Negresco Deco, Woolton Village

Apr 27 2007 by Emma Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

Emma Johnson at the newest of south Liverpool’s eateries

WHEN you think about things coming along in threes, it tends to be misfortune and buses, not restaurants, that spring to mind.

But, for the good folk of the picturesque Woolton Village, that is exactly what has just happened.

Nothing for ages, then three restaurants come along at once.

Yes the people who brought us some of Liverpool’s most unusual and quirky places to eat (Korova Corporation), have snapped up three new premises in the affluent suburb and flung open the doors to them all at once.

So you have the crazily-titled Casa del Cocodrilo, formerly the Elephant and sister restaurant to the Alma de Santiago and Alma De Cuba restaurants; the Twin Peaks-themed Fargo; and Negresco Deco, sibling to the original Negresco, in Lark Lane, Aigburth.

After a day spent in the early spring sun and with little knowledge of Woolton geography, it was at this one we decided to enjoy a spot of Sunday lunch – mainly because, positioned on the Speke Road crossroads at the edge of the village centre, we couldn’t miss it.

The former Coach and Horses pub takes diners back to the jazz age with a deco feel (obviously – although I am no expert on the period) and an interior decorated in a green, white and dark wood.

The front of the venue has a sort of café-feel to it, and it is possible to dine there from a lighter menu. Meanwhile, at the back, Negresco Deco is very much a restaurant and one which feels as if it should be in a 1920s posh seaside hotel with the rich green leather banquetted booths, a black and white checkerboard floor, crisp white tablecloths and a grand piano in the corner.

Having been brought up on MGM movies, I am a sucker for a white tablecloth and a hotel feel, so I was right at home. I was even more at home when, after ordering a large glass of dry white wine, the obliging waiter proceeded to pour an extremely large measure from a well-chilled bottle at our table.

Negresco Deco offers an extensive French-influenced a la carte menu. However, my husband and I both decided on the Sunday lunch option, which was also on offer until 6pm.