Italia - Menu

Wimpy Birkenhead

➤ 31 Princes Pavemant, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead, CH412XY, CH41 2XY, United Kingdom

Menu • Cafés • Seafood • European • Fast Food

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"We visited Birkenhead wimpy for breakfast during a Saturday morning shopping trip. The food was all very nice and reasonably priced but a special mention has to go to the atmosphere thanks to the staff. The young lady waiting on was exceptionally polite and helpful, as was the chap behind the counter. The background music was pleasant, the restaurant itself was very clean and tidy and the customers coming and going were very friendly, even stopping to say good morning to us. I assume they were regulars thanks to the welcoming atmosphere offered here. I will definitely be going back next time I’m in the area."

Fraiche

➤ 11 Rose Mount, Oxton, Birkenhead CH43 5SG, CH43 5TD, Prenton, United Kingdom

Menu • Fish • French • Coffee • Creative

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"After a two year gap, it was good to be back at Fraiche. We had been booked to return in spring last year but, of course, Covid intervened. We’ve been coming for years and always enjoy Marc’s food. It’s interesting. It’s imaginative. And, more than anything, it’s delicious. Little has changed. There’s still the giant videos playing on the walls of the bar area. When you arrive, it’s restful ocean scenes – a bit like I imagine it is if you have a fish tank at home. When you come back for coffee, it’s changed to scenes from space, complete with appropriate sound track – Rocket Man, Space Oddity and the like. There’s snacks to be eaten here. Firstly, “Garden” a drink made from cucumber and whatever else Marc has picked from his allotment that day (he told us later that pretty much all the veg he uses comes from the allotment . There’s the usual spiced pecans and some British charcuterie. And a little seaweed and trout roe tartlet. And an onion and Parmesan foam. When you’re seated at your table, there’s a final snack. A little waffle, each square filled with either feta or cherry tomato. Possibly the best of the snacks. In what seems a new direction for Marc, several of the dishes lean towards East Asia. The first up is Chawanmushi – a Japanese set custard made from dashi, with the flavour of seaweed and a powerful smokiness from cubes of eel. It seems to be fashionable to serve sweetbreads in a deep fried crisp coating. My partner isn’t a great fan of them but reckoned these were the best ever tasted – a firmer texture than usual. It comes with a little maitake mushroom (Google later told me I’d better know this as “Hen of the Woods” and a soy based dressing. Somewhere round here, bread was served. It’s always a course in its own right at Fraiche. And it’s always top notch. This was a light as a feather brioche and there’s butter to slather on it, or olive oil to dunk it in. Both work. Next, there was a cold “soup” made from crème fraiche. Chopped hazelnuts and a little, very peppery, watercress provide a texture contrast. Then, very seasonal white asparagus comes chopped, along with girolles and courgettes. I think on every visit to Fraiche, it’s the fish course I’ve enjoyed most and it was no different this time. Sashimi grade tuna is very lightly seared but there’s no sense of rawness here. There’s some baby pak choi and a citrussy ponzu dressing. For the final savoury course, there’s farmed Anjou pigeon. It’s a milder flavoured bird than wild ones you usually get in the UK. It comes, seemingly quite simple, with a slice of earthy morcilla, Jerusalem artichoke puree and an artichoke crisp. I thought it was lovely and only just missed out on being my favourite course. On the other hand, my life companion didn’t like the texture and left most of it (which, of course, meant I got seconds . There’s then the first of three desserts. First up, an ice lolly. I do no justice to it by calling it a lolly. This is no ordinary lolly. This is a lolly shaped like lips. Ruby red lips made from Morello cherries, with a hint of lemon and, inside, a little mint chocolate. Then there’s a shot glass of a refreshing strawberry “soup”, topped with slice of earthy truffle. And finally, a honey, chocolate and pineapple mousse again not too sweet. Well, I say “finally” but it wasn’t. As I mentioned earlier, we were back in the bar area watching the space video. And Marc appears. He presents a “planet”. A metal sphere which he opens to reveal a macaron each. With the cooking over for the evening, he’s able to chat for a little while, telling us he’s been playing with flavours while the restaurant has been shut. He’s soon back with a little tray of chocolate petit fours. So, all that was left was to get the bill. This isn’t the sort of food we want to eat regularly but it is food we want to eat now and again. So, off we went into the cold and wet of a Merseyside June evening. With a little bag of cookie dough to bake the next day. I think we might have preferred the little cup of hot chocolate that we got one winter visit."

