HOST

Polly Checkland Harding

Host, a pan-Asian restaurant on Liverpool’s Hope Street, offers an unexpected welcome.

It’s hard not to be charmed by the name. Host: the welcoming face at the door, the provider of great grub and easeful seating. What makes a good host? It’s a delicate balancing act between cherishing the guest, making them feel special, treated, a tiny bit like the Queen – and encouraging them to “feel right at home, ma’am.” What’s interesting about Host, a pan-Asian inspired restaurant on Liverpool’s Hope Street, is that it’s like unlike any house I’ve ever been to, and yet it pulls off the trick of being welcoming without a hitch.

How often, for instance, do you find Thai, Chinese and Japanese gastronomy dished up amidst gently 1950s décor? At Host, there are textile-print lampshades and orange napkins, splay-legged wooden chairs and coat hangers with those coloured bobbles you often see on retro clocks. The menu, on the other hand, is a far cry from spam and melon ball cocktails: the savoury side boasts curries, stir fries and delicately steamed fish. The deserts, like Simon Cowell dancing salsa (and dancing it well), take British classics and give them an exotic twist: their sticky toffee pudding is flavoured with tamarind, their Bakewell tart reinvented with orange, cranberry and hazelnut. And weirdly, like the mix of ingredients, the pairing really works.

The menu is organised into big and small plates, terms that – is it just me? – always seem like they might just lay out a sizeable circle of ceramic in place of actual food, and you’d still have to be terribly nice about it. You feel like they wouldn’t here, though – partly because of the care the list shows to just about anyone who might rock up at their door. The range of vegan, dairy and gluten free options is impressive, whilst there’s no shortage of protein for the carnivores. In fact, the only course that the animal-product intolerant might struggle with is desert: let’s admit it, a Host sorbet just doesn’t stand up to the luxury of a white chocolate and ginger cheese cake.

This is also where the well-judged service came in: rather like visiting a friend, the staff pottered around comfortably while we ate, staying just distant enough that a lady could pay proper attention to her brownie. And what a brownie: not just any leaden cocoa slab, this was a cashew and white chocolate loaded square of indulgence, mercifully offset with good old vanilla ice cream.

So, Host’s range, location (it’s a pleasant wander away from both the newly opened Everyman and classic watering-hole The Philharmonic Dining Rooms), and friendly feel make it an appealing visit – although, unlike bobbing over to a mate’s for dinner, it doesn’t come for free. But then, how many of your friends can offer you eighteen different main courses? This place is worth the bill at the end.

31 Hope StreetLiverpoolL1 9HX View map
Telephone: 0151 708 5831 Visit Now

Admission Charges

Free

Venue permanently closed.

What's on near HOST

An image captured from overhead of two men embracing. One is seated, and the other is kneeling.
Until
ExhibitionsLiverpool
On the other side at FACT

‘On the other side’ at FACT presents the work of three artists, thoroughly examining themes of authority, power and control.

free entry
Until
ActivityLiverpool
Old Dock Tours, Liverpool

The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.

£8.50 with concessions

Where to go near HOST

Liverpool
Bar or Pub
Frederik’s

Frederik’s neighbourhood kitchen & bar has been the hub of the Georgian Quarter since 2013. Award winning cocktails and a great Sunday roast!

The garden at Free State Kitchen
City Centre
Restaurant
Free State Kitchen

With a large beer garden and commitment to using locally sourced produce, Free State Kitchen in Liverpool isn’t just-another-burger-joint.

Liverpool
Gallery
Arts Bar Baltic

A safe and creative space, with a mission to help support and develop Liverpool’s artistic scene.

City Centre
Restaurant
The Pen Factory

From the team behind the old Everyman Bistro comes The Pen Factory, a warm and welcoming space situated in the basement of the Annex Building.

City Centre
Restaurant
92 Degrees Coffee

Since 2015, 92 Degrees have been roasting and serving the finest coffee, whilst providing a friendly atmosphere in a comfortable space.

Everyman Theatre
City Centre
Theatre
Liverpool Everyman Theatre

The Everyman Theatre on Liverpool’s Hope Street reopened in March 2014 after extensive renovation. It is twinned with the Playhouse on Williamson Square.

Culture Guides

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.