After a hectic evening of Christmas shopping at Cheshire Oaks outlet mall, we decided to try this local South African restaurant which sits in the new development surrounding the National Waterways Museum, near the Holiday Inn Express.
The museum itself is well worth a visit as it has many of the old working ships and tugs which plied their trade on the Mersey and the Dee as well as many narrow boats of different vintages. It is connected to the Shropshire Union canal on which you can take boat trips, and sits beside the Manchester ship canal. So too, does the restaurant as was demonstrated when a large cargo ship eased past the window as we were dining. I understand the ship canal trip is also a very interesting and enlightening experience, from Liverpool to the heart of Manchester and back.
Now, back to the restaurant. Jabula is a very cosy place, run by a predominantly South African staff and the menu is reflective of their roots. While we did not sample tohe starters, they were mainly substantial soups and traditional Western style dishes with a hint of Africa added to them via the sauces or accompaniments.
The main courses were all very African and included Bobotie, which SWMBO had, Pap en Wors and Vetkoek. They also served game including Kudu, Springbok
and Crocodile. I had a Crocodile Pot which was basically a stew, and very tasty it was too.
All was washed down with a bottle of beer and it was very reasonable at less than £40. If you are in the Ellesmere Port area and want a change from the chain restaurant dominated Cheshire Oaks food court, then give this a try.
Thursday 13 December 2012
Monday 3 September 2012
The Wheatsheaf - Cowshed restaurant
Another restaurant, with a lady chef, and a blueprint for the last review.
Emma Wombwell has been running the Cowshed restaurant at The Wheatsheaf for a number of years, and has won the Wirral chef of the year for two consecutive years 2008 and 2009. I am sure she would have won for further years but was not selected as a participating restaurant once the target chefs were selected by public vote.
Our latest visit was an opportunity to take my ageing mother and our oldest son for a bit of tucker, on a rare opportunity to get them both together. My mother has recently moved to the Wirral from Plymouth, and our son was up North to see her new flat and enjoy a run ashore at the Matthew Street festival.
We booked an early time, which was a shrewd move as there was a 18th and 21st birthday booked in for later in the evening. All the food was excellent, and included belly pork infused with black pudding as an interesting starter, and Gurnard and Sea Bass for main courses. The side dishes were very well presented and the onion rings were very tasty.
There was a two course set price menu which was reasonably priced at £15.95, although the portions did reflect this, in comparison to the portion size of the dishes selected from the a la carte. We had no wine on this occasion as the night was wild and driving home was going to be a challenge as it was!!
The waitresses were very attentive and tried hard to meet all the requirements of the punters, so all in all a very enjoyable evening.
So, if Claire Lara at the Riverhill needs any template for her new venture, she could do a lot worse than have a chat with Emma.
Emma Wombwell has been running the Cowshed restaurant at The Wheatsheaf for a number of years, and has won the Wirral chef of the year for two consecutive years 2008 and 2009. I am sure she would have won for further years but was not selected as a participating restaurant once the target chefs were selected by public vote.
Our latest visit was an opportunity to take my ageing mother and our oldest son for a bit of tucker, on a rare opportunity to get them both together. My mother has recently moved to the Wirral from Plymouth, and our son was up North to see her new flat and enjoy a run ashore at the Matthew Street festival.
We booked an early time, which was a shrewd move as there was a 18th and 21st birthday booked in for later in the evening. All the food was excellent, and included belly pork infused with black pudding as an interesting starter, and Gurnard and Sea Bass for main courses. The side dishes were very well presented and the onion rings were very tasty.
There was a two course set price menu which was reasonably priced at £15.95, although the portions did reflect this, in comparison to the portion size of the dishes selected from the a la carte. We had no wine on this occasion as the night was wild and driving home was going to be a challenge as it was!!
The waitresses were very attentive and tried hard to meet all the requirements of the punters, so all in all a very enjoyable evening.
So, if Claire Lara at the Riverhill needs any template for her new venture, she could do a lot worse than have a chat with Emma.
Monday 30 July 2012
The Riverhill Hotel - Bay Tree restaurant
The restaurant in the hotel is called The Bay Tree, and when we moved to the area we were told it was one of the best Sunday lunches in the area. Now being from a part of West London renowned for its Sunday lunches we are always on the look out, so we booked and went. it was awful. the meat was thin sliced catering pack beef, the roast potatoes were actually deep fried and the vegetables were over cooked. Add to that the fact the hotel was tired and the dining room reflected that, we consequently had no reason ever to revisit.
All that changed some months ago when the restaurant was relaunched with BBC Masterchef , Claire Lara and her husband in charge. Michel Roux attended the opening night and everything was bigged up for another potential Michelin star for the area.
So SWMBO and I booked for our wedding anniversary on Friday, to give it a go. We arrived at the hotel to find it still tired, and we were directed into the bar to await our table. The barman was very attentive and provided a Bellini cocktail and Bloody Mary while we ordered our meal.
There was a Table d'Hote and a la Carte menu and we selected from the former, at £19.50 for two courses.
First impressions were that the menu's looked a bit tatty and did not seem to be in line with a revamp or relaunch.
We ordered a vegetable soup and mackerel to start, and a steak and a belly pork for the main course. The quality of the meat in both dishes was first class, the rest of the food was nothing special and certainly no better than that served in other local establishments.
The real problem though was the ambiance. I have been into a lot of pub's who re-invent themselves as gastropubs or trendy pubs, but still have the old roll-up smokers and Special Brew drinkers sitting in their usual places at the bar. It's their local and will always be. That is very much the feel of the Riverhill. The clientele were grey pound, who probably came there whenever there was a family party or celebration to recognise.
The staff were good and very attentive, but they can't make up for the surroundings.
