It’s about a year since we were last here. In between, they’ve been closed for several months whilst the building had some extensive maintenance (still ongoing) apart from doing “pop-ups” in Manchester and have only reopened recently. Last visit, we particularly enjoyed the desserts from pastry chef, Jess. She’s just been promoted to head chef and we looked forward to seeing her influence across the menu. And we did. Food continued at a very high standard, with an on-going commitment to UK produce – and as local and seasonal as possible. And it means that you’re likely to come across the same ingredient in different guises as you eat your way through the menu. An ingredient such as asparagus which makes its first appearance right at the beginning in a “gazpacho”. They take the trimmings that might otherwise get thrown away and blitz it with herbs and sheeps milk yoghurt (another ingredient that pops up throughout the evening) to make a light cold soup for sipping from a bowl.
Then an immediate texture contrast with crisp kimchi and seed crackers alongside a oyster mayo for dipping. Next a Killeen beignet (or doughnut if you prefer) – the Irish Gouda-style cheese being mildly goaty and given a poke from Marmite. Much as I usually dislike Marmite, this single bite snack really works. Speaking of Ireland, an oyster served on the shell comes from Carlingford Lough in the North. It’s dressed simply with rhubarb and preserved lemon. It just about stays on the right side of “too sharp” a flavour.
Then there’s a lovely bread course. The bread from their own Yellowhammer bakery just round the corner. There’s in house cultured butter, a little sheeps milk cheese (same guy from North Wales who makes the sheep yoghurt mentioned earlier) and a couple of radish, complete with leaves, grown on their allotment on the top deck of the Merseyway car park. Might just have been my favourite course.
A pearl barley “porridge” comes next. A great texture and a very earthy flavour, enhanced with a bit of crunch from pork crackling. But the advertised brown crab was a little muted. Bang-on for seasonality, asparagus puts in a second appearance, very lightly blanched and served cold. It’s suggested you eat with your fingers dragging nthe spears through what was described as a “pil-pil” sauce , made from garlic and cod’s heads. You think it won’t work but it’s great.
The final savoury course was a slice of lightly smoked loin from a Gloucester Old Spot pig, with a good rim of sweet fat. Meat from the head and trotters was long cooked, with shreds wrapped in nasturtium leaf, to provide a bit of pepperyness.And there’s a dab of Japanese plum sauce for a bit of sweet and salty.
And then, for the first dessert, it’s their take on jelly and ice cream. Frozen yoghurt, flavoured with woodruff which is used as a local substitute for vanilla, with a sharp rhubarb jelly. It’s described as a palate cleanser and it really is. That’s followed with a cannoli that pairs the use of spelt to make the pastry (with a scattering of seeds) and a filling of very Italian ricotta. It’s delish. And finally, a single bite sponge flavoured with corn, apple and elderflower.
I’ve always been excited to eat here and this meal was no exception in delivering on its promise. Not least as we had what I reckon was the best table – literally just feet away from the chefs working in the very open kitchen
