Reviews The Art School

Aptly named The Art School, not only is it housed in an old Art School. The food, presentation and delivery together make a work of Art that I captures all the senses in a stunning experience 
In a beautiful building. In a lovely location. 
The staff are wonderful. From the moment you’re greeted at the door. By the ‘man in the hat’ to all the staff. 
Richard
n daniela waited on our table, they added to the amazing experience with all their enthusiasm for the beautiful food. They’re attentiveness, they were fun and engaging. 
We had the taster menu. Which was so many courses. Each one a new and exciting moment in your life. 
The presentation and subtle explosions of flavour. 
Chef Patron Paul Askew, somehow managing to balance the flavours so that the true taste of the ingredients was not lost, but enhanced. 
A true natural beauty and richness to the senses. 
This is an incredible memory for me which will always be one of my top moments. 

Feel like a Queen. 
If ever you get a chance dine here.

Had a delightful lunch today - the food was exquisite, the service spot on, the building ambience comfortable. Just lovely! Here again next time I'm in Liverpool for sure. Thanks to Paul Askew - who even came to say hello!

The Art School is the latest fine dining venture by Paul Askew which recently opened in early September. As a stalwart of the North West dining scene and formerly of the London Carraige Works on Hope Street the website states that it was Paul’s dream to open a fine dine food haven in Liverpool city centre. The restaurant is located in the lantern room of the Victorian 1888 ‘Home for Destitute children’ building on Sugnall Street which is a stones throw away from Hope Street.  The ethos of the restaurant is to provide a high end dining experience using only the finest produce and ingredients perfectly accompanied by superb wines and champagnes. A range of menus is offered depending on the day including a tasting menu at £85 per head, prices to match the ambition of the restaurant. We visited to sample the prix fixe offering which at £29 for three courses offered good value for money, especially on an early Saturday evening. The dining room is bright and airy with a large window allowing guests to view the chefs at work in the kitchen. The prix fixe menu has a large variety of dishes including fish, meat and vegetarian. I opted for Lakeland venison carpaccio with horseradish snow, parmesan and caperberries whilst Mr Nom chose the twice baked soufflé of wild mushrooms, thyme and truffle served with Dijon cream and charred onions. The carpaccio was wonderfully presented and a light dish with ingredients with complemented rather than overpowered the venison. Breaking from his usual meat/fish preference the soufflé was well received. For my main I chose the Whitchurch free range chicken with sweetcorn, buttered spinach, game crisps and local black pudding. Topped with a multitude of crispy fired slices of root vegetables the dish came together as one to form a pleasing dish. Back on familiar territory as Mr Nom chose the braised Hereford ox cheek and tongue served with heritage carrots, champ and natural jus. The braised ox cheek flaked easily with little pressure and the

Took my wife (and kids) for her birthday and lived up to the hype. Fantastic restaurant that could easily be a top restaurant in London or NY. The service is friendly, not arrogant but knowledgeable and truly wants to make the experience great. The meal starts with some canopies and champagne (they offered juice or mocktails to our kids). The canopies were quite nice, I dislike mushrooms but a mushroom macaron was fantastic as was a black pudding canopie. The next amuse bouche was a cold pea soup with creme fraiche. I normally don't like cold soup but this was fantastic, even my picky daughter asked if she could lick the cup. It tasted like a cross between mushy peas and split pea soup. My starter was wood pigeon with foie gras. The foie gras was great, nice portion of pigeon though I found it a tad gamey (maybe that is how wood pigeon is). It was beautifully presented but probably would go with a different starter. My main was perfect, the fish of the day, a John Dory. It was crisp yet tender and moist, prepared wonderfully. Everything on the plate was just perfecct. We then opted for the cheese, which was also great. Unlike France, here you select 5 cheeses. As one, I picked a cheddar for my daughter to try. It turned into my favorite, the best cheddar I have ever had. It was also accompanied with a nice glass of port. Two small pet peeves, but nothing to distract from the five star review. Early in the meal, I mentioned to one of the servers that it was my wife's birthday and it would be nice if they put a little message on the dessert plate (I saw it at an accompanying table). That fell through the cracks. Also, we ordered the cheese expecting to pay a supplement and still get to try one of their beautiful desserts. They never asked for our dessert order and instead gave it as a replacement (and did not charge the supplement). We were probably better off, more than enough food, but we did want the full experience. Finally, we saw beautiful pettite fours and chocolates served to other tables. I believe it accompanied after dinner coffee but we are not coffee drinkers. Would have loved the option to order these without the coffee (especially for the kids) but realistically normally in this calibre restaurant they accompany the check. All very minor peeves to what was a wonderful experience and highly recommended.

