I grew up in the late 80s/early 90s, when there was still lead in paints, we didn't have to wear seatbelts and parents could smack children. It's a surprise we've all made it this far.
Most things I grew up with have become outlawed (see above paragraph), outdated (mine and my brother's matching shell suits) or outlived (my rabbit). But some things are still, thankfully going strong.
One of my favourite memories is coming home from primary school, racing my brother up the stairs and getting the malt loaf out (for all of you millennials, that's what Soreen was called when I were a wee 'un) and cutting thick slices off, slathering them in butter and bunging it into the microwave for ten seconds. The result? Ultimate gooey goodness. And it was approved by mother for being vaguely healthy (liquorice was also vested this lofty status).
Over Christmas dinner it transpired that the both of us still continue this tradition (minus the racing each other up the stairs), only this time it is actually butter we spread, rather than the hydrogenated-oil rich margarine replacement everyone was so fond of back then. As I said, how did we survive to be this old?
It seems that the people over at Soreen HQ (did you know it's made in Manchester?) either did EXACTLY THE SAME THING WE DID AS KIDS, or just have a lateral thinking product development team who realised 'we need to make different kinds of Soreen, because in this day and age you need a million new products a day to survive as a brand...'. Anyways they've developed pre-sliced loaves, two different types to be exact - one that's toast shaped and one that's just a normal loaf sliced, so toaster lovers and microwaves lovers can both get into the hot Soreen action (sounds slightly wrong - ed).
These pre-sliced loaves are amazing, no more sticky fingers/squashed loaves for me. I'm still finding it hard to decide whether micro-ed Soreen (melty/squidgy) is better than toasted Soreen (slightly crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle). What I do know is that the Festive and the Cinnamon Raisin versions are divine (sadly unsliced), but then again I'd think cinnamon heavy vomit was pretty damn edible - basically, buy them if you like hot cross buns, Christmas and er, cinnamon.
And yep, I've just written a blog post about a processed, pre-packaged fruit and malt loaf, but guess what it's my blog and I'm sick of naval gazing about the mouth feel of frickin' burgers or the way a plate is drizzled with oil. Get over it.
Soreen - available from most corner shops, supermarkets and other grocery type purveyors; or in my lucky case, from my friend who works there.
Showing posts with label Greater Manchester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greater Manchester. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
3TwentyOne - Deansgate, Manchester
Oh my god; MEAT and BOOZE and MEAT and SMOKE and AMERICA and DID I MENTION MEAT - let's get excited and all love THE IN THING RIGHT NOW.
It seems a week doesn't go by without a burger bar/street food stall/festival/restaurant/supermarket/supper club/excuse for a PR agency in Manchester popping up or jumping on the dirty meaty bandwagon with their, giggle, slightly rude names for foods in plastic trays; so when ANOTHER 'smokehouse and liquor' place opened their doors and invited me along, you can imagine that I wasn't that keen (er...it was free food and you're telling me you weren't keen? - ed).
3TwentyOne has opened above The Deansgate pub and unfortunately my first impressions weren't great - opening night clashed with THAT FA Cup where Wigan gave Man City a proper beating - cue little me trying to cut through drunken, burly types in a dress that was unintentionally too low cut. Fun. Thank god first impressions can be changed, hey?
The restaurant isn't remotely faux dirty Americana - they may have jumped on the smoke/meat/bourbon train, but they've done it in their own comfortable, Farrow and Ball, restrained restaurant way. Maybe proper crockery is not for thems BBQ purists, but I was there for the food and if I can be comfortable/clean whilst eating, then all the better for this old fusspants.
3TwentyOne has their own smoker in-house and this certainly pays off; the chefs have also worked out a pretty good smoke for the food (they've been experimenting and it seems current winner is hickory wood chips) - rather than an acrid tasting crust, the smoke is sweet and subtle, but very definitely there. Deboned chicken wings were a massive hit and the ribs a smokey, tender trio that were incredibly meaty. Lip smacking/finger licking good - just could have done with a bit more....
It would be rude to go somewhere dedicated to meat without sampling the steaks - especially as they were given such prominence on the menu - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. The hanger and the rib-eye were both cooked exactly as we demanded (well, asked for in a polite/humble/if it's not too much of a bother British way); both were soft and buttery, great tasting pieces of high quality meat - the rib-eye was better, but at £7 more, it should be.
Sides are worth mentioning because they were delicious and because this is a food blog and you like to know that kind of thing - corn from the griddle was charred, plump and juicy; thrice cooked chips fluffy, crisp and light; smoked garlic butter, DIVINE; chimmicurri, fresh and sharp to cut through the fat on our plate and the BBQ sauce is addictive, so only go there if you can handle having to use everything in reach as a means to getting it in to your mouth, no matter how ungainly (sucked clean rib bones, fingers, bits of celery, the end of a fork... yeah I went there).
Because I wasn't full enough already (that's a lie, by the way) I decided I definitely needed the most hip-hugging puddings on the menu - not like I should be worrying about my weight so I can bag a fella, in this overtly image dominated world we live in. Ah well, you only live once and all that shiz.
The oreo mud pie could have done with some obvious bits of oreo, mainly because I like them, but was fully chocolaty enough without being super sweet - good thing for this dark chocolate fiend. And we couldn't help but order the sundae, as we were in a sort of American restaurant (and inside I'm actually five). Piled high with delicious Cheshire Farm ice-cream, 3Twentyone had dressed it with a proper chocolate sauce, which went all hard on the ice-cream (ace). One downside was that the cream that was piled on top, it was over-whipped and had vanilla added, which it definitely didn't need it as it made the whole thing a little too sweet. We just pulled the cream off and gobbled the ice-cream instead; then got brain freeze, but that was ok, because, without the cream, it was an ace pudding.
Service was a little first night shakey, the staff are sweet but some of them need to become a little more au fait with the menu/drinks list and they need to learn the table numbers - however, they're friendly enough and that's the important thing. Oh and some of the barmen are super sweet on the eye...
3TwentyOne has taken Americana, worked out that it's the quality of the food, not making a fast buck (refreshing!) that's important; then sat down and had a good, long, hard think about how to produce this type of food and how to make it exceptional. It's Americana for grown-ups, and seeing how I'm meant to be somewhere near grown-up, that appeals to me. There's no need to slather everything in sickly sauces, the food speaks for itself and it's refreshing to hear it speak.
Price for two starters, two mains, three sides, two sauces, two puddings, two large wines and a cocktail - £82.85
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Service - 7/10 friendly, but needs to settle in
Value for money - 7/10 drinks and starters are a little expensive, but mains are great
Total - 31/40
Go again - Hell yeah! Need some more of that meat in my life; great place to take the carnivores in your family.
