610 SQUADRON BAR & GRILL AT THE WOODCOTE by Si Hall & Arthur Gold
After spending 37 years in the USA , Wirral-born Chip Cobb and his wife Tina , returned to the Wirral in 2016 and purchased The Woodcote Hotel in Hooton in 2017 . Despite challenges such as the pandemic and staff shortages , they have significantly invested and refurbished both the hotel and restaurant over the last 3 years , to create a great vibrant space . The new bar and restaurant , ‘ 610 Squadron Bar & Grill ’ – aptly named due to the history of Hooton and serves as a tribute to the brave members of the 610 Squadron up the road ( a nice touch as Chip was a US Paratrooper ).
Recently launched , we ’ d heard great reviews from our discerning foodie colleagues about this great bistro helmed by Chef Jake Parry - a rosette winner who spent 3 years as head chef at Pinion in Prescot ( one of the sister restaurants to Burnt Truffle , Sticky Walnut , Wreckfish ) amongst other notable kitchens and also been featured in the Waitrose Good Food Guide . Jake has been given a rare free reign to play with the menu .
On with the show !
THe Squadron Burger 8oz beef burger sourced from Scott ’ s of Moreton , in a toasted brioche bun with their classic tomato relish , sliced gherkins , lollo rosso lettuce and melted Cheshire cheddar . Served with crispy rosemary salted fries , and a pot of confit garlic mayonnaise . Sounds so simple , but trust us , it ’ s anything but ! This literally gave us the flavour of what Jake is doing - super tasty and so big it needs it ’ s own landing strip .
Smoked Bacon Chop Chargrilled cured bacon chop , served with a rosemary , thyme and garlic infused mashed potato . With tenderstem broccoli and a cider and mustard cream sauce to finish . A big step up from the humble pork chop , again Chef Jake is punching out with the flavours .
Chef ’ s Pie Of The Week Our pie of the week was chicken and mushroom . Chunks of chicken breast and sliced mushroom , cooked in a rich white wine cream sauce . Red wine gravy , garden peas and triple cooked chips served on the side . Now , to us a pie is a pie and not really ever remarkable as the pastry is always so stodgy . Chef Jake ’ s in-house pie was a slap in the face to that preconception - light , thin , crispy , hearty and so tasty .
Trapper ’ s Hat Battered Fish & Chips Locally brewed Trapper ’ s Hat is the beer used in their batter , large haddock fillets sourced from the Big Little Fish Company just over the water in Widnes . Triple cooked chips , tartare sauce and crushed peas , now regarded as ‘ the best peas on the Wirral ’ by one of their regular guests !
Black Olive and Tomato Arancini 5 balls of a rich tomato and black olive risotto , coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried . Served on a tomato and red wine ragu , generous dollops of basil pesto . Finished off with grated aged parmesan and a dehydrated black olive “ crumb ”. Again packed full of flavour and ultra moreish .
Pan Fried Seabass Sea bass fillet , pan fried until the skin is crisp , served with a tomato and red wine based butterbean cassoulet . Chargrilled chorizo and baby gem lettuce finish the dish . A cleverly elevated twist on a classic .
10oz Rib-eye Steak Served with roasted tomato and mushrooms , Trapper ’ s Hat battered onion rings and their now famous triple cooked chips . Cooked to perfection .
Strawberry Pavlova Meringue nest filled with a soft vanilla whipped cream , Cheshire Farm strawberries & cream ice cream , a strawberry coulis and dusted with icing sugar to finish . Divine .
Profiteroles Freshly baked profiteroles topped with a brown sugar craquelin for a bit of a crunch , filled with vanilla whipped cream , drizzled with a rich dark chocolate sauce . These were huge , clearly made in-house , stunning .
Sticky Toffee Pudding A generous wedge of sticky toffee pudding , served with a salted butterscotch sauce and a scoop of Cheshire Farm vanilla ice cream . Just to die for .
It ’ s next level bistro comfort food and so much more , yet surprisingly great value and so substantial you won ’ t be popping into the chippy on the way home for sure .
After spending a few hours with the team , it was clear that every element had a level of finesse and consideration rarely found in a ‘ hotel bar restaurant ’ - to the point , based on the quality of Chef Jake ’ s cuisine , I would re-classify this as - an excellent restaurant , that also has a hotel .
Like the original 610 Squadron , this place is really taking off and deservedly so .
Full marks ! Highly recommended .
The lunch and light bites menu is daily from 12pm until 5pm . The à la carte menu is 12pm until 8.30pm .
610 Squadron Bar & Grill at The Woodcote 3 Hooton Road Cheshire CH66 1QU
Booking advised on 0151 328 5730 or info @ thewoodcote . co . uk
44 34 wirrallife seftonlife . com