An Evening In The Smugglers Cove | Liverpool
The Smugglers Cove in Liverpool invited me (and a plus one) to come in and review their food, drink, desserts & atmosphere.
As soon as I stepped in to this hideaway gem, situated on The Albert Dock, I was transported to a smugglers paradise filled with good food, good rum & good service...
To start
For the starters there were lots of good options and it took us a while to decide- our waiter Tom was very patient and gave us plenty of time.
I chose to go for the 'HOMEMADE HOUMOUS with crudités and fougasse bread' & my friend, Louisa, decided to get Toms recommendation of the 'SMOKED HADDOCK FONDUE topped with a herb crumb, poached egg and fougasse bread'.
I really enjoyed the Houmous as it had a very homemade & fresh taste. The cucumber and celery went well with it and added a nice crunch to each bite. I think the type of bread was a perfect fit for the starter as it was crunchy and easy to dip in and devour the houmous!
Louisa really liked her starter as it had a salty ocean-fresh taste and a nice crunch to it with the bread. She especially liked the 'Perfect Pouched egg' topped on the smoked haddock fondue.
Mains
After our server, Tom, took away our finished starters, we began looking at the mains. Louisa knew straight away exactly what she wanted to get- Their famous hanging Kebabs (Lamb kofta). She had spotted them on The Smugglers Cove Instagram and just couldn't resist! For me, the menu was one of those menus where you love everything and just can't decide what to get.
I eventually chose the half a chicken with BBQ sauce. Both of these meals come with their signature 'Properly seasoned chips'.
I HAVE to say, the 'Properly seasoned chips' were the star of the meal for me! They were perfectly & properly seasoned, just like their name. I would of been happy with just a bowl of the chips! I also loved the chicken which was seasoned, succulent and went well with the BBQ sauce. What would of made this meal even better, is to have the option of the chicken being boneless, as I personally would of preferred that. But apart from that, it was a spectacular meal!
Louisa couldn't get enough of her hanging lamb kofta kebab & 'properly seasoned chips'! She especially loved the Piri Piri sauce as it complemented the lamp exceptionally well, along with a drizzle of lemon which gave it a zesty kick bursting with flavour.
Cocktails
After finishing up our mains, we started looking at cocktails. We were both in the mood for something 'fiery' so we opted for a cocktail each from the 'FOAMS & FLAMES' section of their (massive) cocktail menu.
Bartender- Andy
I decided to try their cocktail 'GUNPOWDERS & PAINKILLERS' which is a twist on the classic, made with Pusser's Gunpowder Strength rum, orange, pineapple and a healthy dose of flames.
Louisa chose their 'CARAMELISED RUM PUNCH' which is made with Flamed GRAND MARNIER LIQUEUR, caramelised demerara sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, watermelon sugar syrup, pineapple and lime juice, topped with MOUNT GAYECLIPSE RUM.
In order of appearance- Gunpowder & painkillers, Caramelised Rum Punch
My cocktail was a bit stronger than I like but I loved the citrusy taste and it was really cool watching it being made with the flames!
Louisa really liked her cocktail and said it had a strong warmth of cinnamon, sweet caramelised texture and the spirit of Christmas!
Desserts
After sipping away our delicious cocktails, we ventured in to the land of desserts. There was some difficulty in choosing a dessert as, although it wasn't a big dessert menu, all of the selections sounded amazing!
I opted to go for another one of Tom's recommendations and have the 'BAKED CHOCOLATE CHIP
COOKIE DOUGH - with salted caramel ice cream and toffee sauce'.
Louisa went for a childhood classic, 'COLA JELLY FLOAT - layers of childhood nostalgia, with vanilla ice cream and Amarena cherries.'
I absolutely loved the Baked chocolate chip cookie dough! Its cookie dough, of course it's gonna be good! The cookie dough was steaming hot and helped melt the cold ice cream on top to merge the flavours together. Each mouth full was warm, sweet creamy and chocolaty. Everything a dessert should be!
Louisa's Cola Jelly Float is a modern take on an old favourite- Jelly & ice cream. This dessert is similar to a knickerbocker glory but with cola jelly, ice cream and cherries. Louisa said it had a great cola flavour, is refreshing and tastes of happiness!
Mocktails
While eating our scrumptious desserts, we ordered some mocktails.
(Mocktails are cocktails without alcohol. Which actually taste pretty good!)
Right away the 'SOLERO' caught my eye, which is made with 'vanilla ice cream, mango, pineapple and passion fruit...'
Louisa wanted to try their 'CARIBBEAN MOJITO' which is made with 'a long and refreshing blend of passion fruit, mint and lemon juice; topped with apple juice and lemonade.' She also wanted to see if it tastes anything like a normal mojito.
I loved the creamy texture of my mocktail, it was a refreshing sweet treat in a drink!
Louisa was amazed at how much her mocktail tasted like the real thing and loved how fruity and distinctive the mint was.
Service
All evening the service was fantastic! We couldn't of asked for a better waiter (thanks Tom!) as he was incredibly conscientious and thoughtful.
One of the things you can't help but notice is the ambience of The Smugglers Cove. It immerses you in an unexpected feeling of homely comfort, creating a cosy & comfortable environment.
Ratings:
Experience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Drink: 5/5
Ambience: 5/5
Overall: 5/5!!!
I loved the variety of food, drinks and desserts they offer at The Smugglers cove, as it caters to all different people and their tastes. My favourite thing about The Smugglers cove (a part form the food) is the theme. I love how the decor and little details reflect the smuggler theme and the location only adds to it!
Overall, we had a brilliant time! Thank you to The Smugglers Cove for
inviting me in and I can't wait to go back and try out some more of
their flaming cocktails.
