Cocktails, hip - hop and kebabs at Habibi ...

It has been a while since I have had the chance to post here and it feels great to be back! I have been so busy in recent months with exciting trips to Italy, New York and Alaska and my writing work which continues to be so much fun. I feel like it is high time for me to come back with something new and tell you all about the places I have loved recently. I am always keen to try out restaurants which focus on an interesting concept and I liked the sound of Habibi Bar* as soon as I heard about their intriguing theme of cocktails, kebabs and hip hop - or as they say 'Brooklyn Beats & Eastern Eats'. Sounds like a winning combination to me, so I went along to see what all the fuss is about.

Habibi is located in New Brighton just outside Liverpool, right on the coastline and the area has seen a resurgence of late, with several new restaurants and bars having opened up, making it the perfect place to head out to for dinner and drinks. A relaxed mood set me at ease on arrival, with friendly staff and as promised, old school hip hop tunes pounding from the speakers as I settled in to sip a chilled glass of rosé. The menu revolves around quite a few dishes which are ideal to share, along with their popular open kebabs which are served on tempting chargrilled flatbreads freshly made in house. 

We ordered a mix of side dishes to get the meal underway - spicy Batata harra fries and mixed Armenian pickles provided an explosion of Middle Eastern inspired tastes and the extra flatbread served with garlic yoghurt, rose harrisa and green chilli relish was equally good. I love to start a meal this way, with everyone sampling various dishes - it makes for such a convivial style of dining. 

I cannot forget to mention the grilled halloumi salad with date ketchup - I always love halloumi dishes and the slightly smoky date ketchup worked well with a sprinkle of sweet pomegranate seeds. 

 

It was on to main courses and the open kebabs have an interesting selection of toppings available such as ground beef, Beirut cauliflower and Persian monkfish. I went for the king prawn kebab which arrived heaped with halloumi, ras el hanout and succulent king prawns which were made even more flavoursome by the addition of a chunky pineapple salsa.

The food at Habibi looks so vibrant, this is the kind of meal which makes me want to eat on a sun-drenched terrace overlooking the sea! The hand crafted cocktails are well worthy of a mention too, with exotic flavours of ras - el - hanout, cardamom and date featuring in some of their signature recipes.

My dining companion decided on the chicken shawarma kebab, dressed with chilli paste, garlic yoghurt and lemon alongside a generous amount of chargrilled chicken. The chilli paste added a subtle kick of fire which offset the meat well and balanced nicely with the garlic yoghurt.

The open kebabs were so filling, with plenty of bold flavours - they all come served with sumac onions, herb salad and baby gem lettuce as well as your choice of topping. I liked the simple presentation of the food, which was served on silver trays with Habibi branded paper. They have just started a take away menu, which I can see will prove popular and it is worth noting that there is  a range of vegan options on the menu such as tabbouleh, parsley and lime salad and the Habibi falafel kebab. We lingered for a while after dinner to enjoy more drinks and hip hop tunes – Habibi makes a fun and different addition to the local dining scene and I am sure that it will continue to gain plenty of loyal fans. I would certainly pop in again when I'm in the area.

Habibi 

3 Grosvenor Rd, 

Victoria Quarter, 

Wallasey
CH45 2JD

https://habibibar.co.uk/

What do you all think, do you like the sound of cocktails, kebabs and hip – hop? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

*This meal was complimentary for the purposes of review. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.