A Sunday winner from the finest Blue team! Taste Test: Dawn Collinson enjoys a family lunch at revamped gallery.

Byline: Dawn Collinson

IN the same way that there's little reason to have fabulous shoes if you never leave the house, there's no point in having a reborn city unless you take every opportunity to brag about it.

So I'll admit I was showing off more than a little when my brother came home for the Easter weekend with his daughter. Although a native, it's been a while since he's seen the city centre and it's certainly not looking quite how it was when he left.

I not only wanted him to admire our new shops, but what has happened to a few old favourites too. With this in mind, there was one obvious choice for Sunday lunch: Upstairs at the Bluecoat - that way he'd get to see how the place has been transformed and also wander through Liverpool One en route.

It's just over a year since the revamped Bluecoat officially opened after a pounds 12m-plus spend and very impressive it is too. But the restaurant on the second level has been less fortunate in its recent history; only a couple of months after opening, a fire left it in need of considerable additional restoration.

It is now well and truly back to its best, but I wonder if everyone, even those enjoying the gallery spaces below, appreciate just what an asset they have.

When we arrived the restaurant was barely half full. On the one hand this was a shame because what they were offering was actually excellent value: two courses for pounds 16.95, or three for pounds 19.95, children under 12 eat free, plus free chocolate eggs to decorate, but on the other hand it did mean that we could get a window table with a great people-watching view overlooking the front courtyard.

All the Upstairs restaurant's menus appear to have one common factor: meticulously sourced (often local) ingredients. It is clear from a glance that much care has gone into selecting them, whether it's Whitehaven goats cheese, Liverpool Bay cockles or Hesketh Bank lamb.

The set Easter menu offered four starters, mains and desserts, but as little diners tend not to have the patience for a leisurely lunch - despite the handy arrival of a colouring sheet and pencils - we decided on two-courses.

Me and my niece Nicola chose the Goosnargh chicken with sage and onion stuffing, gravy and bread sauce, although we both declined the latter, while my brother Paul stayed traditional with roast Aberdeen Angus beef , Yorkshire pudding, Wirral cress and gravy.

Husband took the fish route, preferring roast Loch Duart salmon with wilted greens, potatoes and hollandaise sauce. Matthew, as is often the case, saw pasta with Bolognese sauce on the children's menu and refused to look beyond it.

There were no side plates on our table which, as my brother correctly observed, implied there would be no bread either.

However, our mains did arrive without too much delay, just long enough to suggest everything was being prepared and cooked from scratch.

The chicken breasts were doused in thick and delicious gravy, while three generous slices of beef were almost overshadowed by an enormous crispy, soft-centred Yorkshire pud.

Mark's salmon was the more delicate of the mains, although still a decent size. Matthew's pasta was a hefty helping too, and since it all disappeared I can only assume it was considered good.

Aside from the chief elements of our mains, we were equally impressed by the vegetable sides, which are always a reliable yardstick of overall quality. We were each given a dish of roasted carrots, red cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli, a perfect flavour combination; again, simple but well thought-out and executed.

The beef was well done, as my brother prefers it, and the chicken moist and tender. We had no complaints whatsoever.

For dessert we decided to try out three of the four available: sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and clotted cream, lemon tart with crme fraiche, and chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Matthew, too, went for the sticky toffee option from the children's menu.

It was a tough call to pick a winner, but on balance the toffee pudding probably edged it. The portions were huge, about four inches square, and the sauce plentiful and just the right gooey consistency. The generous spoonful of clotted cream completed a heavenly indulgence.

My lemon tart and Nicola's brownie were a close joint second, though, so none disappointed.

In fact, we were having such a good time that we'd actually forgotten about the Easter eggs so it was a very pleasant surprise when our maitre 'd and waitress arrived with two large chocolate eggs, along with a little box of sweets, 100s and 1000s, chicks and icing to decorate them.

Twenty minutes, two sticky children and one slightly messy table later they'd had the perfect ending to an Easter lunch.

The Bluecoat has an Explorer event for kids every Sunday, enjoying the art and creating their own - just the excuse we need to come back soon.

Venue: Upstairs at the Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool city centre.

Tel: [phone] Opening hours: Sun & Mon, 11.30am-6pm; Tues-Sat, 11.30am-3pm (lunch), 3-5.30pm (afternoon tea) & 6pm-11pm (dinner).

Value: good. Sunday lunch is 2 courses pounds 13.95, 3 courses pounds 16.95 Service: faultless, especially in making the children feel welcome Foodie Facts

CAPTION(S):

ON THE UP: The second floor Upstairs at the Bluecoat restaurant, restored again after a fire, enjoys great city centre views