3TwentyOne, Upstairs 321 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4LQ - Twitter - Facebook - 0161 839 5215
Please note - I was invited to review 3TwentyOne and my meal was free, but I'm not required to say anything complimentary and you know I'm so vile I wouldn't be nice unless I actually enjoyed myself.
It seems a week doesn't go by without a burger bar/street food stall/festival/restaurant/supermarket/supper club/excuse for a PR agency in Manchester popping up or jumping on the dirty meaty bandwagon with their, giggle, slightly rude names for foods in plastic trays; so when ANOTHER 'smokehouse and liquor' place opened their doors and invited me along, you can imagine that I wasn't that keen (er...it was free food and you're telling me you weren't keen? - ed).
3TwentyOne has opened above The Deansgate pub and unfortunately my first impressions weren't great - opening night clashed with THAT FA Cup where Wigan gave Man City a proper beating - cue little me trying to cut through drunken, burly types in a dress that was unintentionally too low cut. Fun. Thank god first impressions can be changed, hey?
The restaurant isn't remotely faux dirty Americana - they may have jumped on the smoke/meat/bourbon train, but they've done it in their own comfortable, Farrow and Ball, restrained restaurant way. Maybe proper crockery is not for thems BBQ purists, but I was there for the food and if I can be comfortable/clean whilst eating, then all the better for this old fusspants.
3TwentyOne has their own smoker in-house and this certainly pays off; the chefs have also worked out a pretty good smoke for the food (they've been experimenting and it seems current winner is hickory wood chips) - rather than an acrid tasting crust, the smoke is sweet and subtle, but very definitely there. Deboned chicken wings were a massive hit and the ribs a smokey, tender trio that were incredibly meaty. Lip smacking/finger licking good - just could have done with a bit more....
It would be rude to go somewhere dedicated to meat without sampling the steaks - especially as they were given such prominence on the menu - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. The hanger and the rib-eye were both cooked exactly as we demanded (well, asked for in a polite/humble/if it's not too much of a bother British way); both were soft and buttery, great tasting pieces of high quality meat - the rib-eye was better, but at £7 more, it should be.
Sides are worth mentioning because they were delicious and because this is a food blog and you like to know that kind of thing - corn from the griddle was charred, plump and juicy; thrice cooked chips fluffy, crisp and light; smoked garlic butter, DIVINE; chimmicurri, fresh and sharp to cut through the fat on our plate and the BBQ sauce is addictive, so only go there if you can handle having to use everything in reach as a means to getting it in to your mouth, no matter how ungainly (sucked clean rib bones, fingers, bits of celery, the end of a fork... yeah I went there).Because I wasn't full enough already (that's a lie, by the way) I decided I definitely needed the most hip-hugging puddings on the menu - not like I should be worrying about my weight so I can bag a fella, in this overtly image dominated world we live in. Ah well, you only live once and all that shiz.
The oreo mud pie could have done with some obvious bits of oreo, mainly because I like them, but was fully chocolaty enough without being super sweet - good thing for this dark chocolate fiend. And we couldn't help but order the sundae, as we were in a sort of American restaurant (and inside I'm actually five). Piled high with delicious Cheshire Farm ice-cream, 3Twentyone had dressed it with a proper chocolate sauce, which went all hard on the ice-cream (ace). One downside was that the cream that was piled on top, it was over-whipped and had vanilla added, which it definitely didn't need it as it made the whole thing a little too sweet. We just pulled the cream off and gobbled the ice-cream instead; then got brain freeze, but that was ok, because, without the cream, it was an ace pudding.Service was a little first night shakey, the staff are sweet but some of them need to become a little more au fait with the menu/drinks list and they need to learn the table numbers - however, they're friendly enough and that's the important thing. Oh and some of the barmen are super sweet on the eye...
3TwentyOne has taken Americana, worked out that it's the quality of the food, not making a fast buck (refreshing!) that's important; then sat down and had a good, long, hard think about how to produce this type of food and how to make it exceptional. It's Americana for grown-ups, and seeing how I'm meant to be somewhere near grown-up, that appeals to me. There's no need to slather everything in sickly sauces, the food speaks for itself and it's refreshing to hear it speak.
Price for two starters, two mains, three sides, two sauces, two puddings, two large wines and a cocktail - £82.85
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Service - 7/10 friendly, but needs to settle in
Value for money - 7/10 drinks and starters are a little expensive, but mains are great
Total - 31/40
Go again - Hell yeah! Need some more of that meat in my life; great place to take the carnivores in your family.
3TwentyOne, Upstairs 321 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4LQ - Twitter - Facebook - 0161 839 5215
Please note - I was invited to review 3TwentyOne and my meal was free, but I'm not required to say anything complimentary and you know I'm so vile I wouldn't be nice unless I actually enjoyed myself.
Friday, 17 May 2013
The Cornerhouse - Manchester
There are two surprises in life - those hideously awful ones where you wake up from your little rose tinted bubble to realise the things you thought have been disastrously wrong. And then those lovely simple ones that take your breath away.
Luckily the meal at The Cornerhouse was of the latter variety - life that followed the meal was unfortunately of the former; but that's not a story for this blog.
The Cornerhouse has been a constant staple in the twelve years I have called Manchester home - a cosy, reliable friend that I'm prone to forget about, only to catch up with and then feel like I've never been away. It's been almost a year since we last caught up and in that time it's obvious that we've both done some growing up.
Eating there last month I expected the usual homely cooking and slightly-rough-around-the-edges-but-always-tasty-food that's been the staple of The Cornerhouse kitchen for a long time. Scanning the menu, out jumped the usual favourites - lamb burgers, dips and pitta, pizzas - but this time, there were a few unknown dishes thrown into the mix. Intrigued. Like finding out your other half leads a double life. Unnerving/fascinating/exciting.
Had to have the dips to start - I know they're good here and this time was even better. A gorgeously smokey, creamy borani badejman (bit like baba ganoush) and some sweet, earthy roasted garlic and beetroot hummus, all topped off with a pile of pitta shards - I ordered the small version, there was enough to feed three of us to start. Bargain and beautiful with it.
Never having seen fish on the menu at The Cornerhouse (or maybe never noticed it?), I jumped on the special of sea bass and was bloody glad I did. Cooked perfectly and accompanied by the lightest, yet complementary tasty caper and shrimp sauce. Lip smacking and only a tenner? What?
