the water to the Wirral.

You can eat on the rooftop terrace, depending on the weather, but the panorama is just as, er, panoramic inside, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. Food-wise and the menu is equally vast, covering a range of cuisines, from French cheese beignets and Italian chicken Milanese to Korean lamb chops and Japanese tempura. There is in fact an “an exquisite selection of contemporary small plates”, including some best of British flavours such as mini shepherd’s pie and mini bangers and mash. Seafood comes in the form of scallops in a creamy garlic sauce, salt and pepper crispy squid, and firecracker prawns; there’s also sushi such as spicy tuna and sexy flamed salmon, although we might leave that for someone else. The sushi and the spring rolls include duck as well as vegetarian, and a rare plant-based option in the dragon vegetable rolls (no actual dragons were harmed in the making of this dish). Under mains, there’s a beer-battered fish and chips, plus lamb shank and pork four ways (fillet, belly, cheek and black pudding). A separate steak section includes a well-marbled Wagyu and also a Tomahawk to share. Sunday gets its own menu, with beef, chicken, lamb, salmon and nut roasts served alongside all the trimmings.

The sweet selection proffers old favourites the likes of chocolate fondant and sticky toffee pudding, or you could really push the boat out (you can see it from this vantage point), and order the dessert platter – more of a fancy shelving unit, if we’re honest – to share.

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