Bone & Block, Duke Street Market, reviewed

I may have only been reviewing food on s.com for two years (time flies when you’re eating your weight in plates week in, week out), but that doesn’t stop me from making the occasional newbie. error. That’s exactly what I did when I thought I got a place at a restaurant for Wednesday lunchtime before Christmas.

“Sorry, the next table for two is at seven,” I was told.

I looked at my phone. It was just past 12:30.

“Ah, really? Ok, no problem. Thanks anyway,” I said with a very awkward, very British smile as I headed for the door. I really wanted to say, “I’m a knob and I should know better than to cross my fingers and hope for December. A thousand apologies and good luck in the next two weeks of hospitality hell.”

Back on the street, I reassessed my surroundings. I’m just minutes away from a not-so-old faithful who never lets me down when I’m in a funk and can’t decide what to eat, or if I’ve mistimed my trains and need a place with a pleasant and lively atmosphere. wait next thing dave and i march to duke street market.

The dining room, furnished in all its glory, was dressed in festive foliage and large red ribbons that hung beautifully from the rafters over the communal dining tables. No hideous Christmas dresses—just stylish, traditional-looking nods to the holiday season that seem to complement the heritage of the 100-year-old warehouse. Even the biggest sister would have a hard time denying its appeal.

There were six individual food concepts to choose from, so we settled on a few plates from Bone & Block; steakhouse offering dry-aged meat butchered to create stylish burgers and steak sarnies. Which is exactly what we ordered; an ‘aged’ burger (£13.75), a BBQ beef brisket (£14.50) and a portion of beef oozing fries (£5.75) for good measure.

All three plates arrived within 10-15 minutes, brought by a member of the floor team with the most infectious smile on his face. He asked if we needed anything else, condiments or napkins, and left us at that.

I went to get the burger and cut it in half for Dave to try, but the unruly amount of sauce and pickles had created a bit of a slip and slide effect, causing the lightly grilled burger to escape off the buns and onto the plate. I reassembled it and managed to get it to hold its integrity long enough to take a decent sized bite. Plenty of flavor and smokiness comes through, but the steak could have spent a few minutes longer on the grill for my taste (I love a nice crispy edge to those fatty flavors), which would have also helped it retain its heat as it cooled very quickly.

Dave’s BBQ brisket sandwich was just as tasty, if not more so, to the point where he had to go in with a knife and fork. The bun was light and fluffy, while the slaw and crispy onions added enough texture to keep things exciting, but ultimately the sweet barbecue sauce overpowered the flavor of the brisket, making the sandwich quickly sickening. A little easier sauce on this one and they’re on to a winner.

The beef chips really kicked things up a notch. These little starchy gems are perfectly salted and crunchy with a fluffy center. You know a chip is good when it doesn’t need the help of a ketchup bottle – just saying.

It’s no secret that the team at Bone & Block know good meat when they see it after butchering it themselves, but I think using 50% less sauces and dressings and letting the meat do the talking would do wonders for this one. from the menu. The quality is there and it’s worth shouting about.

Bone & Block, Duke Street Market46 Duke Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom