Although there were starters available, we decided to go for the more interesting option of choosing several tapas dishes to share.
The menu recommended a minimum of three per two people sharing, so we chose the Petit Croque Monsieur (£3.95), the Saucisson Roma (£4.95) and the Bout's D'Asperge (£3.95) - asparagus wrapped in Parma ham and served with parmesan shavings.
The Croque Monsieur was just like those you get in France, from a bakery or pavement café. The toast was topped with thinly sliced ham and oozed melted cheese. Not suitable for pre-Christmas waistline watching, but great comfort food.
The sausages were chipolatas with a real spicy kick and were served with sun-ripened tomato and sweet pepper sauce, which had a lovely sweet flavour that dulled the heat. Negresco is the fourth addition to the Korova Corporation brand, following on from the successes of Alma de Cuba, the converted St Peter's Church on Seel Street in Liverpool city centre, and Korova, on Wood Street, which has a regular clientele of DJs, musicians and other arty types.
The penultimate venture was Alma de Santiago, alongside Penny Lane.
In terms of the challenge of fitting a new bar into the local community, Negresco is probably closest to Alma de Santiago, which was converted from the Dovedale Towers pub earlier this year.
The newest bar replaces The Masonic, a favourite with regular drinkers, but not somewhere that seemed particularly welcoming to the casual customer.
The original clientele are still there, however, knocking back pints among the younger crowd of wine drinkers, and this mix of ages and types of people gives Negresco a more relaxed feel.
The main course menu was only guilty of giving us too much choice, with a selection of salads, pasta and pizza as well as grills, "surf and turf" plates and other dishes.
