We were off to Liverpool for Mum’s birthday… I won’t say how old she is as she has started to think she is getting old, but she is still young and beautiful to me and Dad, even if she doesn’t think so. The day didn’t start well either as Mum and Dad had to go to work first, so it wasn’t quite going to plan, but Dad was determined for Mum to have a nice day and knew he could get off to a good start with the lunch he planned.
Etsu Japanese Restaurant in Liverpool opened its doors back in November 2007. Mum absolutely loves both Japanese culture and cuisine, so Dad can’t go wrong with booking a lunch at a Japanese restaurant and it was truly amazing. With the help of their highly trained Japanese chefs, who between them have over 70 years worth of experience, Etsu bring the best authentic Japanese food possible to Liverpool. It is 1 of only 4 Liverpool city restaurants to have been chosen by Michelin Inspectors be included in the 2018 guide and also featured in the UK Good Food Guide for 5 years in a row. It is easy to understand why.
Firstly, we chose our drinks and Mum went for the Asahi Dry and Dad went for Sapporo Black, which came in a huge can (see below) and you have to try this if you can. It’s dark in colour but fairly light in taste, so it’s unlike a normal dark beer and very yummy. We shared two starters of Yasai Gyoza (pan fried and steamed vegetable dumplings) and Maguro Katsu (fresh tuna loin coated in Panko breadcrumbs, fried and served with a fruity sauce) and of course we had some Miso Soup as well. For main we had Bento boxes, Mum had Tonkatsu (pork loin fried in Panko breadcrumbs) and Dad had Tori (tender chicken served with Teriyaki sauce), both served with rice, salad and stir fry. No room for dessert as Mum insisted on a Sushi set instead! It was great value and we give it 5 out of 5 “Bryns” 🤤
It was time to check in to the hotel now and Michelle (the manager) had already text us to see when we would be arriving, which we thought was a nice touch. We were staying at Le Bateau Aparthotel which it’s safe to say was quite a quirky place in a great location. It is situated in the Ropewalks part of the city, which is where all our favourite places happen to be. The accommodation was good value for the price we paid and I believe we got an upgrade as we were in what is listed as a four bedroom apartment with a ‘shared’ living/kitchen space that we were not expecting to have all to ourselves. We were really impressed with the decor and style of the accommodation.
Next on the agenda was more for Dad it’s fair to say. Mum is very nice to him and lets him watch his beloved Liverpool whenever possible and has secretly a soft spot for them now, especially Jurgen and Virgil! We watched the must win Champions League game against Red Bull Salzburg in O’Briens Pub on Slater Street. The 2-0 win was slightly spoiled by a Liverpool “fan” constantly criticising the mighty Mo Salah (had this guy been watching Liverpool for the last few years?!) so we were very pleased when he scored from an almost impossible angle! We were impressed with Salzburg’s Japanese attacking midfielder Takumi Minamino, we should sign this guy, he is really good 😉
The game was over and we were safely through to the knock out stages, so just time for a few pints at our Liverpool “local”, BrewDog. As well as a few pints of Jet Black Heart, we also had the Christmas Loaded Fries, which were fries topped with pigs in blankets, buttermilk fried turkey strips, stuffing balls, gravy and Elvis Juice cranberry mayo. OH MY GOD! OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM!
We hope you did have a nice birthday Mum 😘