The Bubble Rooms in Woolton Village was always a fab place to eat and drink so we were sad to see that it had closed this year. However, when we heard it was getting a revamp by top chef Simon Rimmer we were excited to see what changes would be made. There was only one way to see if his changes would still make this venue a top place to visit, go and check it out for ourselves!
Arriving on a glorious Thursday lunch time, the outside seating area which hosts the now renamed Liberty Tavern and it's sister venue the Elephant was buzzing with lunch time diners making the most of the late summer sun. We took a seat and were presented with the taverns lunch time offering, a stripped down version of their full evening menu.
The fayre is American, from BBQ and Food Truck right through to more contemporary taverns and brasseries. Burgers and chicken wings sit alongside sea bass and crab cakes but I went for the 1/2 rack of St Louis ribs. Jon only fancied something light so went for the Chicken Cesar salad. Being veggie we thought we would test the staff and see if they could offer him one sans chicken and our waitress was more than happy to oblige. Credit to her as well as she then asked of he want the anchovies on it or the dressing without prompting from us. Excellent knowledge of the food and menu! We didn't catch her name unfortunately but she gets a gold star from us.
Whilst we waited for the food we checked out our surroundings. The place has been revamped. A new bar has been installed completely changing the layout and American apparel adorns the wall but not in a cheesy diner kind of way. It leans much more towards that contemporary brassiere I talked about earlier and they have done a cracking job in creating a warm and inviting environment for lunching folk like ourselves and for evening diners too. Not that there aren't some tongue and cheek nods to the more fun aspects of American dining. Oreo milkshakes on the menu and I spied an American cinema style popcorn machine on the bar. The balance
between these light hearted touches and the sophisticated
dining space was spot on.
Onto the food, my ribs were placed in front of me and I was surprised by the size of the portion, no scrimping on the lunch menu was happening here. I went for the rack ready for a fight as often happens with ribs but was delighted when the merest poke with my knife caused the meat to fall off the bone. It was juicy and cooked to perfection I really can't fault it. No need to the magical expanding lemon wipe. The sides were equally delish. A crisp fennel(?) house slaw complimented the sweet, sticky BBQ glaze on the ribs. The fries were fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, just how they should be! The remnants of skin on the fries clearly showed they were made fresh and thisshone through in the quality.
Jon's salad was the ideal size for just a light lunch. In a lovely kitsch bowl which we both admired afterwards the lettuce was crispy and the croutons crunchy. The salad was covered in just the right amount of dressing. You can often find a salad swimming in dressing but this was not a problem here. If you are someone with a lighter appetite or just looking for a snack this would be perfect to fill that hole.
I always try a nose at my other diners food and all I could see was a salmon dish. It's either a favourite amongst the towns folk or everyone was just in a salmon mood but either way the salmon fillets looked size able and pulp with juicy chunks of watermelon scattered all over the plates. Only empty plates could be seen coming back coming back the kitchen. This will my choice on my next visit (there will be one!).
No room for dessert so we left with full bellies, happy faces and memories of the Bubble rooms long forgotten. This is a culinary treat that is worth stepping away from the city centre to find. Take my advice and hop in taxi next time your looking for something away from the madness of the city centre and settle in for an amazing American Adventure.
For more information or just to salivate over the menu, check out their website here!
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