The Olive Restaurant, Liverpool

It was the weekend before payday which is usually a struggle (as many of you guys will know!) however for some reason I hadn’t really gone crazy with spending this month (perhaps I’m maturing :p). I decided to take my girlfriend over to the classier side of Liverpool town and try somewhere new. This was The Olive.

As soon as we arrived there was a buzzing atmosphere, which you’d certainly expect from a Saturday night. I always like being greeted as you walk through the door, not having to wait to be seen by either the Maitre’d or Restaurant Manager. To me, it shows they’re on point and can handle a busy Saturday night, which can certainly be a challenge for many restaurants.

The service was excellent. We were given plenty of time to read the menu and decide what drinks/wine we wanted, which I always appreciate. Is there anything worse than feeling like you’re rushed to make a choice from the waiter/waitress?!

We shared the warm ciabatta bread with balsamic and olive oil dipping, as well as the calamari. Both were perfect and the calamari was cooked perfectly with no excessive chewing required! The tentacles of the calamari were also served which didn’t bother me in the slightest (perhaps at that point I’d finished my first glass of wine and felt brave).

We were sat fairly closely to a six-person table with maybe a 20cm gap in-between. This wasn’t so bad because our table was a four-person table and as there were two of us, we sat further away from them. Then this guy (who surely had drank too much) nearest to our table decided to use our table to dispose of his spare side plate! It was rude and something I’d never experienced before but thankfully the waiter quickly removed it and gave me an understanding look, that this isn’t normal!

I’d never ordered a rib-eye steak rare before but after being disappointed by so many restaurants lately, at home and abroad, who cannot do medium-rare properly, I thought I’d give it a go and I wasn’t disappointed. It was so tender and delicious and required no £3.50 extra sauces! Potentially the best steak I’d ever eaten. Anna ordered the roasted hake, which she said was cooked perfectly although we were quite sure it was bacon wrapped around it and not proscuitto!

Anyone who’s in or around Merseyside should definitely give this restaurant a try. It’s perfect for young or older couples, as well as for larger parties. Just make sure your table isn’t too close to the next one along as you never know what will end up on it!

The Olive, Liverpool

Adam