West Kirby’s exciting new bistro West 34 is to officially open its doors on Thursday.
And last night West Kirby Today was invited to an exclusive sneak preview party, to take you behind the scenes of the restaurant.
Celebrity chef Mark Broadbent, who has worked with co-owner and kitchen manager Victoria Preston to design the menu for West 34, was on hand with head chef Robert Foster and the kitchen team to create a delicious array of canapés for the invited guests.
And Victoria’s husband and business partner Billy Preston made a speech in which he welcomed the enthusiastic audience of business contacts, relatives and family friends and payed special tribute to Mark’s handiwork.
Mark Broadbent, who famously beat world-renowned Marcus Wareing to emerge as northern champion of The Great British Menu, has brought his 28 years of experience working in everything from gastro-pubs to 2 Michelin star restaurants to bear on the dining offer at West 34.
And last night we were treated to a tantalising taste of the goodies to come for West Kirby, with a canapé menu that included a wild mushroom risotto, corn-fed chicken pie with truffle mash and butter puff pastry, and a melt-in-the-mouth slow cooked lamb shank curry with courgette, Sri Lankan spices, coriander and fragrant rice.
As we revealed last month, new owners Billy and Victoria Preston closed Scogs in Banks Road, West Kirby after Valentines Day, to create a brand new bistro with a menu relying on healthy, regionally-sourced produce.
“It has been hard work, but it is really coming together well,” beamed Mark, who has been totally hands-on in training the West 34 kitchen team.
The team’s efforts certainly met with approval from last night’s guests, and the attentive and friendly service from the front-of-house team, ensuring that the food and the wine and cocktails flowed, also bodes well.
Guest Penny Fray said: “The food is lovely, and the barman created a special mocktail just for me, which was delicious! It’s a great party, and I have to say the service from the staff has been exceptional.”
The interior of the restaurant has been tastefully and dramatically transformed, with cosy soft lighting, a new bar, hand-carved wooden table tops and sophisticated wall decorations.
Said Billy: “We have been working from 9am to 2am most days getting the place ready, but we are really pleased. There are just a few finishing touches still to be done, and the big emphasis for the next few days is on staff training ready for us to open for business on Thursday.”
