I went to Liverpool's new El Gato Negro tapas restaurant and didn't miss the old one

 Back in January, El Gato Negro Tapas announced it would be relocating from its beloved Exchange Flags site to Liverpool’s historic Castle Street. Taking over the former home of Viva Brazil, the new restaurant officially opened at the end of February so we headed down to try it for ourselves.

Located opposite The Ivy, the two-storey restaurant and bar can cater for up to 200 guests and features beautiful parquet-style flooring, hanging greenery, trendy light fixtures and comfy seats.

After ordering a lager and a Diet Coke, myself and my partner Jack shared some delicious olives before choosing three tapas dishes each.

Jack chosen the chicken thighs with mojo picón, the bikini toastie and the crispy fried baby squid with lemon aioli, while I got the patatas bravas with vegan aioli, the broccoli and the cauliflower with shabu shabu.

The portion sizes were incredibly generous - especially given they were priced at £20 for three - and the patatas bravas was honestly the best I've had. The aioli was so good, the salsa was perfect - I just can't fault it at all.

The tenderstem broccoli was genuinely the nicest I’ve had, covered in a chilli, garlic and salt. If I’m honesty, I’d have quite happily just ate multiple plates of greens.

Jack’s ‘bikini’ was like a posh cheese and ham toastie - which he devoured - and he was obsessed with his fishy choice too, although the fact that it was baby squid did freak me out a little bit.

The cauliflower fantastic and had the nicest umami shabu shabu sauce, pomegranate seeds and chickpeas.

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The service was exactly as wonderful as you would expect from El Gato, with the staff members being incredibly helpful and attentive. The new restaurant felt really relaxed and the cosy chairs were very comfy too.

The lovely venue fits right in with its luxurious neighbours and I have to say, I think I might prefer its new home to its former site.