Broadway Steak And Wine

➤ 5-7 Broadway, CH63 5ND, WIRRAL, United Kingdom

Menu • Wine • Steak • Burgers • Vegetarian

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"We have been to this restaurant many times and have never been disappointed with the food or service. We went on Saturday for my daughter in law's birthday. The place was packed and had a great atmosphere. Staff were friendly and efficient. Would highly recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning."

The Fox And Hounds

➤ 107 Barnston Road, CH61 1BW, WIRRAL, United Kingdom

Menu • Seafood • Asiatic • European • Fast Food

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"this is a place we had to visit on our list. at this opportunity there was the live music that celebrated the jubilee of the Queen, so it might not be the best time to visit. that was said, there was a great marquee that housed the music. at this point the renter had hired a first Notch sound engineer to take care of the sound. there was eating and the staff was friendly and helpful. the renter himself was very pleasantly aware of keeping his pub efficient. we will visit again for a better and perhaps more relaxed one. there is a large parking space that embraces a few disabled bays. overall my first impression was excellent and I look forward to another visit."

The Refreshment Rooms

➤ 2 Bedford Road East, WIRRAL, United Kingdom

Menu • Pub • Steak • British • European

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"I have heard many of my friends rave about the Refreshment Rooms and so I had high expectations and hoped I wasn’t expecting too much. I booked a meal for three people at 2pm today (Sunday) and at the time of booking I almost jokingly asked if they could possibly put a candle in the birthday girl’s dessert. As it turned out, everything surpassed my expectations. Inside was bigger than I expected (as I had only seen pictures of the outside). The menu was surprisingly diverse and catered for a wide variety of tastes. In addition there was also an exciting specials menu. All three of us opted for the roast dinner (I had the pink beef, birthday girl had lamb and my other friend had “three meats” which was beef, lamb and pork). Everything on the plate was cooked to perfection. The beef was pink, the roasties were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, the green vegetables (broccoli and mangetout) tasted like they were steam cooked, the gravy was heavenly and my friend, who had the pork, had crackling as well. Sides were horseradish for the beef, mint sauce for the lamb and pineapple salsa for the pork. The portions were substantial. To finish, my friends had the individual Mixed Berry Pimms Trifle and the Toblerone Whipped Cream Pavlova. I do not usually order dessert as I tend to find sweet menus repetitive and dull but I actually found it difficult to decide between a number of unique desserts that I haven’t seen before. I opted for the Chef’s Jaffa Cake Creme Brulée and it was absolutely delicious. My friend’s trifle came complete with birthday candle which was just lovely! The birthday girl drank Pinot Grigio Rosato and I was incredibly impressed that there were a number of alcohol free options and not just the blandest bottles that are usually on offer. Two of us had the Brewdog Punk Alcohol Free (which I think is a superior AF beer) and it was heartening to see decent alcohol free wines on the menu as well. We finished with coffee and mint chocolate. The servers were very friendly and we felt like we were given lots of time. Despite how incredibly busy it was throughout, the wait staff were really attentive to us. The ‘vibe’ of the whole pub was cool and laid back. The background music was just that, background music which was perfect and allowed for conversation. As we left it was such lovely weather that we decided to have one more drink outside where we saw a rainbow as we looked out over the waterfront. A perfect Sunday and a perfect birthday meal."