In line with our month-long celebration of Art, enjoy a delectable 4 course meal, recreated after nearly 110 years in our Bold St home
Whilst renovation work was taking place in April 2021, a beautifully preserved menu over 100 years old fell from the rafters, dating back to Wednesday January 15th, 1913, along with some other artefacts including a staff hat, Whist book and playing cards with table numbers.It offered a tangible glimpse into the past and how the city’s food and drink scene once was, in the then known Yamen Café.
Decadent dishes included Tournedos Bearnaise, Consommé de Volaille and Meringues Chantilly with pears, and an array of delicious drinks. All that time ago, Liverpool’s Bold Street was the equivalent of London’s Bond Street – an opulent and thriving centre along which resided car showrooms, extravagant retail and many fine eateries.
It's lovely to think how many parallels there are between The Yamen Café in 1913 and LEAF in the present day, including a shared focus on teas, events, concerts and lectures. The wonderfully preserved menu – secreted away since just before World War 1 – has inspired us to recreate some of the standout dishes.
As our head chef Phil explains: “It’s a lovely story for us and that all this time – over a century – the menu was hidden in our roof. For me it’s a memory of how things used to be, testament to the quality and ambition of the cuisine in Liverpool set to a very high standard, with lobsters for example a regular occurrence at The Yamen Café - as a chef it really is something to be celebrated. We would like LEAF’s customers to be able to experience some of the standout dishes, and myself and the team will be recreating 4 of them for our special set menu.”
4 course set menu - £35 per head
- Beef consommé with poached quail egg
- Gratin of sole with butter spinach and steamed potatoes
- Braised steak with jardinière of vegetable with green beans fagot and boulangerie gratin
- Mix berries sabayon with shortbread biscuit
Click here for tickets
Wednesday 3rd August, 6.30pm doors / 7pm start
To book, please contact us via info@thisisleaf.co.uk / call 0151 707 7747