If like us, you’re a huge fan of the amazing flavours of Liverpool One’s Salthouse Tapas and sister restaurant Bacaro, or enjoy the hearty, homecooked vibes of Hanover Street Social then there’s no question that you should have paid Rocket and Ruby a visit like, yesterday. With small plates being somewhat of a speciality, these guys have once again pulled it out of the bag with another mouthwatering addition to our city’s exciting, diverse and ever expanding foodie scene. Here’s what we ordered.
Sat on the edge of Castle Street and looking out over the courts, Rocket + Ruby’s glass shop front and navy blue logo make it a chic and sophisticated but welcoming venue, complete with a vintage style coffee to-go window where you can grab a cup of their very own blend. From delicious starts to the day in the form of daily donuts or green smoothies to deli sandwiches and an innovative small plates dinner menu, Rocket and Ruby have hit the ground running.
There’s no question that when you’re invited on a Friday night to taste a small plates menu as good as this, your dry January clean eating green detox takes a back seat as you try to resist ordering everything on the menu. Starting with a super refreshing watermelon and lime crush and a mindblowing-ly delicious bowl of olives, we were advised to choose 2-3 plates from the menu. The choices are divided into fish, meat and veg sections so we decided to choose at least one from each. We were advised by the super friendly staff that each plate would come out as and when which in my opinion only contributed to the relaxed atmosphere of Rocket and Ruby’s interior.
First out was our choice of Harissa humous that arrived topped with a huge helping of spiced chickpeas and served alongside black sesame onion flatbread. If you’re anything like us, you’ll agree there’s little better than bread and humous to start a meal and the flavourful sesame flatbread and hearty portion, made it one of the best we’ve tried.
Next up was the Torched Mackerel who’s rich, fishy flavour was balanced perfectly by the light and zingy ginger and lime dressing. The dish was brought together by a sprinkling of crispy Enoki mushrooms. This was closely followed by a Rocket and Ruby take on an old British classic -ham and crispy shoestring fries topped with a perfectly runny fried egg and a sweet turned smokey tomato chutney – all the comforts of a traditional, hearty British dish with the refinery of a small plate restaurant. Perfect.
Our other dishes included a tangy, refreshing carrot and lentil salad whose coriander yogurt dressing gave it a love/hate element (love in our case!) and a delicious plate of sweet roasted beets and creamy feta . A side of fries is also necessary in any feast and in this case, a pot of mouthwateringly crispy fries were served alongside a sweet Rocket + Ruby ketchup as well as a Zhug dips – the perfect grazing element.
Rocket and Ruby’s relaxed vibes are somewhat reminiscent of an old fashioned European eatery, where wine is sipped and food is grazed in between sociable laughter whilst their menu is packed full of innovation, using simple flavours and great quality produce to create some absolutely winning dinner creations. The dishes are perfect when paired together but each have the sustenance of a standalone dish meaning you can pop in for a cocktail and a snack or make a full evening of working your way through their magnificent dinner offerings.
Offering breakfast, lunch and a brand new delicious evening menu with a whole host of creative cocktails (and mocktails!) to wash it all down, Rocket and Ruby is well worth a visit. We would highly recommend all of the dishes mentioned above and for more delicious options their full menu can be viewed on their website.