Paesano

Nestled in the lovely Port Sunlight Village (is that not the cutest-​sounding name for a village EVER?) in the Wirral, within the Leverhulme Hotel and Spa, is Paesano. This delightful Modern European slash British Traditional slash Italian slash Scottish (Haggis anyone?) restaurant is simply a joy to munch at, namely due to its tastebud-​ticklingly tasty menu.
It’s fairly new and thus has the exuberance of youth. Unique twists in classic dishes such as mussels with lemon and whisky cream or custard trifle with banana and raspberries make up an innovative and rather delicious set of choices. There’s even gnocchi served with mushrooms and cauliflower, an Italian carb that as far as I’m concerned gets vastly underused in restaurants. Come on, mini potato dumplings? Who doesn’t like those?
The swirly carpet and quirky décor might not be to everyone’s taste but they certainly sat well with me. As for the food, I’d heard mixed reviews myself but they were mainly from would-​be gourmands who didn’t like the twisted logic of fusion food. As someone who’s willing to dip crostini not only into pesto but also houmous and tzatziki, their shareable appetiser was more than fine for me. The service was a little hit and miss but I’m always willing to give a young restaurant a chance, and this one has great potential.