#AD #PressEvent I absolutely adore this time of year. The weather is turning but not yet bitter, and we can ease into the run-up to Christmas without feeling rushed. Best of all, the festive dishes are starting to appear on menus.
Recently we were invited to Il Forno on Duke Street in Liverpool to celebrate the launch of their Christmas menu. A group of local Liverpool bloggers gathered to sample the seasonal offering, welcomed with a glass of bubbly and warm hospitality. We had the chance to taste a wide selection of Christmas starters, mains and desserts.
The first starter that stayed with me was the Chicken Liver Pate Bruschetta. It was rich, luxurious and full of flavour — a very strong opening. The dish was presented on a variety of breads, including squid ink bruschetta, which added an elegant touch.
Although I’m not a huge cheese fan, I was pleased to find many dishes that weren’t cheese-heavy but were packed with flavour. The Gamberoni — large pan-fried king prawns in garlic butter and chilli, with juicy cherry tomatoes — were a highlight, offering a pleasant kick. Another standout was the Burrata e Salmone: smoked salmon tartare paired with creamy burrata. It was a delightful surprise and showed the kitchen’s skill with seafood, which was consistently impressive throughout the evening.
One vegetarian dish that generated a lot of praise was the Parmigiano — oven-baked aubergine with Parmesan, tomato sauce, basil and pesto. It proved popular even with the meat-eaters at our table; for me it was slightly on the cheesy side, but clearly a crowd-pleaser.
Moving on to mains, the fish dishes again impressed. The Merluzzo — cod fillet served on crushed new potatoes with cherry tomatoes — was delicate and well seasoned. The chargrilled seabass fillet (Branzino alla Brace) was excellent too, accompanied by chargrilled vegetables that acted as a welcome palate cleanser; the sweet potato in particular was memorable. By this stage we were getting full but eager to continue sampling each course.
When the Lamb Shank in red wine jus (Stinco D’Agnello) arrived, it was exactly as expected: rich, tender and falling from the bone. My only critique was that the broccoli served alongside was undercooked for my taste.
I had been warned to save room for the Strudel Mela (warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream) and it lived up to the recommendation. The pastry crumb was crunchy with a delicate cinnamon note and paired beautifully with the cold, creamy ice cream.
The evening finished with a dramatic chocolate bomb served with warm chocolate sauce. Our bomb didn’t fully melt as intended, but the concept was clear and the dessert remained delicious — inside the chocolate shell was a coconut cheesecake that worked well with the rich chocolate.
Christmas menus at Il Forno are available from Monday 18th November to Monday 30th December. Their Christmas party dinner menus include options similar to what we sampled: two courses for £25 or three courses for £29.
We were invited to try Il Forno Liverpool’s Christmas party dinner menu in exchange for an honest review.