Restaurant Fraiche Oxton Wirral

It is 3 days to my birthday and the celebrations are in full swing. Nope, it is not a milestone birthday, but I made a conscious decision to celebrate regardless. Why? well, aside from the fact that it is the one day of the year that is mine, why not? Plus, I never was into celebrating birthdays when I was younger. I recall a birthday party (from photos) when I turned a year old but it was a double celebration for me and my eldest sister who was 10 or 11? at the time too. Then, for the 6 years in boarding school, my birthday fell around visiting day[1], so I got a birthday cake (usually sponge with no icing or filling). This ensured it kept for longer, meaning that I got to have a piece of home for longer too. Fast forward to later years, birthdays were just a quiet affair, it still is. However now, I intentionally do something for myself. I should add that as an Aquarian, having a birthday in what is considered the coldest month of the year, let’s just say man / gyal dem don’t like to be out and about in the cold!

This year’s celebrations started with drinks and nibbles with my sister and 3 friends, one of whom share a birthday with me. Neal had already mentioned that we were going up north for the weekend. I was silently hoping that we would be dining at Restaurant Fraiche and voila! It happened. What struck me about the restaurant it is not only on a quiet street in Oxton, it is also the most unassuming building ever. Nothing on the outside gives an indication of what happens inside. Another interesting thing is the lighting of the restaurant, put simply, reminded me of mood lighting, however, the explanation is not that simple. The lights are designed to reflect the seasons and seasonal change in nature ! It was very cool, but it really didn’t help my picture taking to be honest, I guess head chef Marc wants diners to be immersed in the food rather than the business of taking photos of the food and I ain’t mad at him.

The waiting lounge area, you are offered a few entrees and nibbles whilst casually scrolling through the menu using the tablet. These are experimental entrees that may or may not make it to the upcoming menu. We had a shot of what I can only describe as ‘pink foam’ which was smoky and had sea food undertones, and 2 other courses. My appetite whetted, I was ready for this food adventure.

Honestly, I have a new-found respect for carrots! Carrot sorbet for amuse bouche? ok then! I like sorbet as much as the next person (errr??) only because most sorbet (usually citrus) tend to be very acidic and sharp tasting. So, if the options include sorbet or ice-cream, y’all know I go for the ice-cream right? However, this carrot sorbet didn’t not taste like a sorbet. It was cold / icy like a sorbet, same texture as a sorbet but the carrot gave it a more mellow taste almost reminding me of crushed soft carrot flavoured ice (if that is even a thing!) There was a carrot butter type thing as well as a selection of root miniature root vegetables.

Another favourite was the monk fish dish! This was the first time I had monk fish and I really liked it. Apparently, this is considered a ‘poor man’s option to lobster’, well poor man’s choice or not, this fish was ‘meaty’ and flavourful. I don’t know if this the typical characteristic of the fish itself, or if this was the end game of head chef Marc. Either way, it was a win for me! Soo good! As was the accompaniment.

Can I just say that the palate cleansers here are BAE! I mean for one, they sure don’t look like palate cleansers and taste good, like really good too

The cheese selection was equally fantastic, it maintained the ethos of the Fraiche which is using only the best of local ingredients, these cheeses were scrumptious, blue cheese and all! Usually after cheese selection, the meal is a wrap, right? Well not in Fraiche, we were presented with what we like to call encore desserts – selection of desserts of different textures, flavours which were such a delight!