The usually quiet but charming Church Street, with its cobbles, quaint houses and sandstone church, came alive last Saturday for the Elizabethan Fayre. It’s always a joy to see that part of Prescot so full of people, and doubtless it’s a joy to local businesses, such as the nearby Tii House.

This small cafe and noodle house occupies the building that was Schooner’s for several years. Having spent the best part of the day at the fayre, my friends and I ventured inside the Tii House for a late lunch.

The menu has perhaps eight or so Chinese teas, and loving exotic tea but not having the foggiest what the names meant, I asked the waitress for a recommendation. Soon I was pouring from a steaming two-cup cafetiere of aromatic green tea.

The smell of chilli con carne was floating in my direction from the next table, and I was tempted. But I settled instead for a very tasty pork bowl — meat on rice, with steamed vegetables and a spicy rib sauce, all for a mere fiver (albeit not my fiver, thanks to a generous chum). Customers can choose from rice or noodles with chicken, beef, pork or king prawn, and other sauces include black bean, sweet-and-sour, curry and teriyaki. I could have eaten more, but if you know me, you’ll know that’s more a reflection on my appetite than on the ample serving sizes.

My companions decided to go for something a bit more English. While the name “fish bites” suggests kids’ food to me, they were in fact gorgeously cooked chippy-style pieces of cod in batter, served with chips, mushy peas and salad.

The menu has a small but diverse range of dishes, with breakfasts ranging from £1.99 for any combination of egg, sausage and bacon on toast or a barm, to £4.99 for the Mega Breakfast, a full English with all the trimmings, including black pudding and hash browns. Lunch options start at £1.99 for soup of the day with bread or garlic bread, and include sandwiches, burgers, lasagne, jacket potatoes and, of course, the Chinese rice or noodle bowls, with prices for main courses at £4 to £5. There’s also a range of snacks and side orders, such as chicken wings, prawn crackers and spring rolls, priced at £1 upwards.

We had spied the carrot cake on the way in, so resisting dessert was a tall order. It was to be the “lumpy bumpy cake” for me, a sweet treat with layers of chocolate, fudge and cream that has me salivating again as I write.

The staff were cheerful and attentive, and as business got quieter in the late afternoon, the owner offered us complementary glasses of iced tea. (I swear, at this stage he had no idea I would be reviewing his restaurant!) This kind of warm service generates just the right atmosphere to complement a good meal.

The Tii House, at 12 Church Street, Prescot, L34 3LA (opposite Prescot Parish Church), is open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm.