Cello

Cello has struck a chord with diners in Liverpool’s Waterloo with Seaforth by virtue of its nuanced offering of the best of the Tuscan and English kitchens, alongside a lively bar. All of this is set inside stripped back, warm and inviting premises along South Road, a place just as attractive for a casual drink as it is a lazy lunch or full sit-down evening meal. While Cello keeps things seasonal, highlights from the international, Italian-and-British menu include the premium charcuterie selection and the chef’s specials, not to mention the long and carefully selected wine list.

As for Cello’s cellar, it’s well-stocked with a range of international wines, leaning heavily on continental vintages covering varietals from pinot grigio to chianti to zinfandel rose. There’s a good number available by the glass, but if you’re really looking to celebrate, fuelled by Cello’s Italian and British delicacies, go for Laurent Perrier Champagne by the bottle. We rather like the Cello Special cocktail, while purists might while away the evening at this bar in the heart of Liverpool’s Waterloo with a moderate couple of affordable French martinis. Early birds nabbing a table at Cello’s South Road restaurant for a late lunch will be blown away by the bargain two- and three-course set menus, offering rustic Tuscan starters like goats’ cheese bruschetta, the Cajun-inflected chicken linguine, or the very Anglo-Gallic Dijon pork with apple mash.

Alternating the international tenor of its cuisine between the best of British and tasty Tuscan and Italian dishes, Cello’s menu is a delightfully piebald but refined affair. Diners can segue smoothly from an appetiser of spicy Italian meatballs to a black pudding and bacon stack, but one shouldn’t go past one of the highlights of the house, the charcuterie sharing board, featuring sliced Italian cold cuts, salad, olives, and fresh bread. This alone brings the crowds to Cello’s South Road restaurant, especially those who simply want to share a round of drinks and some tapas-style fare. Though it offers only a classic margherita (and the chance to customise an authentic Neapolitan pie), Cello is known in the Waterloo neighbourhood for its pizzas, yet another Italian delicacy this restaurant excels at making. But guests from across Liverpool are most often lured in by the succulent chargrilled dishes, ranging from lean and tender fillet steaks to sirloin, ribeye and rump, the popular lamb rump and chicken marinated in chilli, garlic, mint and lime. The kitchen really whips out the Italian tricks with the list of chef’s specials. Highlights include the wild mushroom and asparagus risotto topped with a poached egg, the Florentine cod and chicken Milanese – but we’ve always a soft spot for the English redcurrant lamb rump with garlic mash and roasted vegetables.