And so we had to have a pudding, doing that girly thing where we pretend that we're really fat and that we shouldn't, but it's ok 'cos we only had soup for lunch' and then giggling insanely about how terribly naughty we are. Yep, I really do conform to my gender stereotype sometime and in that sentence have just reinforced some patronising, misogynistic view of the female race - but hey, I'm writing a food blog, is anyone really taking this seriously?
As per usual The Cornerhouse was filled to bursting; with windows foggy, cosseting us from another wet Manchester night. The warm fug of a million conversations hung around us; couples, groups and the odd singleton all enjoying the friendly atmosphere exuded form each other and the attentive staff.
We were there to relax; the mood and food at The Cornerhouse suited this perfectly, however the one small glitch was the wait on food - we were warned by staff that there was a slight slowness to the kitchen, but the wait between courses (and even between ordering and starting) was more than mediterranean. Needs work.
The Cornerhouse has grown up a good 'un and I'm glad we caught up once again - there's an educated nuance to the food; the balance between relaxed and well executed spot on. And the price? Anywhere else and that sea bass dish would have another fiver chucked (at least) on the price. Get there and get well fed by a dear old friend and wonder why you haven't seen them for so long.
Ps The Cornerhouse has started making all their bread and cakes in-house. Another reason to love this friend.
Price for one starter, two mains and two puddings - £30 give or take a few pence.
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Service - 6/10 (for slowness, otherwise 8 for affability)
Value for money - 9/10
Total - 32/40
Go again? Of course, and I shan't leave it so long for a catch up next time.
The Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5NH - 0161 228 7621 - info@cornerhouse.org
Please note I was invited by The Cornerhouse and my meal was free - however you know what a grump I am and how much I like lambasting establishments, so if it was shit I would have said so.
Luckily the meal at The Cornerhouse was of the latter variety - life that followed the meal was unfortunately of the former; but that's not a story for this blog.
The Cornerhouse has been a constant staple in the twelve years I have called Manchester home - a cosy, reliable friend that I'm prone to forget about, only to catch up with and then feel like I've never been away. It's been almost a year since we last caught up and in that time it's obvious that we've both done some growing up.
Eating there last month I expected the usual homely cooking and slightly-rough-around-the-edges-but-always-tasty-food that's been the staple of The Cornerhouse kitchen for a long time. Scanning the menu, out jumped the usual favourites - lamb burgers, dips and pitta, pizzas - but this time, there were a few unknown dishes thrown into the mix. Intrigued. Like finding out your other half leads a double life. Unnerving/fascinating/exciting.
Had to have the dips to start - I know they're good here and this time was even better. A gorgeously smokey, creamy borani badejman (bit like baba ganoush) and some sweet, earthy roasted garlic and beetroot hummus, all topped off with a pile of pitta shards - I ordered the small version, there was enough to feed three of us to start. Bargain and beautiful with it.
Arty shot for an arty venue - tremendous trio of dips
Never having seen fish on the menu at The Cornerhouse (or maybe never noticed it?), I jumped on the special of sea bass and was bloody glad I did. Cooked perfectly and accompanied by the lightest, yet complementary tasty caper and shrimp sauce. Lip smacking and only a tenner? What?
Look at how pretty this is! And perfectly cooked! And a tenner!
And so we had to have a pudding, doing that girly thing where we pretend that we're really fat and that we shouldn't, but it's ok 'cos we only had soup for lunch' and then giggling insanely about how terribly naughty we are. Yep, I really do conform to my gender stereotype sometime and in that sentence have just reinforced some patronising, misogynistic view of the female race - but hey, I'm writing a food blog, is anyone really taking this seriously?
Pudding - this tart was so chocolaty - yup, female stereotyping again...
As per usual The Cornerhouse was filled to bursting; with windows foggy, cosseting us from another wet Manchester night. The warm fug of a million conversations hung around us; couples, groups and the odd singleton all enjoying the friendly atmosphere exuded form each other and the attentive staff.
We were there to relax; the mood and food at The Cornerhouse suited this perfectly, however the one small glitch was the wait on food - we were warned by staff that there was a slight slowness to the kitchen, but the wait between courses (and even between ordering and starting) was more than mediterranean. Needs work.
The Cornerhouse has grown up a good 'un and I'm glad we caught up once again - there's an educated nuance to the food; the balance between relaxed and well executed spot on. And the price? Anywhere else and that sea bass dish would have another fiver chucked (at least) on the price. Get there and get well fed by a dear old friend and wonder why you haven't seen them for so long.
Ps The Cornerhouse has started making all their bread and cakes in-house. Another reason to love this friend.
Price for one starter, two mains and two puddings - £30 give or take a few pence.
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Service - 6/10 (for slowness, otherwise 8 for affability)
Value for money - 9/10
Total - 32/40
Go again? Of course, and I shan't leave it so long for a catch up next time.
The Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5NH - 0161 228 7621 - info@cornerhouse.org
Please note I was invited by The Cornerhouse and my meal was free - however you know what a grump I am and how much I like lambasting establishments, so if it was shit I would have said so.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Ten @ The Violet Lounge - West Didsbury, Manchester
Seasonality and locality are BIG THINGS right now; we're encouraged from many sides to pop down to the local greengrocer and forego air-freighted beans wrapped in 72 layers of polythene and I think that's all good (just don't ask me about my tomatoes...).
Sensing a trend, many restaurants have jumped on the seasonal/local bandwagon and started touting how local and in season their veg is, despite whacking on a side of asparagus in December and counting local as sourcing their produce from Smithfields and not checking where the actual stuff itself is from (I'm not going to name you, you know who you are).
Ok I'm badmouthing, there are true stalwarts such as Gabriel's Kitchen/Whitworth Gallery Cafe, et al getting it right, there's just a lot of hot air and foreign raspberries on menus these days.
Another place getting it right is The Violet Hour; an opulent drinking den located on West Didsbury's trendy Burton Road, who have just started serving food - to kick off all their food based offerings and going so far as to positively celebrate seasonality, they have started Ten, their pop-up menu.
Ten is the concept of owner Dan Pollard and chef Phil Cook (oh what a wonderfully apt name!); the menu takes inspiration from the ten best seasonal ingredients and from this they create an innovative exploration through the tastes of the season. Oh and for a twist, they pair the menu with cocktails - because that's what they do so well at The Violet Hour.
After a quick relax in The Violet Hour's comfortable and muted surroundings, we were ushered upstairs to an explanation of the menu and our first course - a native oyster with vodka granita and blood orange pebble; cue much discussion as to how that pebble was made - looked like the forgotten grey sponge in a student's bathroom, but tasted divine - like a chewy, sweetly perfumed, citrus foam. The oyster was spanking fresh - I'm going to be picky and say why waste a native with a vodka granita (no matter how delish) and they could have got away with a plain old rock oyster - but that wasn't the aim of the menu, which was an incredibly opulent celebration of the amazing produce we get in the UK at this time of the year (ok, blood oranges are from the Med, but they're in season at the mo, so don't go leaving me arsey comments).
