I’ll get my single negative comment out of the way at the beginning. On the last two occasions we’ve eaten here, there’s been something of a lack of atmosphere because there’s been so few diners. And, on this midweek evening, it got worse. We were the only customers the whole evening. I suppose if I looked on the bright side, I could say we had a private dining experience but it was hard to look on that bright side of our favourite city centre restaurant. As for the food, as usual, it’s creative in its concept and immaculate in its execution. There’s humour in the writing of the menu. No chance of long intricate descriptions – each of the 12 dishes is described in just one or two words. It does, however, mean I’ve no menu to jog my memory of all the ingredients of the food we ate.
So, to start, there’s bread from the Pollen Street Bakery in Ancoats. There’s butter of course. And a powerful broth for sipping and/or dunking. That’s followed by “Pie”, a single bite take on a traditional cheese, onion and potato pie – crisp pastry, caramelised onion, potato mousse and grated cheese. Possibly the biggest flavour hit of the evening. “Toast” brings more of the Pollen Street bread, toasted and topped with beef tartare, horseradish and smoked eel. A version of “Cold Cut” has long been a menu feature. It’s currently slices of a ham made from the leg of an Iberico pig, served with housemade mustard and a very sticky, sweetish Japanese milk bread. Think of it as a “fine dining” take on the ham sandwich.
“Shellfish” was technically complex and I just can’t remember exactly what it was. There’s langoustine tail, topped with dried edible flowers, stock made from the shellfish heads, with some of the stock turned into a lovely, slithery jelly. “Vegetable” brought asparagus – bang on for seasonality – served with the tips lightly cooked and shavings of the stalk raw. It’s served with an elderflower and wild garlic emulsion – the chef who brought the dish said he foraged both ingredients that morning, before coming in to work. Then there was “fish” – a small fillet of cod, lightly cured so that it’s quite firm, and then butter poached. The head chef said he planned to use wild sea bass in a few weeks. “Meat” comes in the form of perfectly cooked duck breast (something my partner isn’t keen on so I happily got seconds from her). Earthy sweet beetroot and sharp mustard seeds are great accompaniments.
The cheese course features Baron Bigod, a perfectly ripe British Brie. It’s served with chutney and a cracker, to be eaten with a spoon. The first dessert is a set custard, flavoured lightly with nutmeg and served, seasonally, with rhubarb. And, then, Adam Reid’s signature tipsy cake, soaked in local rum, served with cream, and a cup of tea. Good espresso is included and comes with an excellent chocolate truffle.
