Brand new pop-up, Alpine Liverpool has opened in our fantastic Baltic Triangle, bringing with it a combination of fantastic, homemade comfort food and a ski chalet interior complete with twinkling fairy lights, wooden benches, fur throws and pine cones. The delicious pop up has taken over Gibberish pub for the Christmas period and if you fancy somewhere a little off the beaten track to enjoy a drink and some bloody good food, then Alpine really isn’t one to be missed. We were invited down to indulge in the spirit of Christmas and with a cheese heavy three course menu full of hearty, traditional Swiss dishes, we didn’t hesitate to make our booking.
For those that don’t already know, Gibberish pub sits just outside Cains Brewery, hidden away and unassuming, this venue really comes to life when you step inside, and with the Alpine pop up in place, it’s really something that needs to be seen. The venue has been transformed ski chalet style with benches and wooden tables inside a wooden hut, fur throws littering the seating and twinkling fairy lights scattered throughout, making Alpine not simply just a place to eat, but an entire magical experience.
Sitting down to eat, we were brought a glass of Prosecco and eagerly awaited our food. Being a fairly small venue with only a limited amount of covers, Alpine Liverpool requires you to pre-order your three course meal priced super reasonably at £30 pp. You can view the full menu online but our choices included a belly warming French onion soup complete with a melty Gruyere cheese-topped crouton and a Tartiflette with cream, smoked bacon and Reblochon cheese to start, a beef Bourgignon and mushroom Tagine for the main event and hot apple strudel with vanilla custard to finish.
Food began service at 6.30pm and as we waited for ours, the alpine chalet was brought to life, with Christmas parties and even couples on date nights all keen to try out the apres ski vibes of the venue and celebrate away from the main hustle and bustle of Liverpool city centre.
Our starters arrived quickly and we tucked into rich and hearty French onion soup alongside a cheesy, creamy Tartiflette complemented with salty pieces of bacon and a fresh green garnish. As we were finishing up, the live music started making the mountain-lodge experience that little bit more special. We were soon tucking into a flavourful, tomato-ey Beef Bourgignon that contained super tender beef rump, slow cooked in red wine. As well as the beef, we opted for the wild mushroom and cellariac Tagine which contained a whole host of winter vegetables cooked up in celeriac puree and topped with parmasan breadcrumbs, making for a super creamy dish with a touch of crunch on the top, all baked up in an earthenware pot. The mains, cooked beautifully by AFKitchens, were all accompanied with honey roasted carrots, cream spinach and a crispy, homemade potato rosti – with a cold wind outside this warming, generously portioned comfort food was a little slice of heaven.
A great thing about a carefully put together French Swiss-fusion menu is the sheer amount of cheese that features. whilst our starters were delicious, seeing the cheese fondue being taken over to other tables leaves no question when it comes returning to Alpine. Andy Fry, founder of AFKitchens has introduced the deliciousness of Swiss food to Liverpool after realising how amazing it was when working abroad in Switzerland, and we can’t thank him enough. Although Alpine is currently just a pop up, there is no better time for it than the indulgent Christmas period and, should it be a success, Andy hopes to bring it back year upon year.
After letting our mains settle, we were suitably stuffed but eager for our traditional apple strudel – and we weren’t disappointed. A super crispy, icing sugar covered pastry wrapped around sweet, tangy apples and a large dollop of sweet Chantilly cream. Our vanilla custard sat on the side making for the perfect boomerang as we slowly began to pour. The dish was absolutely divine and the perfect finish to a truly delicious, festive meal.
Alpine is open until Sunday 23rd December and is somewhere everyone needs to experienced. If you’re looking for the perfect venue for a Christmas meal with friends, want to treat a loved one to a Swiss inspired feast complete with live music or simply just fancy an apres ski style drink of mulled wine or brandy hot chocolate, come in out of the cold and into Alpine Liverpool, you wont regret it.