Next a pretty, rustic tart topped with lashings of Burt's Blue, cauliflower and edible flowers - pungent, salty and superb - but it was the accompanying cider broth that we rated most; deeply savoury with a hint of sharpness that matched brilliantly with the cheese. This course was paired with the Cuban Beekeeper (white rum, honey, lime, grape, apple, black pepper) - a honey based cocktail that softened out the sharpness in the cheese and the broth, but which was a little too sweet for me (please remember that I'm a booze and ice kind of girl, so many cocktails are super sweet in my opinion).
The fish course was the best of the evening - a sliver of salmon cooked sous vide to 40 degrees was firm yet wobbly and jelly-like, I loved the yielding texture. This was sat atop salsify and the most savoury chicken broth in the world; the rich, deep, satisfying flavours a true testament to the skill in the kitchen.
Closing the savoury courses was a just cooked dish of venison and celeriac - unfortunately ours had been left on the pass for slightly too long and was pretty cold by the time it reached it, however this didn't take away from the obvious quality of both the cooking and meat. Could have done with a bigger portion and some carbs! To pair with the venison, we were served a Thyme is of the Essence (gin, peche liqueur, lemon, thyme) - a fluffy, perfumed thyme infused cloud of herby sweet sharpness accenting the wild nature of the meat, which was the best of all the drinks in my opinion.
Cue a long wait for pudding, a little too long, in which we were served the matching cocktail - a Deerstalker Old Fashioned (bourbon, chocolate, sage, blood orange). Now, here's where I'm going to have a little moan.... I love an Old Fashioned, it's one of my very favourite cocktails and one that I've actually learnt to make at home. I even make a cake in homage to this drink. As many of my friends will tell you, I'll wax lyrical about it and bore the balls off you - so in my eyes no one should fuck with this cocktail. A Deerstalker contains chocolate and it was awful - that's my opinion, everyone else in the room raved about this drink, but I found it a travesty of a mighty cocktail.
So after that rant, the pudding was a very rich chocolate ganache (beautiful) and a pineapple upside down cake with spiced rum - loved it, but again, needed it to be bigger as my tummy was still rumbling after five courses.
Ten is a wonderful concept, bringing together top quality ingredients with exceptional cooking skills and a good deal of creative flair. There's the small issue of needing to work on their timings and maybe throwing in some carbs or sides of veg for gluttons like me, but they're just little things and you know I like to be picky/have something to moan about.
Just a shame it's only once every two months, the next one's already in the diary!
Ps The Violet Hour are also rolling out a weekly food menu - it's gourmet bar snacks and Pieminister pies in the week and then Sunday club - roasts and Bloody Mary's on a Sunday. And of course, they'll be serving their very well made cocktails as per usual. Get down there and get your belly filled!
Cost for five courses and three cocktails - £35pp
Food - 8/10 (one off for being a bit cold)
Service - 8/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for money - 9/10 (really, five AMAZING courses AND booze for £35, it's a steal!)
Total - 33/40
The Violet Hour - Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester - Twitter - Facebook - dan@theviolethourdidsbury.co.uk - 0161 434 9521
Please note, I was given my place at Ten for free as Dan knows how much I like to eat - as you know I don't say nice things unless I actually want to and from my nit-picking above you know I'm telling the truth about EVERYTHING.
Sensing a trend, many restaurants have jumped on the seasonal/local bandwagon and started touting how local and in season their veg is, despite whacking on a side of asparagus in December and counting local as sourcing their produce from Smithfields and not checking where the actual stuff itself is from (I'm not going to name you, you know who you are).
Ok I'm badmouthing, there are true stalwarts such as Gabriel's Kitchen/Whitworth Gallery Cafe, et al getting it right, there's just a lot of hot air and foreign raspberries on menus these days.
Another place getting it right is The Violet Hour; an opulent drinking den located on West Didsbury's trendy Burton Road, who have just started serving food - to kick off all their food based offerings and going so far as to positively celebrate seasonality, they have started Ten, their pop-up menu.
The menu - a seasonal celebration and super scrummy
Ten is the concept of owner Dan Pollard and chef Phil Cook (oh what a wonderfully apt name!); the menu takes inspiration from the ten best seasonal ingredients and from this they create an innovative exploration through the tastes of the season. Oh and for a twist, they pair the menu with cocktails - because that's what they do so well at The Violet Hour.
After a quick relax in The Violet Hour's comfortable and muted surroundings, we were ushered upstairs to an explanation of the menu and our first course - a native oyster with vodka granita and blood orange pebble; cue much discussion as to how that pebble was made - looked like the forgotten grey sponge in a student's bathroom, but tasted divine - like a chewy, sweetly perfumed, citrus foam. The oyster was spanking fresh - I'm going to be picky and say why waste a native with a vodka granita (no matter how delish) and they could have got away with a plain old rock oyster - but that wasn't the aim of the menu, which was an incredibly opulent celebration of the amazing produce we get in the UK at this time of the year (ok, blood oranges are from the Med, but they're in season at the mo, so don't go leaving me arsey comments).
Next a pretty, rustic tart topped with lashings of Burt's Blue, cauliflower and edible flowers - pungent, salty and superb - but it was the accompanying cider broth that we rated most; deeply savoury with a hint of sharpness that matched brilliantly with the cheese. This course was paired with the Cuban Beekeeper (white rum, honey, lime, grape, apple, black pepper) - a honey based cocktail that softened out the sharpness in the cheese and the broth, but which was a little too sweet for me (please remember that I'm a booze and ice kind of girl, so many cocktails are super sweet in my opinion).
Cuban Beekeeper - with cute cocktail cards to remind you of your drink
The fish course was the best of the evening - a sliver of salmon cooked sous vide to 40 degrees was firm yet wobbly and jelly-like, I loved the yielding texture. This was sat atop salsify and the most savoury chicken broth in the world; the rich, deep, satisfying flavours a true testament to the skill in the kitchen.
Best dish of the night - 40c salmon
Closing the savoury courses was a just cooked dish of venison and celeriac - unfortunately ours had been left on the pass for slightly too long and was pretty cold by the time it reached it, however this didn't take away from the obvious quality of both the cooking and meat. Could have done with a bigger portion and some carbs! To pair with the venison, we were served a Thyme is of the Essence (gin, peche liqueur, lemon, thyme) - a fluffy, perfumed thyme infused cloud of herby sweet sharpness accenting the wild nature of the meat, which was the best of all the drinks in my opinion.
