Lunch at the Red Door, West Kirby

This weekend we were back on the Wirral to spend some time with Joe's mum and catch up with friends (including watching the football - the less said about that, the better!)  Joe's mum was on great form and it was lovely to be back.  We made the most of a non-rainy weekend by some running - me doing a paltry six miles compared to Joe's 18!  The last long run before the marathon so things are looking good for a strong finishing time.**

After all that hard work we (well, Joe) deserved a nice lunch so we headed for the Red Door in West Kirby.  It's a great "neighbourhood bar" serving solid food and a great range of drinks.  It's kitted out really well - stripped back decor, cosy without being stifling and looks like an excellent place for spend a Friday night checking out some of the very interesting rums and tequilas they offer.  The music, even at a Saturday lunchtime, was great and it had a really nice buzz.

Joe and Sue - thumbs up!

Me and Sue with our lunchtime wine

Food wise, they offer a limited, but good, range of small and large plates.  There's deli boards, including a compile-your-own option of various meats, cheeses and vegetables such as home dried tomatoes, waldorf salad and mustard seed and red cabbage coleslaw. They also do a range of "ploughmans boards" which include the traditional, a daily quiche, pate or a old spot pork pie.  If looking for something more substantial, the menu has larger plates of whole or half chicken, fish and chips, kebabs and burgers with a selection of rubs and toppings.

The wine menu is either by the bottle, or they class their glasses as cheap, decent or good (a red and white of each) which means they can change the wines on offer without messing up the menu.  I tried the "decent" white - a South African Sauvingnon Blanc which was indeed quite decent. The bottled beers also look good and Joe enjoyed a couple of post-run Staropramen.

For lunch, Sue tried the daily quiche, which although she only asked for salad, also came with a rather large pile of chips (many more than on the picture - they ended up on Joe's plate).  The quiche was good, nice and light and a good size for a smaller appetite.  I had a small chicken Caesar with chips (we didn't need quite so many!)  The Caesar was very good - juicy chicken and not all breast which is a good thing for my tastes, crispy leaves and a light but tasty dressing.  I'm always a bit disappointed when my Caesar doesn't have fresh anchovies, but they're not to everyone's tastes.  The chips are awesome - crispy, well seasoned, far too easy to eat.  Joe had the beef burger topped with beetroot and horseradish.  He was offered a choice of pink or well done (pink, obvs), and although there was a little hiccup at the beginning (that beetroot and horseradish topping being missing) it was quickly rectified and we had a great lunch.

Overall, I'd recommend the Red Door to anyone looking for an easy lunchtime or evening dinner and drinks - the staff are friendly and attentive and clearly care about giving good service, and it was a very good experience.  A solid 8.5 out of 10.

** sponsorship for the marathon is still very welcome - a lot of hard work for a great cause: http://www.justgiving.com/joerees2012

Quiche, salad, and some more chips

Chicken caeser

The beef burger