As the Zutons sing ‘this is just a night in the city of culture‘. Well it is now. 2008 is finely upon us. For some it may just be another year but for us up here in the Northwest it is a date that has been slowly dawning for nearly 5 years – I even remember hearing the announcement that Liverpool had won the badge for ’08 on Radio Merseyside! I digress…

Anyway, ever since the announcement, the construction world in Liverpool has gone crazy mad. The skyline shows the splendid waterfront interspersed with huge cranes. Liverpool One is well on its way to being opened in the Spring. It should be great with lots of new shops & I believe a new flagship store for John Lewis!

As you probably already know we don’t live in the City of Culture but we do have a rather grand view from our flat & it was here that we welcomed in the New Year. Despite being told that there were no fireworks display for the Capital of Culture, there was a service at the Catholic Cathedral & at midnight they did have some lovely fireworks – together with a lit up 2008 sign. As we weren’t expecting any, we didn’t have the camera ready but here are a couple of pics we managed to get…
So, its the new year and that means lots of resolutions. Here are a couple of foodie ones I’d like to share:

• Cook new recipes more often – try something new each week
• Eat more healthy foods – we are hoping to sort out a weekly veggie box
• Eat at Simon Rimmers restaurant

I hope 2008 is a good year for you all.

Italian food is one of my favourites and Liverpool has quite a few Italian restaurants but I was yet to find one that was traditional but didn’t have plastic red and green check table clothes. So a bit of googling later we came across a restaurant described as “One of the Top 10 authentic Italian restaurants according to The Times Knowledge magazine, Il Forno is a slice of Italy situated in the heart of Liverpool city centre”.

The reviews on onionring seemed quite good so I booked us a table.

The booking was made for 7.30pm as they were fully booked for later slots – 2 1/2 weeks in advance. I was surprised then when we ended up staying in the restaurant for 3 hours – not rushed once by the friendly staff.

The food was fantastic. We shared some focaccias to start and then I tucked into a Garganelli al salmone fresco e funghi – Garganelli with fresh salmon mushrooms and a dash of cream. The bowl was huge, the portions definitely on the generous side and it was beautiful. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce coated the pasta just enough. At a cost of £7.50 for a main it was most definitely value for money.

For pudding, well it is my birthday!, I had ice cream with a dash of baileys poured over the top. My friend also ordered this & we took one mouthful and just looked at each other as the delicious ice cream melted in our mouths. It was fantastic.

Its just such a shame we forgot the camera so there are no pictures to tempt you all with.

Hubby & I will definitely be going back & I just hope its sometime soon as there was such a good choice on the menu it really was difficult to choose.

And not one tacky table cloth in sight. The restaurant was modern, bright and really vibrant. A real breath of fresh air indeed.

So if you are ever in Liverpool in search of a good meal I’d most definitely suggest il forno

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Liverpool

Happy Birthday to you!

And blogger now does videos!!…

Todays fine cruise ship is the Maasdam from Holland and its quite a nice day for the visitors to be stopping over in Liverpool. The boats always moor up in the middle of the River Mersey & the passengers disembark using the ferry service.

On Saturday, I made nothing, not a sausage, ziltch. In the evening we went out for a drink & ended up going for an Indian. Not much to write home about I have to say.

Today we are having the rest of the chili. So a weekend well spent. Hmmmm.

We did however have a nice morning out in Liverpool, wandering around the waterfront to see what all the developments look like from t’other side of the river. I think its going to be really nice when its finished & I am quite looking forward to it. Work has started on the canal, joining the Mersey from in front of the Liver Building up to the Albert Docks, the new stadium is nearly finished (well, from the outside) & it is starting to look like it is coming together. There is still a lot of building work going on though, cranes everywhere, but I have faith it will be done in time for 2008 & will be great.

Here is a flavour of what we saw…
Can you (just about) make out the cone at the bottom of the dock? As usual the fun lovin‘ scousers have been up to their tricks, but blimey how clean is the water?!

The beginnings of the canal

Oh and how could I forget, whilst we were wandering we saw a chap sprinting towards us in his red shorts (no top), just as he got past us he headed down to a dock, stripped of his red shorts & dive into the cold water – eek. Yes I had to look away as he stripped, it wasn’t a pretty sight but how I could I not post this pic… (if you click on the pic to enlarge it, you might just be able to see the desirable swimwear…)