Cue a long wait for pudding, a little too long, in which we were served the matching cocktail - a Deerstalker Old Fashioned (bourbon, chocolate, sage, blood orange). Now, here's where I'm going to have a little moan.... I love an Old Fashioned, it's one of my very favourite cocktails and one that I've actually learnt to make at home. I even make a cake in homage to this drink. As many of my friends will tell you, I'll wax lyrical about it and bore the balls off you - so in my eyes no one should fuck with this cocktail. A Deerstalker contains chocolate and it was awful - that's my opinion, everyone else in the room raved about this drink, but I found it a travesty of a mighty cocktail.
So after that rant, the pudding was a very rich chocolate ganache (beautiful) and a pineapple upside down cake with spiced rum - loved it, but again, needed it to be bigger as my tummy was still rumbling after five courses.
Pudding - that ganache is out of this world - I need the recipe!
Ten is a wonderful concept, bringing together top quality ingredients with exceptional cooking skills and a good deal of creative flair. There's the small issue of needing to work on their timings and maybe throwing in some carbs or sides of veg for gluttons like me, but they're just little things and you know I like to be picky/have something to moan about.
Just a shame it's only once every two months, the next one's already in the diary!
Ps The Violet Hour are also rolling out a weekly food menu - it's gourmet bar snacks and Pieminister pies in the week and then Sunday club - roasts and Bloody Mary's on a Sunday. And of course, they'll be serving their very well made cocktails as per usual. Get down there and get your belly filled!
Cost for five courses and three cocktails - £35pp
Food - 8/10 (one off for being a bit cold)
Service - 8/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for money - 9/10 (really, five AMAZING courses AND booze for £35, it's a steal!)
Total - 33/40
The Violet Hour - Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester - Twitter - Facebook - dan@theviolethourdidsbury.co.uk - 0161 434 9521
Please note, I was given my place at Ten for free as Dan knows how much I like to eat - as you know I don't say nice things unless I actually want to and from my nit-picking above you know I'm telling the truth about EVERYTHING.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Aumbry - Prestwich, Manchester
Named after a small, recessed cupboard in which medieval Lords and Abbots kept precious items; Aumbry in Prestwich, Manchester, really lives up to its namesake and can safely be called the jewel in Manchester's dining scene.
Tucked around a corner of Prestwich’s slowly crumbling high street, Aumbry's dinky dining space is a stark contrast to its external setting - the decor is understated, but high quality and as thought through as each mouthful of each plate - light colours, barely patterned papers, crisp linen and quirky highlights like the patterned boot-sale side plates. It's an intimate space with a familial feel; but a professional, well-bred family rather than the colourful chaos of many other small, neighbourhood eateries.
Skimming the menu you immediately spot the bald headed molecular chef, Mary Ellen (chef/patron and one half of Aumbry’s husband and wife culinary team), has worked under; there's the odd molecular flourishes in the menu, influences from their 14th century name and modern techniques like sous vide. Unlike Heston's fare, this food is real, edible and understated - but packs a mean punch all the same (and for far less money).
Being skint, we’d chosen the Tuesday night special – five course tasting menu for £25 – this meant we could try a selection of the dishes without being too out of pocket (the usual tasting menu is a reasonable £65 for 9 courses). What we didn’t realise is that for the price you also get given a snackette, bread course and petit fours with coffee thrown in too: good value for money, even if the portion sizes match Aumbry’s diminutive dining space.
To whet the appetite we were given home-made crisps; crunchy, salty and with a sharp slap of vinegar as well as light as a button smoked cheddar gougeres – if the business fails (which it won't) Mary Ellen and Laurence certainly have a promising future in the luxury snack market. This was followed by the bread – chewy, home baked sourdough (why does mine never turn out as good as that?) served with some light as air butters (one a lovely nutty version) and a pot of dripping. Yep, that good old fashioned artery clogger, making a fashionable reappearance. Dripping, I have concluded, is not something to be snobby or health conscious about – it’s divine; deep savoury beefyness coating the mouth and soothing the soul – we were terribly cheeky and asked for more.
Out followed a succession of courses – each lilliputian portion brilliantly engineered to be big, but subtle with the flavours. Each dish a clever assimilation of perfectly matching and contrasting elements – all must have been worked and re-worked painstakingly to develop that level of balance. The kitchen may be small, but there’s plenty of skill squeezed in there.
A wild garlic (ramson) soup with truffle was sweet, heady and earthy – those truffles adding a supportive ground note to the dish so it wasn’t all overly heady garlic and cream. It’s funny how such a heavy ingredient could actually lighten a dish.
We were slightly torn with the pressed hare terrine wrapped in Cumbrian air dried ham – a silky soft, melt in the mouth dish; however hares are in decline and we were perturbed about the sustainability/morality of the ingredient when eating this dish - (Aumbry holds many Sustainable Restaurant Awards) (oh, and we still ate the dish, our morals only stretch so far).
A dish of home smoked mackerel was just clothed in the sweetest of smokes and dashed through by the ultra red sour grenadine poached rhubarb and the fiery acidity of a mustard cream. Then the main attraction – slow cooked pork; served with part of the loin and part of the shoulder, this had obviously spent it’s life as a very happy pig. Superb quality, supported by pitch perfect cooking and, again perfectly picked apple to accompany and cut through the salty, sweet meat.
Here was an interlude; we were offered the cheese course for an additional £7 (usually £10) - a wander through speciality cheeses of Britain and Ireland, arranged in taste order; youngest and lightest first, all the way through to some uber salty, punch you in the face blue at the end. Each pair of cheeses (there were three pairs) had been paired with an accompanying chutney and biscuits made in house; as our helpful waiter told us when we asked (and we asked about everything).
Out came pudding, a dish that really split the waters between myself and t’boy; grapefruit posset with celery granita and grapefruit sherbet. I loved the intense sourness of the sherbet, the creamy delicateness of the posset and the unusual, refreshing granita on top; in my mind it totally worked. T’boy however felt that it was a let down of a pudding and refused to even touch the granita after the first bite. I would say the pudding was the least strong course, but I usually find that – the only place I’ve seen puddings match the mains is Nutters in Rochdale.
Throughout the meal the very small FOH team were superb – they looked after us brilliantly, were incredibly knowledgeable, didn’t mind me asking a million questions and kept the supply of bread constant. They’re also pretty genned up on the wine they serve - in fact you can have tasting menu of wines to match each dish, but we were pushing our budget just by being out, so we declined. Instead the staff chose two excellent glasses that would compliment the courses we were having and gave us a complete run down of what we were drinking (to read more out Aumbry’s food and wine matching click here).
