Oh Manchester, still so much to answer for…
This was part II of my birthday treats for this year. Part I was lunch at the ‘proper’ Moor Hall…and splendid it was too.
So, how would (protégé of the L’Enclume Empire, winner of main course on ‘GBM’ last year ) Tom Barnes’ new gaff in Manchester compare ? Not well, in truth, so perhaps best we don’t compare… at least until M star time comes around again.
First off, the space. Nice modern room in an attractive old building on Hanover / Federation Street. Not an area of Manchester I’m very familiar with and previously ( to my untutored knowledge ) not a hotbed of culinary fireworks. Anyway, near to Victoria station and at the back of Printworks. So grim and expensive car parking was available nearby.
Other clientele were very Manchester city centre - ‘yeah like I’ll just wear me jeans and trainees while blowing £500 on dinner , cos that’s how I roll ( with it ) our kid’. Happily we were in a table off to one side 
Music was to match so an 80s/90s indie soundtrack which was fun for an hour or two but which grated as it got later into the evening - maybe its just me but Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure while I’m having my snacks felt fine but the Stone Roses with me pudding ? A bit much, like.
Staff were friendly and enthusiastic throughout.
Oh, and the food and drinks ? A mixed bag, to be honest
As you can see there are two options - which felt a bit odd when you have a tasting menu. Just have one and commit to it, surely ?
As it was my birthday had the more expensive/ expansive one - option 2 but that did mean that at the end of the night you asked yourself if you felt it had been worth the extra £40 each for the ‘upgrade’? ’ Answer - no. Perhaps the fact that this even entered your head tells its own story ?
As I ( sadly) often find - the snacks were among the best things we ate. The bavette tart - whilst we have eaten similar many times before - was sparky and delicious and the Spenwood cheese and broad bean biscuit was ace. The potato flatbread with mackerel was a bit underwhelming ( and the cake was soft which meant it was tricky to eat ) but the BBQ lobster was rich and indulgent and yep, I could have eaten some more of that, thanks very much…
The scallop and miso custard courses were both also good… ( not mind-blowing but good flavours and nicely presented ) but then it all went a bit awry for me.
They invite you up to the pass for one course For us this was the cod. Cod is not my favourite fish - I find it a bit bland. Tom seems a nice guy but isnt overly chatty - so it just felt a bit ‘awks’. The cod dish was lovely, but quite rich with the onions and buttermilk combo - and my none alcohol matched drink was the worst one I had all night . It was celeriac and lemon thyme - to accentuate the smokiness apparently ( I asked and that’s what they said ). Unlike the matched wine it did not cut through the richness but doubled it…which was not pleasant.
Back at our table the next course , bizarrely, was onion broth. So from rich onion sauce we had very oniony broth. The advertised King Eddies were nowhere to be seen ( well they could be seen if you squinted - but not tasted ) so this just felt like a very oniony-garlicky broth… by now were were both feeling a little riched out , I fear.
Next up was the notional main - duck. It was beautiful - but again the sauce was very rich and it was served with bread ( filled with duck , and also beautiful ). But again, the richness factor was creeping yet higher.
The coup de grace was delivered by what I think was meant as an elegant/ interesting transition from savoury to sweet - but which was cashel blue cheese, olive oil and fruit bread. They mentioned pear too but I only found one morsel. I would have happily killed for more than that as this was just very blue cheesy and quite oily and there wasn’t enough fruit bread to combat ‘the blue’. I just think ( and I recognise this aint for me to say or judge ) that the balance of this course and that whole middle section needs a rethink.
The remining puds were lovely, if unspectacular.
The last course, Barneys tiramisu is served by Tom at your table. He tells a heart warming story about his dad as he serves it from a big bowl - still a small portion but kind of like you would have got a pud at home as a kid. Nicely done, plus it was very good tiramisu.
My other half had mint tea and there were no petit fours. By contrast at Moor Hall they now have a petit fours trolley that you can choose from
And so we are back at the comparison. Maybe its an unfair one but I left wondering what the aim is with Skof ? Is it to be a buzzy place serving good food in a less pretentious way than some of the other gaff in Ancoats ? If so, tick - you cannot get in now until midweek in November - so it looks like its been a positive opening.
Is it to rival other places seeking stars and all that goes with it ( I’m sure that is what the L’Enclume backers are seeking and what Manchester is desperately seeking too ). If so, it deffo needs some tweaks, for me. The ‘no bread until with your main course’ decision is bizarre and in part, I think, lends weight to the super rich run after the cod - as does the no veg with the duck but some bread at that point anomaly.
One small further example of what I mean - when we got home we realised they hadn’t given me my last none alcoholic matched drink with the last pudding - a small detail but these details count.
Of course the ultimate test is would you go back ?
Not unless they change the menu up a bit and I read about them having done so, is the honest answer. A shame because we so wanted to love this place.
Oh Manchester, so much to answer for…
