It was 2011 when we last ate at Podium. It was a dismal evening. The restaurant was in a vast, soulless, open space, just off the hotel’s reception, with only a handful of diners. Service was indifferent. And the food missed the mark with every plate we had. So, why were we back? Well, the other week, I read a review from a professional restaurant critic who had also not been for years and said it was now really rather good.
Was he right? Well, generally speaking, yes he was. The Hilton has moved the restaurant to what I think used to be a bar area. It’s a pleasant, modern space, looking out onto Deansgate (the original restaurant space is now just used for breakfast for the hotel’s guests). But you’d still never be in any doubt this was a hotel restaurant (and my bet would be that almost all of the diners were staying at the hotel). Service was spot on – the guy was friendly, informative and everything happened as it should.
As for the food, it was miles better than our previous experience. The menu changes quarterly and leans towards using northwest produce, such as Herdwick lamb which featured in one starter. There it was long cooked so that it almost fell apart. Delicious. The “ragu” (their word) came with a dice of tangy, crunchy, fermented turnip and a thin potato sauce. It was sort of the elements of a Lancashire Hotpot. Served separately, a mini muffin (or barmcake, as I’d know it), made with lamb fat. One of the nicest starters I’ve eaten in a while. The other starter was also fine, although not one to “ooh and aah” over. Shreds of crab in a savoury custard, claw meat in a tempura batter and wasabi flavoured yoghurt. It was the sort of dish where the individual elements were good but they just didn’t come together well.
Ribeye steak, using Cumbrian beef, was accurately cooked as requested but lacked seasoning. As did the accompanying chips which were, otherwise, just as you want them – crispy on the outside, fluffy inside. There’s a drizzle of garlic and herb butter to add to the savouriness. Chicken was moist and tasty. That came with mashed potato, enhanced with chicken fat rather than butter and topped with a sprinkle of what I think must have been “crumbs” of chicken skin. An inspired move on the part of the chef. Moving away from the northwest, the drizzle of sauce was enhanced with the saltiness of olives and capers and a sweetness from chopped figs. It worked.
As so often the case, desserts were the least successful course. One of them, a rather dense cake, topped with a slice of apple and chopped nuts. The other, another cake, topped with lemon sorbet and shards of sugarwork. Interestingly, and sort of successfully, there were also usually savoury items in the form of thin slices of fennel and a drizzle of tangy goats curd.
Nice dinner but the jury is still out on whether it’s worth the schlep into the city to eat here.
