Catfish, a purr-fect meal...

Sadly, last night I attended the leaving meal of one of my favourite colleagues- Petra.

She returns to Slovakia this Saturday to start University at the end of the month (so good luck to her!)

Over the past months, I've shared cocktails, tequila and tapas with this great gal, and last night we went for an all-out Mexican feast (or as Mexican as you can get in Liverpool at least!)

About ten of us walked into Tavern Co. in Queen's Square, and we hadn't booked a table or anything (how rude!) we were there on a whim... Luckily, we were eagerly greeted by the accommodating, friendly members of staff.

We ordered wine as we waited for late comers and were promptly shown to our table, slightly inebriated by this point.

At first glance of the menu, I couldn't see past the burritos, enchiladas and other 'typical' dishes that I occasionally make at home... and then I saw the catfish...

Now I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who like's to try things I've never eaten or cooked before, just to break the monotony of meal time. As well as broaden my palate! And after sharing a communal plate of Nachos, and other tempting nibbles, I was certainly ready to wolf down the Cajun-style catch of the day!

Described as 'Creole fish and chips' this interesting twist on a British classic intrigued me. Coming from the sea-side village of St. Ives in Cornwall, I'm used to high quality, award winning fish and chips, but never in my life have I had my fish southern fried, with corn on the cob on the side!

In my book, this combination worked. The catfish was light and moist, the batter was crisp, golden and well seasoned, and the 'Texas fries' (or potato wedges to you and me) were a nice, unobtrusive touch.

My only criticism would be that the piece of fish was actually too big for me! This is coming from someone who constantly grazes throughout the day, and was utterly ravenous by the time she ordered! My eyes must be bigger than my belly...

Anyway, I ate as much as was humanly possible, before reluctantly sharing the remnants with my co-diners and went to bed, full of wine, fish and warm southern spices!

My advice- book it! But make sure you go with a group of friends, this is rib-sticking food at it's finest, made for sharing!

You'd have to be clucking mad to eat at Nando's!

I had a vague memory of eating at Nando's some years ago. It was nothing special, just simple, inoffensive food. As of last Sunday, my impressions have certainly changed!

As a bit of a last resort, we decided to grab a bite to eat in Liverpool One's food court. Nando's was the only place still open- so what choice did we have?
The menu read: chicken, chicken, and more chicken! If it wasn't their breasts, it was their livers or their poor wings! Don't get me wrong, I'm an omnivore at heart, but how many innocent chickens are slaughtered a week just to keep up with the demands or these hardcore chicken fans?!

With the option of having a whole chicken, or even two to myself seeming a bit daunting, I opted for the chicken breast fillet in a pitta with salad and chips on the side- simple!
Now I hate to harp on about chicken, but when I say these people like chicken I mean it! The chips even tasted like they'd been deep fried in chicken fat- not a drop goes to waste here!
To top-off our evening, we had a poultry panto act, in the form of our cap wearing waiter. He regularly, seemingly appeared out of nowhere, often startling us with his idle patter- I never thought the phrase "Okey Dokey!" would cause someone to jump out of their skin, but he certainly had a knack!
Between dropping cutlery on us and messing up our beer order, we actually had a really good night! Must have been the company!
My advice- go and see the colonel if you want chicken!