Wirral Life July 2019 | Page 48

LA BAHIA by Si Hall & Nicky Rigby-Smith La Bahia is a Spanish Tapas Restaurant – the latest tapas restaurant to come to Wirral – and oh aren’t we glad - it’s divine – a hidden gem in Hoylake. Long tail prawns in avocado cream. The cream is made with avocado, white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt to season. A perfect combo of flavours with big juicy prawns – yum! Greeted by owner Tony and Head Chef Paul, we were seated at the front of the restaurant. The sun was out and we felt that we were in Andalucía with the décor and ambience. From the specials, we ordered Ensalada – a large Spanish seafood salad with sliced linguostine, octopus, prawns, mussels, anchovies, squid, avocado, and oranges – so many delicious flavours and perfect for the summer! Sat comfortably at our table, we ordered from the extensive wine list. We chose a Spanish White Rioja Nietro de Sommos 2016 which was clean and crisp on the palate. We also ordered fresh focaccia (which is made on the premises daily) whilst we perused the menu. The menu offers a lot of choice at very reasonable prices. We opted for Pan fried Seabass wrapped in Serrano ham which came served on the most delicious saffron rice – a very generous portion and seriously tasty! Next was Serrano ham and Manchego cheese drizzled in locally sourced honey. A nicely done delicious classic combo. The Chicken Al Moro dish consisted of chicken and chickpeas in a unique spice sauce. This was one of our favourites – would highly recommend. We accompanied this dish with green beans griddled in parsley and fresh chillies with rock salt – fresh, tasty and a perfect punchy side. 48 wirrallife.com Spanish surf and turf which was prawns and sliced chorizo cooked in a lemon, lime and honey sauce. Rich but beautiful. And finally a Frito mixto. This dish had calamari, prawns and boquerones deep fried with aioli and spicy dipping sauces. A really lovely combo. Overall, we fell in love with this place. The restaurant, staff, menu selection, wine list and gorgeous food. Hoylake residents you are so lucky to have this on your doorstep – and if you live further afield then we would definitely recommend a taxi ride. Must try! To book call, 0151 347 7744 La Bahia, 20 Market Street, Hoylake, CH47 2AE