Restaurant review Birkdale Village Southport…

Rumah translates from Indonesian as “home”.

The concept is based on a South East Asian theme, with food from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Rumah Bar & Kitchen is a 2-floor venue with plenty of space out front & on the terrace upstairs for casual outdoor dining & drinking.
Inside, it is beautifully laid out, with an airy, stylish, fresh appeal.
Modern Indonesian design, anyone?

With the open kitchen you can see the team of chefs in action,
giving a professional look and adding to the expectation of some fine cuisine.

My friend Debbie & I had telephone booked through Dan at Rumah for a table at 6.45 pm on a pleasant Tuesday evening.
We were warmly greeted by the staff and shown to our table in the “restaurant” section,
to the right of this swish venue in the heart of the Village, about 2 miles south of the town-centre.
Here is my restaurant review from Birkdale Village, Southport…

THE MENU…

We selected from a menu of small plates, light bites, sates & sides although the idea here is to casually graze as the food arrives, rather than a formal “3-course” type structure.

I had eaten Pork Adobo earlier in the year, during a trip to Manila. It is considered a “national dish” of the Philippines
and I`d sampled a fine version of it there in the highly-regarded & long-establish Cafe Adriatico.
So how did Rumah`s compare?

Pork Adobo main course

Very well indeed. Slow braised & tender pork belly cooked in a “tarty” vinegar & soy sauce.  (£8)
Absolutely delicious and the dish worked well with the accompanying Nasi Putih – steamed white rice, which was perfectly cooked.

Beautifully-presented steamed rice

I also tried Rumah Ayam Goreng – chicken drumsticks marinated in bumbu goreng, deep fried, served with chilli and lemongrass vinegar. (£7)

Debbie is a vegetarian (but a fish/seafood eater) and tries to be as vegan as possible and the menu at Rumah allows for this.
Top marks for annoting clearly on the menu below each dish which category they fall into, making selection easy for those on a particular diet.

Vegetarian options at RUMAH Bar & Kitchen

All dishes were presented in a striking & unique way, decorated beautifully which demonstrated an impressive amount of care & attention.

More vegetarian options

THE ATMOSPHERE…

As the venue began to fill up, the atmosphere was friendly, relaxed & convivial.
It`s nice to see that tables aren`t crammed too close together, like many other venues.

AND THE WINE…

The wine list is impressive in its length and comes with detailed and meaningful descriptions.
I left Debbie to select a suitable white.
She went deep into the list and selected a bottle at £29 – a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which proved to be absolutely delicious.
The entry point is £19, so prices are relatively high for wine, but the quality was superb.

Quality wine list at RUMAH Bar & Kitchen Birkdale Village

PRICES?

Food prices were reasonable, with small plates & rice around £7/£8, so along with a couple of sides, expect to spend around £15 for a meal.
The quality of what we ate was very good, so we were happy with the value for money offered.

Rumah’s website states….

Our goal is to recreate a little bit of Bali here in Birkdale and we can’t wait to welcome you to have a quiet daytime coffee,
a lunch with friends or an evening cocktail.
Cheers – or as they say in Bali – tepuk tangan!”

I live in Birkdale Village & this was my first visit to Rumah Bar & Kitchen and I was delighted with my new “home”.
It won`t be my last!

I`d give it an 8.5 out of 10

Very close to Birkdale train station (50 yards away!) & in the centre of the ever-developing “Village”,
the venue is perfectly located for a daytime treat or a night out, whether you are eating, or simply having a drink.

BOOKING…

You can book on: 01704 568 877

or  email:  info@rumahbirkdale.co.uk

or visit the website at www.rumahbirkdale.co.uk

PRO TIP: try Cafe Bar Nìsta (next door but 3) to Rumah for a pre or post meal drink.
It is a stylish & friendly place to meet locals.

“Thanks for reading my blog post.
I write weekly reviews on Trip Advisor under the name PadThaiPaul
You can see them and follow me there.

Happy dining, people!” – Paul

Pad Thai Paul on Trip Advisor

UPDATE: as at April 2023, Rumah has ceased trading and is re-opening as Coast Birkdale.