Pub Crawl – The Liver Bird

The Liver Bird
392 Roncesvalles Avenue
(416) 516-7446

In the restaurant business, change can be a good thing. Consistency is important when it comes to the quality of what you serve, of course, and signature dishes that keep bringing people back are nice to have. But seasonal menus, rotating specials and occasional decor adjustments can be great ways to keep both customers and staff excited about what your establishment has to offer.

Sometimes, though, changes can end up alienating your regulars while not bringing in enough new business to make them worthwhile. The bigger the changes, the bigger the risk, and as a restaurant owner, you have to decide how much of a gamble you're willing to take. Last year, English ex-pat Fergus Munster decided to take a big one indeed when he plunked a dividing wall smack dab in the middle of his popular Roncesvalles Village restaurant Boho Bistro, and turned the back half into a cozy 30-seat pub called The Liver Bird.

It's a gamble that seems to have paid off, as both rooms were near capacity on the cold and snowy Wednesday night that we visited. But we were still curious to know what inspired Munster to make such a bold move, especially on the cusp of an economic downturn that is threatening the business of even the most stable bars and restaurants.

It ends up that change was on his mind right from the moment that he and his partners took over Boho from original owner Melissa Fox-Revett in late 2007, but it took a freak accident to push him towards finally taking the plunge. "I broke my leg while walking my dog one night last March, and I wasn't at the restaurant for about 3 and a half months. That gave me a little time to reflect on what I wanted to do and what direction I wanted Boho to go. I'd been working here since it opened, and in my mind it was starting to lose a bit of momentum."

Looking around the neighbourhood where he lives as well as works, Munster realised that there were very few places to go for a pint and a bite to eat that were also cozy and conducive to having a chat. "I go to The Local and Gate 403," he says, "and they're two of my favourite places, but I find the live music can be a little too intrusive. I also wanted something to represent  my English heritage a little bit, and I'm a Gemini, so it seemed like the perfect thing to have two very different concepts in the same place. Part of me is still Boho, I've served casual fine dining type of food all my life, so I didn't want to cut that off completely."

The change took place with little fanfare late last summer, and aside from one Boho regular complaining about the increase in people smoking out front, Munster says that it's been well-received by both existing and new clientèle. A big reason for that is likely the fact that chef Brian Pingle gives just as much love and attention to the food on the pub menu as he does to the more elegant fare served in the front room, preparing everything from scratch with exceptionally fresh ingredients.

His fish and chips, for example, feature tender fillets of Ontario whitefish given a light dusting of curry before being battered, fried, and served alongside a heaping serving of deliciously seasoned hand-cut chips. The same chips show up in the lobster poutine, where they're topped with chunks of lobster meat and sinfully rich paneer sauce, and alongside the homemade pot pie, which has a hearty filling that changes every couple of days. And should none of the pub grub strike your fancy, the more upscale Boho menu is also available to Liver Bird patrons.

The food prices are also quite reasonable, with most of the main courses in the $10 or $15 range, although Munster notes that after Winterlicious wraps up, both the Liver Bird and Boho menus will be getting an overhaul and made more affordable where possible. But even before that happens, it's hard to beat some of the current deals, such as the $1 oysters on Wednesdays, or the Thursday night special of fish & chips with two pints of beer for $20.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the same $20 will cover a massive Farmer's Breakfast and two pints, a favourite of the many punters who come by to watch the live broadcasts of English Premier League football. Munster lived in Liverpool for nearly a decade before moving to Canada 30 years ago and still considers it home. He borrowed the name of the city's symbol for the name of the pub and is a lifelong fan of Liverpool FC, but he doesn't discriminate when it comes to the games he screens and the fans he lets in.

"We're pretty full in here for the Liverpool games, and we've also been adopted by a bunch of Tottenham supporters. But even if it's not my team, I have no problem coming in. I'll even come in and watch Manchester United if I have to." After a thoughtful pause, he adds with a laugh: "Not Chelsea. I'll usually sleep in for them."

While the fish & chips and football - not to mention the proprietor's birthplace - give a strong British bent to the pub, Munster stresses that he doesn't intend for the Liver Bird to be tied to one particular place. "I don't want it to be British exclusively, I want it to have a bit of a European feel. When we redo the menu after Winterlicious, we'll keep the fish and chips and the pot pie, but it'll also have more of a European flavour."

The beer selection also reflects this attempt at diversity despite being limited by space to only four taps. One of the lines features Tetley's, a UK ale requested by several regulars, but the others are supplied by Fine Beers, an import agent specialising in products from a number of different countries. The line-up changes occasionally, but currently features Krombacher Pilsner and Paulaner Lager from Germany, and O'Hara's Celtic Stout from Ireland. As with the food, the beer prices are very reasonable, with the O'Hara's being the most expensive at $6.25, less than what a pint of Guinness will set you back at most other pubs.

Throughout our chat, it's obvious that Munster really loves what the Liver Bird has become in the few short months it's been open, and has been given a new dose of energy by its success. But we have to wonder if he regrets situating it to the rear of its older and more refined sibling where it may go unnoticed by passers-by. On the contrary, he thinks that the positioning has been an asset to both rooms.

"When you run a restaurant," he says, "you're taking a bit of a risk when you make any change, because you're always going to annoy someone. Having the pub in the back, our regulars still have a comfort level when they walk by and look in. They're not intimidated by the change. But when they come into the back, most of them love it and say that it's like a hidden gem, which makes me really happy. So I think we're winning people over."