The Art School is tucked away but easy to find, generously placed within striking distance of Hope Street, Liverpool's premier hub for the artisans. Firstly, the bar is stunning, etched into the bay window space of a Georgian facade forming a perfect circle between barman and fireplace, the window has gone and instead you stride out of the bar, up a Palladial ramp (if such things exist) into the white space. The white space is dramatic, it feels very posh, the sort of room unkempt victorian school children might peer through longingly whilst the other-side tear into the lobster tail. The white void is for dining and it certainly feels that way, I imagined dining and not just eating, I've tired of eateries and I'm impressed to see Liverpool heave up this timely reminder of dining. The food is successful and you will be starkly reminded that it is, the chef or his/her employer has strewn around enough ceramic plates and award 'shields' that if the kitchen porter called in sick you could eat from the prizes. Mains were quite good, I felt a tad disappointed in my chicken, but then I saw a cup of chef victory fastened firmly to the wall and reminded myself that my Luddite taste organs were probably under-firing. The staff were excellent and there were many of them, they centred from all over Liverpool/the world and entertained our strange whims (a sudden interest in gin emerged from one of my friends, exotic bottles were wheeled out with explanation). The February sun shone through the glassy top of this old potters yard well into our pudding and coffee as we soaked up the last of the Sangiovese (at £26 a bottle). It's a place to impress visiting friends on a Saturday Lunchtime. Roaming onto the streets at three o'clock we felt well sated, excitable and a little bit grander than when we arrived.

Outstanding birthday meal here. Been a few times now and the food, wine and service is incredible. Additional touches are thought about which is rare these days. Thank you to Paul and all the staff. You really do an amazing job and the hard work does not go unnoticed. In fact, it is much appreciated! Still dreaming of the wine we had last night! Special thanks to your sommelier who recommended an outstanding Amarone which was so good we bought a bottle to come home with!

I went here as a birthday treat. The food was incredible as was the service. The atmosphere is calm and relaxing. The manager/owner came over at the end and thanked us for coming. It was a lovely touch.

I was REALLY looking forward to eating here. We took a 10min taxi from the city and it's quite an unassuming entrance from the street in a nice Georgian architectural area of the city. A warm, friendly welcome and pleasant enough surroundings. Excellent to offer an a la carte menu as well as tasting (my bestie isn't very adventurous beyond steak and chicken 🙄). We chose from the ALC which was £89 for 3 courses, with a £5 supplement for sirloin steak main. The 3 amuse bouche, as is customary, from the kitchen were just ok. The bread was equally just ok. The two seeded rolls were dry bordering stale, not warm and certainly not baked fresh that day (or had been under a hot lamp). Scallop starter was ok, one King sliced into three with few queens in a bisque sauce that didn't really taste as punchy as it could have. The sirloin was a total disappointment! Especially given the supplement. My slices had sinew, and it really was a very ordinary plate of food. The desserts were good, light flaky mille-feuille. The decaf coffee was delicious and I probably enjoyed that the most. The atmosphere was nice enough but the music was a bit dated. All the staff were very friendly and helpful, I was quite surprised when the bread crumbs were cleared that they were swept onto the carpet, and not onto a receptacle/hand. I left feeling disappointed and I wouldn't come again. When I'm lucky enough to eat at fine dining places I want to close my eyes and really taste all the flavours and textures dancing around. I only wanted to close my eyes for bed after this. My score was bordering 3.5/4. Sorry!

An absolutely fantastic visit from start to finish! Everything from the food, decor, staff and atmosphere were 10/10 we will be back! You cant put this place or its food into words, you just have to go and experience the excellence for yourself. Thanks you for the most wonderful memorable night to everyone who served us, and to the chefs… wow you are masters of your craft!

I had a lovely experience here with my partner for our anniversary. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. I had the vegan excellence menu and was very satisfied with everything I ate. The summer salad was the best little salad I’ve ever had, the flavours went so well together with the combination of fruit and veg.