I’m not going to deny that the portion sizes at Aumbry are as miniature as their restaurant and I know that’s been a criticism from some corners; however this was a tasting menu so I knew each plate would be small. When you take in to account the snacks, unlimited bread, cheese (extra) and petit fours; well, I had to undo the button on my trousers when driving home, so there was no issue with portion sizes for me. Maybe if you are a massive man you’d have an issue, but sometimes isn’t it better to go for quality over quantity?
Aumbry definitely is the jewel in Manchester’s eating crown and the best food I've had in the area. Get in quick as I’m sure a raft of prestigious awards will be thrown their way in the next few years (not sure why they haven't got one yet to be honest).
Ps If you're early for dinner, or fancy a night cap – pop to the pub at the bottom of the road called The Church. Lovely, low beamed affair with some alright whiskies and some cracking ale.
Pps – not only do they have the best food and service, they have the best toilet too!
Price for two Tuesday tasting menus, two glasses of wine, cheese and a port – £74 (or there abouts)
Food – 9/10
Atmosphere – 9/10
Service – 10/10
Value for money – 9/10 (I think £25 for five courses and extras is pretty good)
Total – 37/40
Go again? Yes. I’d like to go back for the full tasting menu, but until I can afford that I think it’s another Tuesday night cheapo for me!
Aumbry, 2 Church Lane, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1AJ – 0161 798 841 - enquires@aumbry restaurant.co.uk - Twitter – Facebook
http://www.aumbryrestaurant.co.uk/
Please forgive the lack of photos, with such an intimate dining room and as I was enjoying myself so much, I felt it would be rude and obtrusive to take loads.
Tucked around a corner of Prestwich’s slowly crumbling high street, Aumbry's dinky dining space is a stark contrast to its external setting - the decor is understated, but high quality and as thought through as each mouthful of each plate - light colours, barely patterned papers, crisp linen and quirky highlights like the patterned boot-sale side plates. It's an intimate space with a familial feel; but a professional, well-bred family rather than the colourful chaos of many other small, neighbourhood eateries.
Aumbry interior - with thanks to The Guardian
Skimming the menu you immediately spot the bald headed molecular chef, Mary Ellen (chef/patron and one half of Aumbry’s husband and wife culinary team), has worked under; there's the odd molecular flourishes in the menu, influences from their 14th century name and modern techniques like sous vide. Unlike Heston's fare, this food is real, edible and understated - but packs a mean punch all the same (and for far less money).
Being skint, we’d chosen the Tuesday night special – five course tasting menu for £25 – this meant we could try a selection of the dishes without being too out of pocket (the usual tasting menu is a reasonable £65 for 9 courses). What we didn’t realise is that for the price you also get given a snackette, bread course and petit fours with coffee thrown in too: good value for money, even if the portion sizes match Aumbry’s diminutive dining space.
To whet the appetite we were given home-made crisps; crunchy, salty and with a sharp slap of vinegar as well as light as a button smoked cheddar gougeres – if the business fails (which it won't) Mary Ellen and Laurence certainly have a promising future in the luxury snack market. This was followed by the bread – chewy, home baked sourdough (why does mine never turn out as good as that?) served with some light as air butters (one a lovely nutty version) and a pot of dripping. Yep, that good old fashioned artery clogger, making a fashionable reappearance. Dripping, I have concluded, is not something to be snobby or health conscious about – it’s divine; deep savoury beefyness coating the mouth and soothing the soul – we were terribly cheeky and asked for more.
Dripping - the stuff my dreams (and arteries) are made of
Out followed a succession of courses – each lilliputian portion brilliantly engineered to be big, but subtle with the flavours. Each dish a clever assimilation of perfectly matching and contrasting elements – all must have been worked and re-worked painstakingly to develop that level of balance. The kitchen may be small, but there’s plenty of skill squeezed in there.
A wild garlic (ramson) soup with truffle was sweet, heady and earthy – those truffles adding a supportive ground note to the dish so it wasn’t all overly heady garlic and cream. It’s funny how such a heavy ingredient could actually lighten a dish.
We were slightly torn with the pressed hare terrine wrapped in Cumbrian air dried ham – a silky soft, melt in the mouth dish; however hares are in decline and we were perturbed about the sustainability/morality of the ingredient when eating this dish - (Aumbry holds many Sustainable Restaurant Awards) (oh, and we still ate the dish, our morals only stretch so far).
Hare today, gone tomorrow?
A dish of home smoked mackerel was just clothed in the sweetest of smokes and dashed through by the ultra red sour grenadine poached rhubarb and the fiery acidity of a mustard cream. Then the main attraction – slow cooked pork; served with part of the loin and part of the shoulder, this had obviously spent it’s life as a very happy pig. Superb quality, supported by pitch perfect cooking and, again perfectly picked apple to accompany and cut through the salty, sweet meat.
Here was an interlude; we were offered the cheese course for an additional £7 (usually £10) - a wander through speciality cheeses of Britain and Ireland, arranged in taste order; youngest and lightest first, all the way through to some uber salty, punch you in the face blue at the end. Each pair of cheeses (there were three pairs) had been paired with an accompanying chutney and biscuits made in house; as our helpful waiter told us when we asked (and we asked about everything).
Out came pudding, a dish that really split the waters between myself and t’boy; grapefruit posset with celery granita and grapefruit sherbet. I loved the intense sourness of the sherbet, the creamy delicateness of the posset and the unusual, refreshing granita on top; in my mind it totally worked. T’boy however felt that it was a let down of a pudding and refused to even touch the granita after the first bite. I would say the pudding was the least strong course, but I usually find that – the only place I’ve seen puddings match the mains is Nutters in Rochdale.
Throughout the meal the very small FOH team were superb – they looked after us brilliantly, were incredibly knowledgeable, didn’t mind me asking a million questions and kept the supply of bread constant. They’re also pretty genned up on the wine they serve - in fact you can have tasting menu of wines to match each dish, but we were pushing our budget just by being out, so we declined. Instead the staff chose two excellent glasses that would compliment the courses we were having and gave us a complete run down of what we were drinking (to read more out Aumbry’s food and wine matching click here).
Mary Ellen and Laurence, husband and wife kitchen wizardry - thanks to Manchester Made it Easy
I’m not going to deny that the portion sizes at Aumbry are as miniature as their restaurant and I know that’s been a criticism from some corners; however this was a tasting menu so I knew each plate would be small. When you take in to account the snacks, unlimited bread, cheese (extra) and petit fours; well, I had to undo the button on my trousers when driving home, so there was no issue with portion sizes for me. Maybe if you are a massive man you’d have an issue, but sometimes isn’t it better to go for quality over quantity?
