Nova Scotia Liverpool
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Nova Scotia is one of Liverpool’s best-looking restaurants, based on the waterfront-adjacent doorstep of the Museum of Liverpool. It’s a bright, airy space, with plenty of room and a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. What’s not to love?
First off, the cocktail whizz in charge of the drinks menu deserves special praise. The Garden of Eden, a concoction of elderflower, gin and cucumber, is the perfect spring-meets-summer tipple, while the Bear With Me is a more complex creation, based heavily on the local Tempest honey. If you have a spare day, a trip through the entire signature summer cocktails menu would not be a waste.
But best of all, it does a mean Sunday roast for a nicely affordable £16. Choices include beef, chicken, pork and nut roast – all the greats. It’s very much in the vein of your mum’s home-cooked Sunday roasts, nothing too fancy or out-there, just simple, comforting grub. Precisely what you want when it comes to Sunday lunch.
Do it properly and grab a few openers to start with. If you’re hankering for something hot and deep-fried – and let’s be honest, when are we not? – the halloumi bites are excellent, second only to the fish bites, which come in a similar, excellent batter, one packed with high-quality white fish, the other with high-quality squeaky cheese. Both come with a wonderful tangy dip, both mayo-led and delicious.
As for mains, it’s all about the Sunday roast experience. The chicken comes perched on top of the properly cooked roast potatoes and vegetables, smothered in gravy. This does take something away from the joy of crispy skin, but the tender, well-seasoned meat more than makes up for it.
The pork, meanwhile, is a thick, piled-high delight, and no gravy could dampen the strength of this crunchy crackling. It pairs nicely with a little pot of apple sauce (available on request, as with multiple other sauces) and delivers a great range of rich textures – from soft slow-cooked meat to crispy roasted pork.
Best of all, each dish comes with a little side bowl of scouse, Liverpool’s traditional dish. It’s a hearty stew, made with chunks of potato, onions, carrot and slow-cooked beef. It’s a delicious taster, and explains the origins of the term ‘scouser’. Want more? It actually comes from sailors eating a thick Scandinavian stew known as lobscouse back in ye olden days. Which also spawned lobby, a similar stew enjoyed by the self-professed lobby gobblers of nearby town (and my old stomping ground) Leigh. The more you know.
Nova Scotia’s desserts could well be the best on the menu, and that’s high praise. The signature brownie is an all-vegan dark chocolate treat, with vegan ice cream so rich and smooth it’s hard to believe it’s plant-based and not cow-based. The Nova Scotia fruit crumble is an ever-changing delight based on seasonal orchard fruits – today it’s apple and ginger, made with a wonderfully crisp and lightly-spiced crumble, paired with a cute little pot of thick cream.
It’s hard to fault Nova Scotia. The staff are cheerful and friendly, the space itself is remarkably swish and the food as good as it gets. Whether you’re a first-timer to Liverpool or a longstanding scouser, this is an ideal place to drop in and stay in.
