City centre venue Mamasan is offering its own spin on the classic Sunday roast and I just had to try it for myself.
Even though I'm a vegetarian a roast dinner remains, easily, one of my most favourite dishes. It's the ultimate comfort food - crisp and fluffy roast potatoes, a satisfyingly puffed-up Yorkshire pudding, a variety of vegetables, a generous drizzle of gravy - what's not to love?
It's one of those meals that, no matter how glum I may be feeling, can provide a much needed mood boost.
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When Asian-inspired restaurant Mamasan released its roast dinner menu, I was keen to give it a try. The popular venue, based on College Lane in the city centre, aims to provide flavourful South East Asian-inspired cuisine and cocktails, prepared fresh to order and accompanied by the finest local produce.
Its new Sunday roast, which launched just last month, offers a modern twist on the beloved British classic. Prices start at £25 for two courses or £30 for three courses with a set menu that includes a glass of prosecco for each guest.
The menu, a fusion of comforting homegrown flavours combined with offerings from across South East Asia, is sure to delight meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike, with suitable roast options for all dietary requirements and lifestyle choices.
The vegan option includes salt and pepper cauliflower steak while starters are rich and varied. My partner and I both opted to begin our meal with the butternut squash red curry soup which was absolutely heavenly.
It's thick, almost like a puree in consistency. It's the perfect way to begin this fresh take on the Sunday roast because it ticks the comfort food box while still offering something a little different. It was packed with warming, rich flavours and seasoned to perfection.
I honestly didn't want it to end, it was just sublime. After we finished, my partner simply said: "That was pretty damn special."
For our main course, we both chose the salt and pepper cauliflower steak option which, like all mains, is served with double roast potatoes, carrot and swede puree, Yorkshire pudding, and baby onion gravy. The vegan option is served with free-from gravy.
Most Sunday roast ingredients battle for centre stage on the plate - it's a meal of indulgence, after all. But Mamasan's portion sizes are much more stripped back. It's still a decent serving of food, but definitely a lot lighter than most are probably used to when it comes to a Sunday roast.
The cauliflower 'steak' was surprisingly decent - I'd not expected it to be so packed with flavour as I find cauliflower to usually be quite bland. Obviously, it's nothing like a steak but it doesn't pretend to be. It's a slab of roasted cauliflower, seasoned with herbs and spices, served in the style of a steak - it's just a play on words, before militant meat-eaters come for me in the comments section.
I love when restaurants offer a vegan or vegetarian spin on the classic ingredients of a main dish - I've been to far too many Christmas work dos where I've been stuck with a cheese and onion tart instead of a classic dinner with all the trimmings that's been adapted to suit dietary requirements. Both my partner and I were thoroughly impressed with Mamasan's set menu options, and didn't feel like we were missing out on anything.
I like a generous serving of gravy with my Sunday roast - the more gravy, the better, in all honesty. Mamasan's gravy was absolutely delicious but there just wasn't enough of it for my liking; the dish is served with a drizzle already applied, and there's no jug on the table to add more. I would have preferred much more gravy but it didn't detract from the delicious flavours on offer, or ruin the dish. That's the one thing I'd change.
For dessert, I chose the sticky toffee pudding, served with creamy vanilla ice cream, while my partner opted for the blood orange cheesecake, which was served with a zesty sorbet. I absolutely adored the sticky toffee pudding, it was rich without being sickly, and the perfect way to end such a delicious meal.
The cheesecake was creamy and fresh, but it had a jelly-like substance on top that was a little jarring; it was a bit of an unexpected texture when compared to the rest of the dish. Still, the rest of the dessert was delightfully refreshing - a sweet and satisfying palate cleanser.
Mamasan's Sunday roast set menu is varied, delicious and contemporary while still managing to be comforting and traditional. There's rich, vibrant flavours on offer and the food has clearly been prepared with a real attention to detail. I'll definitely be back.
Mamasan is based at 24 College Lane, Liverpool, L1 3DS. You can make a booking here.
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