I know Claire looked to set up a restaurant in a hotel in Hoylake but that presumably fell through, I do think that she would have been better though trying for her own unit and developing a style and feel which reflected her personality. I also think her menu needs to be more imaginative to compete, even on the Wirral.
Sadly we will not be going back, the hotel environment is just not our cup of tea, and there is no culinary wow factor to over ride that.
All that changed some months ago when the restaurant was relaunched with BBC Masterchef , Claire Lara and her husband in charge. Michel Roux attended the opening night and everything was bigged up for another potential Michelin star for the area.
So SWMBO and I booked for our wedding anniversary on Friday, to give it a go. We arrived at the hotel to find it still tired, and we were directed into the bar to await our table. The barman was very attentive and provided a Bellini cocktail and Bloody Mary while we ordered our meal.
There was a Table d'Hote and a la Carte menu and we selected from the former, at £19.50 for two courses.
First impressions were that the menu's looked a bit tatty and did not seem to be in line with a revamp or relaunch.
We ordered a vegetable soup and mackerel to start, and a steak and a belly pork for the main course. The quality of the meat in both dishes was first class, the rest of the food was nothing special and certainly no better than that served in other local establishments.
The real problem though was the ambiance. I have been into a lot of pub's who re-invent themselves as gastropubs or trendy pubs, but still have the old roll-up smokers and Special Brew drinkers sitting in their usual places at the bar. It's their local and will always be. That is very much the feel of the Riverhill. The clientele were grey pound, who probably came there whenever there was a family party or celebration to recognise.
The staff were good and very attentive, but they can't make up for the surroundings.
I know Claire looked to set up a restaurant in a hotel in Hoylake but that presumably fell through, I do think that she would have been better though trying for her own unit and developing a style and feel which reflected her personality. I also think her menu needs to be more imaginative to compete, even on the Wirral.
Sadly we will not be going back, the hotel environment is just not our cup of tea, and there is no culinary wow factor to over ride that.
Thursday 10 May 2012
The Courtyard
Cor, you may think, they don't go out much do they. Well, yes we do, but not too much on the wirral at the moment.
So when the opportunity came up to eat Sunday lunch at the Courtyard in Oxton village we thought we should go for it.
The Courtyard is sited in the units which used to be Villa Jazz and it has probably been open about 18 months. During that time it must have re-invented itself two or three times. Initally it had a sofa area and a very visible 'courtyard' out back for smokers, now the sofa's have given way to additional tables and some of the courtyard has done so too. That means the smokers now go out front which is never a good look.
The current design has limited seating for drinkers on high stools and tables, an area to stand near the bar and then an eating area which does about 40 covers. The bar is a modern lager dominated stainless steel contraption, and really its not the place I would visit in Oxton out of choice. There is no draught beer and the clientele is varied and 'interesting'
Anyway, i have heard good reports about the food, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so when the opportunity to try it came up off I went. Now normally in a no beer bar i would drink Guinness but just lately I have developed a pre-dinner passion for Bloody Mary's. In the Courtyard i really should have stuck with the black stuff. My BM was served in a pint glass with two bottles of tomato juice which drowned out the vodka, and there was absolutely no spice to it at all. in fact I don't think the barman knew that Tabasco should have been used and wacked something else into it. It was very poor.
The Sunday dinner on the other hand was excellent. The two course meal was £13.95 and the three course £17.95. We had soup andduck spring rolls which were fine. then there was a variety of roasts of which we chose beef and lamb. All came with roasties and Yorkshire puds, and ample other vegetables. desert choices included a creme brulee which was far too runny but got eaten, and sticky toffee pudding which was fine.
All was washed down with a very pleasant Sauvignon Blanc or three all the way from Chile.
So I think we would go again, but I would make my own Bloody Mary. what of the waitresses? well i think they were onto a loser as the female clientele tends to turn heads with some very revealing outfits on display, but they were attentive and helpful so all in all a good craic..
So when the opportunity came up to eat Sunday lunch at the Courtyard in Oxton village we thought we should go for it.
The Courtyard is sited in the units which used to be Villa Jazz and it has probably been open about 18 months. During that time it must have re-invented itself two or three times. Initally it had a sofa area and a very visible 'courtyard' out back for smokers, now the sofa's have given way to additional tables and some of the courtyard has done so too. That means the smokers now go out front which is never a good look.
The current design has limited seating for drinkers on high stools and tables, an area to stand near the bar and then an eating area which does about 40 covers. The bar is a modern lager dominated stainless steel contraption, and really its not the place I would visit in Oxton out of choice. There is no draught beer and the clientele is varied and 'interesting'
Anyway, i have heard good reports about the food, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so when the opportunity to try it came up off I went. Now normally in a no beer bar i would drink Guinness but just lately I have developed a pre-dinner passion for Bloody Mary's. In the Courtyard i really should have stuck with the black stuff. My BM was served in a pint glass with two bottles of tomato juice which drowned out the vodka, and there was absolutely no spice to it at all. in fact I don't think the barman knew that Tabasco should have been used and wacked something else into it. It was very poor.
The Sunday dinner on the other hand was excellent. The two course meal was £13.95 and the three course £17.95. We had soup andduck spring rolls which were fine. then there was a variety of roasts of which we chose beef and lamb. All came with roasties and Yorkshire puds, and ample other vegetables. desert choices included a creme brulee which was far too runny but got eaten, and sticky toffee pudding which was fine.
All was washed down with a very pleasant Sauvignon Blanc or three all the way from Chile.
So I think we would go again, but I would make my own Bloody Mary. what of the waitresses? well i think they were onto a loser as the female clientele tends to turn heads with some very revealing outfits on display, but they were attentive and helpful so all in all a good craic..
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