Earning your rightful place on Bold Street is no mean feat. Surrounded by so many delicious, independent eateries, you have to be something pretty special to keep up with the cobbles. As well as cosy interiors and intimate dining settings, a small plate style menu is more popular than ever on Liverpool’s foodie scene. Taking inspiration from the traditional Spanish tapas scene, El Pecado have made themselves right at home on Bold Street serving up a creative menu that still adheres to much-loved Spanish flavours.
We caught El Pecado on the tail end of a super busy bank holiday, so unfortunately a few menu items were out when we arrived – this included the tomato on sourdough which was substituted for tomato wholemeal bread, the lamb and the breaded prawns. With that being said however, there was still an abundance of choice available on the menu and we were still spoilt for choice.
Like most tapas restaurants, it was recommended to 3-5 plates each, plus a couple sides for the extra hungry (always). From the ‘snacks’ section we chose the crisp fried sobrasada croquettes – creamy, salty and with just two on the plate, it was definitely a small taste of the delicious flavours to come.
Despite not being on the correct bread, the tomato sourdough was super sweet and salty, with the tomato topping piled high on top of the slices. Our other veggie choices included the Imam Bayaldi – chargrilled aubergine with labneh and Zhoug and the roast Jerusalem artichokes with capers and a herb tahini sauce. With melt in the mouth aubergine topped with salty labneh and sweet crunchy artichokes contrasting with the saltiness of the capers, i would definitely recommend both of our choices. As well as these, we also went for the patas bravas, which definitely did the traditional dish justice.
The crisp fried baby squid with a classic aoili dip and the roast chicken thighs with piquillo peppers, almonds and chimichurri sauce completed our meal. The squid was crispy but meaty and dipped in the aioli was just a delight to the tastebuds and the chicken, although slightly on the small side, was juicy, with a salty skin and a perfectly zingy chimichurri dressing – thoroughly enjoyable.
With the dessert menu consisting of Affoghato and Persian trifle to name but a few, there was no option but to make room for something sweet. Choosing the trifle, we delighted in the jelly’s subtle rose fragrance and vanilla flavoured custard concealing chunks of turkish delight.
Despite not having the whole menu to choose from (being super busy and selling out on a bank holiday weekend can only be a good sign) im predicting big things for El Pecado’s little bold street haven. So for delicious food with both a Spanish and middle eastern influence, sociable dinging and a delightful flow of ice cold Sangria, make this your next foodie pit stop in Liverpool.