Aumbry definitely is the jewel in Manchester’s eating crown and the best food I've had in the area. Get in quick as I’m sure a raft of prestigious awards will be thrown their way in the next few years (not sure why they haven't got one yet to be honest).
Ps If you're early for dinner, or fancy a night cap – pop to the pub at the bottom of the road called The Church. Lovely, low beamed affair with some alright whiskies and some cracking ale.
Pps – not only do they have the best food and service, they have the best toilet too!
Price for two Tuesday tasting menus, two glasses of wine, cheese and a port – £74 (or there abouts)
Food – 9/10
Atmosphere – 9/10
Service – 10/10
Value for money – 9/10 (I think £25 for five courses and extras is pretty good)
Total – 37/40
Go again? Yes. I’d like to go back for the full tasting menu, but until I can afford that I think it’s another Tuesday night cheapo for me!
Aumbry, 2 Church Lane, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1AJ – 0161 798 841 - enquires@aumbry restaurant.co.uk - Twitter – Facebook
http://www.aumbryrestaurant.co.uk/
Please forgive the lack of photos, with such an intimate dining room and as I was enjoying myself so much, I felt it would be rude and obtrusive to take loads.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Diablo and Supper Join Us for Supper Club - North Star Deli, Chorlton
Food and wine, wine and food - always a great combination and even better when it's with friends. Last week's Join Us for Supper at the North Star Deli in Chorlton was a a great catch up with chef Deanna Thomas and a lovely bunch of usual blogging faces, plus the added bonus of some new ones thrown in too.
The premise of the night is usually; go to North Star and fill up on three courses of local, seasonal, well cooked scoff, have a chat and make some friends. However this was a Join Us for Supper with a difference - having teamed up with Caillero del Diablo wines, we spent the night having wines matched to our foods and being regaled by tall tales and wine facts alike by Hans Jocham Wadsack (or Joe), who is in fact THE nicest chap slash wine buff I have ever met.
Things kicked off to a bad start with trams being delayed and our travel plans awry, but upon walking in to North Star we were met with friendly faces and three glasses of wine each - that's a good enough start for any night; plus a rabbit empanada was thrust in each hand by the lovely Adam - which was crispy, salty and hit the spot.
Seared scallops arrived on a bed of puy lentils surrounded by a creamy champagne sauce - all light, bang on and perfectly seasoned and the sauce made a wonderful change from the umpteen usual scallop accompaniments that are turning up on menus everywhere right now ie. the bacons, peas and blackpuddings. We were given a chardonnay and a sauvingon blanc with our starter, both very good wines but the chardonnay (even though it was the cheaper wine) had the slight edge with it's deeper, more savoury flavours.
We chatted and drank some more - well I offloaded some wine on to the very pleased boy and the very accommodating Arty Tom and then out marched the mains - ruby red, soft venison sitting atop savoy cabbage and accompanied by a celeriac and venison cottage pie and finished with a red wine sauce. One big, red, meaty hit of pure unctuous meat to chase away the chills outside. This was all washed down with a glass of big, punchy and far too tannic shiraz (apparently it would have been much better with a steak, I might have even liked it then) and a beautiful carmenere; a native French variety with a lot of interesting history and some smooth berry and chocolate flavours, which set off the venison a treat.
Join Us for Supper was once again on top form, highlighting North Star's commitment to quality, local produce (Chorlton's Out of the Blue and WH Frosts supplied) and great cooking. Usually PR run nights are frightful shows of posturing and lovies air-kissing, but Casillero del Diablo and their PR company, Cube, seem to have got it right - probably helps with the addition of Joe Wadsack and the fact they piggy backed on one of the best supper clubs in Manchester.
Ps - North Star have now opened a new deli on Dale Street in Manchester, a great place to stop on your way to and from the station or get a decent bite to eat at lunch.
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 8/10 (bonus booze points)
Service - 8/10
Value for money - no score as this was a promotional event
Total - 24/30
Go again - yes, they're a friendly bunch at the deli and it's a pleasure to see them - and supper club is always a good place to meet new people.
Join Us for Supper, North Star Deli, 418 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0SD - Twitter - Facebook
http://www.northstardeli.com/
Please note - I was invited to this event for free, however all thoughts are my own. The usual price for Join Us for Supper is £25, tickets available from the deli/website.
North Star Deli - with thanks to Foodographic.com
The premise of the night is usually; go to North Star and fill up on three courses of local, seasonal, well cooked scoff, have a chat and make some friends. However this was a Join Us for Supper with a difference - having teamed up with Caillero del Diablo wines, we spent the night having wines matched to our foods and being regaled by tall tales and wine facts alike by Hans Jocham Wadsack (or Joe), who is in fact THE nicest chap slash wine buff I have ever met.
Lots of wine!
Things kicked off to a bad start with trams being delayed and our travel plans awry, but upon walking in to North Star we were met with friendly faces and three glasses of wine each - that's a good enough start for any night; plus a rabbit empanada was thrust in each hand by the lovely Adam - which was crispy, salty and hit the spot.
Seared scallops arrived on a bed of puy lentils surrounded by a creamy champagne sauce - all light, bang on and perfectly seasoned and the sauce made a wonderful change from the umpteen usual scallop accompaniments that are turning up on menus everywhere right now ie. the bacons, peas and blackpuddings. We were given a chardonnay and a sauvingon blanc with our starter, both very good wines but the chardonnay (even though it was the cheaper wine) had the slight edge with it's deeper, more savoury flavours.
Scallops and champagne - high style dining
We chatted and drank some more - well I offloaded some wine on to the very pleased boy and the very accommodating Arty Tom and then out marched the mains - ruby red, soft venison sitting atop savoy cabbage and accompanied by a celeriac and venison cottage pie and finished with a red wine sauce. One big, red, meaty hit of pure unctuous meat to chase away the chills outside. This was all washed down with a glass of big, punchy and far too tannic shiraz (apparently it would have been much better with a steak, I might have even liked it then) and a beautiful carmenere; a native French variety with a lot of interesting history and some smooth berry and chocolate flavours, which set off the venison a treat.
Venison - photo makes it look awful, but it was very good
Full of wine I was happily buzzing along and welcomed pudding with that sweet toothed longing you get after more than half a bottle. A silky blood orange tart with Deanna's trademark thin, crispy pastry was a little too sweet for my liking. I'm all about tart fruit flavours and it would have been nice for the orange to shine through a little more, but it was a still a good pudding. Another wine was matched and this time we were given a syrupy pudding wine, just released in the UK and we were the first to try it (get us!) - all floral honeys and orange blossoms, akin to a muscat. Lovely, but drowned out a little by the super pudding.
