In September 2011, 21 Parr Street was graced by the presence of a cafe by day and a platform for local music and various other events at night. Seems pretty ordinary huh?
Think again. Set up by Action on Addiction, The Brink to many is known as a retreat for the recovering. This has built a strong podium for recovering addicts to immerse themselves back into mainstream society which shatters any predisposed thoughts customers might have of such a predicament after visiting. A non-alcoholic bar, with 73% of their employees in recovery themselves, The Brink is certainly extra ordinary and at the forefront of modern philanthropy. Despite people believing you need an exclusive membership to walk through the doors, The Brink’s benevolence stretches to all walks of life.
As soon as you walk in its hard not be captivated by The Brink, it is a shrine to the weird and the wonderful with a certain creative flourish and prowess present throughout. From the bright purple and green chairs that catch your eyes straight away, the wall decor shrouded in abstract sculptures to the upside down plant pots hanging from the roof (which must be hard to water). It is almost a celebration of the diversity of life and certainly reiterates the lives this incredible charity gives back. The Brink’s motto “What We Make Makes us” perpetuates the social conscience and ethos of The Brink as well as the fact after they’ve paid their running costs, any profit goes back into helping people in treatment.
Upon scanning the menu, we stumbled across the ‘best fish ‘n’ chips in town’ which by any means is a bold statement. To our happiness, we will not be requesting any changes of their title on the menu after our first few bites. We were given a Mount Everest of mushy peas, flaky fish coated in a crisp and light batter topped with a lemon wedge and a huge pile of homemade chips. We argue the famous quotation “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” should be immediately changed to “The Brinks’ fish ‘n’ chips”. The enormity of its quantity undoubtedly did not compromise its quality and with the plate of food reigning in at a price of £6.95, it is beyond value for money. The Brink pride themselves on being able to offer restaurant quality food at an affordable price for anyone and they offer a vast range of delectable dishes so you can come back and keep trying without your wallet decreasing in size as you yourself increase
So then, why drink a bar dry when you can drink a dry bar? The Brink is the best example of how amazing the city Liverpool is. Whilst most would desert those recovering, the Brink has built a second chance for those who never thought they would get it whilst welcoming anyone off the street to come and enjoy it as well. The atmosphere is infectious and is currently a project only ran in Liverpool so please support this worthy cause. As always, support their social media and keep up to date with latest events search for them on Facebook, their Twitter and Website. Independent Liverpool cardholders will be happy to know they can get 10% off at all times, support a fantastic cause and fill your stomach at the same time.