Koop

Bold Street, L1

Review by Lawrence Saunders

As the name suggests, this recently opened Bold Street eatery, formerly Chez le Coq, has lost none of its previous incarnation’s fondness for all things poultry. The re-launched restaurant has built on its predecessor’s rotisserie chicken-based menu with the addition of a clutch of burgers and magnificent-sounding milkshakes. With this renewed menu on offer I didn’t need much convincing to head along to Koop to give it a try.

After being shown to our seats by the bubbly front of house staff, my dining partner and I were given a chance to settle in and enjoy Koop’s laid-back atmosphere whilst perusing the new menu. It was soon apparent Koop was generating plenty of interest on Bold Street as every other passing shopper seemed compelled to crane their necks for a good nose at the new eatery.

Before picking our starters, our friendly waiter suggested a couple of Koop’s most popular milkshakes. At first I wondered whether Go Nuts (£3.50) – peanut butter and banana, and The Dodger (£3.50) – crushed Jammie Dodger biscuits and fresh strawberries with homemade soft ice cream, might have been an overly sweet way to kick things off but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My dinner date and I were blown away by the size and presentation of the things to start with – The Dodger was particularly spectacular, proudly displaying a couple of Jammie Dodger biscuits half-submerged in the top of the chunky jam jar glass. Just the right thickness for my taste, full of flavour and incredibly smooth, the milkshake was easily the best I’ve had in Liverpool.

Suitably refreshed, my date and I plumped for an assortment of ‘Wing Shack’ boneless chicken wings (£15 for 20 wings) to start. Each portion was generously smothered in a thick coating of appetising sauce including Sweet Thai Chili, Original Buffalo, Smokey BBQ, Garlic & Parmesan and Oriental Express. Crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle, the wings were a finger-licking way to start our meal with the Oriental Express just edging it in taste stakes.

L to R: The restaurant has a selection of indulgent shakes; an assortment of ‘Wing Shack’ chicken wings; a ‘Dust Up’ fried chicken wrap

The break in proceedings gave us an opportunity to order another round of delightful shakes. This time we plumped for The Koop (£3.50), served with Ferrero Rocher and banana, alongside the truly indulgent Naughty Nutella (£3.50), made with a generous helping of the hazelnut spread, triple chocolate brownie, chocolate sauce and more soft ice cream.

In all honesty, after two milkshakes and half a coop’s worth of chicken wings, I could have probably called it quits feeling suitably full. However the promise of a quarter of chicken straight from the spit roast coated in Koop’s hot sauce (£4) gave me the strength to persevere a little longer.

Served simply with a wedge of lemon, I ordered a couple of sides to go with my main; sweet potato fries (£3) and the homemade coleslaw (£3), which nicely offset the heat of the spicy sauce. My date didn’t divert from the poultry theme either with her main course, choosing the Dust Up (£4); a fried chicken wrap with lettuce and mayo, which she found to be a refreshingly light deviation from our sticky starter.

With no alcohol on the menu we were forced to head elsewhere for an after dinner aperitif (okay, a pint of Guinness in The Liffey) but I certainly won’t be holding this against Koop.

Offering more than reasonable prices for a city centre restaurant and with those incredible milkshakes available to takeaway, if you’re looking for somewhere to head post-pub on Bold Street or even to grab something filling on your lunch break, Koop is a must.

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