Join Us for Supper was once again on top form, highlighting North Star's commitment to quality, local produce (Chorlton's Out of the Blue and WH Frosts supplied) and great cooking. Usually PR run nights are frightful shows of posturing and lovies air-kissing, but Casillero del Diablo and their PR company, Cube, seem to have got it right - probably helps with the addition of Joe Wadsack and the fact they piggy backed on one of the best supper clubs in Manchester.
Ps - North Star have now opened a new deli on Dale Street in Manchester, a great place to stop on your way to and from the station or get a decent bite to eat at lunch.
Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 8/10 (bonus booze points)
Service - 8/10
Value for money - no score as this was a promotional event
Total - 24/30
Go again - yes, they're a friendly bunch at the deli and it's a pleasure to see them - and supper club is always a good place to meet new people.
Join Us for Supper, North Star Deli, 418 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0SD - Twitter - Facebook
http://www.northstardeli.com/
Please note - I was invited to this event for free, however all thoughts are my own. The usual price for Join Us for Supper is £25, tickets available from the deli/website.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Grenache - Walkden, Salford
Small, high street restaurants can be a gamble; much loved by regulars they never have to change the menu, busy because they're convenient but that's all they have going for them, or ghostly vestiges hanging on with dated curtains and dead flies on the windowsills.
Grenache in Walkden is a little high street affair; sitting off the main street in a quiet residential area, it's not much to look at from the outside. We stepped inside to a warm welcome from the proprietor and were ushered into the tightly spaced dining room.
Grenache has been quietly making a name for itself lately and we were here to see what the fuss was about whilst celebrating a friend's birthday. The menu is pretty standard; a mix of modern British, bistro classics and Mediterranean influences. Some of the dishes we spied coming out of the kitchen looked a little dated and clunky (the salmon and the steak). But we were not to be disappointed when our dishes arrived.
Initially we were treated to a canape of feta omelette - cute little circles of well seasoned eggs on top of a sharp and salty middle. Canapes were not something we had expected - the decor and pricing suggesting family bistro, not fine dining.
Lamb skewers were dainty, soft and charred on the outside, brushed with a moreish mint sauce - the cous cous; under seasoned and tasteless didn't add anything to dish, but nothing else was needed thanks to the exceptional lamb. The game terrine, again beautiful, fell short of the high precedent set by the lamb; a nice enough dish and beautifully set out, but the lumps of unidentified game were dry and lost in the strong liver pate that surrounded it.
Choosing off the early bird menu (before 6.30pm on a Sat) I had felt somewhat disappointed with the choices for the mains; but thankfully was surprised when my dish came out. Juicy pork loin was thinly sliced and covered in a thin, smokey, sweetly spicy layer of paprika - not enough to be overpowering, but enough to perk up what could have been a very boring but very well-cooked piece of meat. A red-wine poached pear cut through the sweetness of the meat and the crispy sage leaves added texture that could have otherwise been missing. The boy's duck with cherries and our friends' lamb dishes displayed the kitchen's knack at getting the meat just right, coupled with well thought out accents to liven up standard fare.
Another surprise was awaiting - this time a sweet canape. Not something I have experienced elsewhere and a lovely, caring gesture that was all the better for being great; a buttery, melt in the mouth star shaped shortbread with a raspberry on top.
My pudding of chocolate torte was cleverly jazzed up with shards of caramel and crushed pistachios - a dence chocolaty slab of decadence; no fine dining, pastry chef creation - just an honest and well made pudding. Spotted dick was warm and comforting; tending to our primal, nursery needs - but weirdly served with a very watery, almost stone cold creme anglais. When we mentioned this to the proprietor he testified that this is how creme anglais is served - really, what about it being able to coat the back of a spoon? You don't pull the wool over Nosh's eyes that easily! (Either it was porkies or I'm seriously worried at the level of food knowledge here; judging from the rest of the menu I'm going with porkies).
Apart from the odd custard slip up, the service couldn't be faulted - we were well looked after and made to feel very welcome. Our complaint of feeling a little cold was met with the immediate rustling up of a floor fan, turning up the overhead heater and a fiver off our bill. Tables are a little squeezed in, sometimes giving you a feeling of having people on top of you - but it made for good atmosphere and for spying on other guests' food.
Grenache isn't going to win any awards for gastronomic brilliance or cutting-edge cookery with boundary crossing ingredients and I take a little offence to being told obvious porkies about the creme anglais; however it's a place where you can be sure of a pretty good meal and some very good portion sizes. The fact it's slightly out of Manchester means the pricing's pretty good too.
Price for two starters, three mains, two puddings off the a la carte, plus a three course decadence menu and drinks: £108.80
Food - 7/10
Atmosphere - 7/10 (one knocked off for the cold)
Service - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Total - 29/40
Go again? Yes I would if I was in the area, though there's more exciting places on my list to try.
Grenache, 15 Bridgewater Road, Walkden, Manchester M28 3JE - 0161 799 8181 - info@grenacherestaurant.co.uk
http://www.grenachrestaurant.co.uk/
Grenache in Walkden is a little high street affair; sitting off the main street in a quiet residential area, it's not much to look at from the outside. We stepped inside to a warm welcome from the proprietor and were ushered into the tightly spaced dining room.
Grenache, not much to look at - with thanks to localdatasearch.com
Grenache has been quietly making a name for itself lately and we were here to see what the fuss was about whilst celebrating a friend's birthday. The menu is pretty standard; a mix of modern British, bistro classics and Mediterranean influences. Some of the dishes we spied coming out of the kitchen looked a little dated and clunky (the salmon and the steak). But we were not to be disappointed when our dishes arrived.
Initially we were treated to a canape of feta omelette - cute little circles of well seasoned eggs on top of a sharp and salty middle. Canapes were not something we had expected - the decor and pricing suggesting family bistro, not fine dining.
Itsy, bitsy, little salty feta omlette bites
Lamb skewers were dainty, soft and charred on the outside, brushed with a moreish mint sauce - the cous cous; under seasoned and tasteless didn't add anything to dish, but nothing else was needed thanks to the exceptional lamb. The game terrine, again beautiful, fell short of the high precedent set by the lamb; a nice enough dish and beautifully set out, but the lumps of unidentified game were dry and lost in the strong liver pate that surrounded it.
Lamb skewers with the fab mint sauce
Choosing off the early bird menu (before 6.30pm on a Sat) I had felt somewhat disappointed with the choices for the mains; but thankfully was surprised when my dish came out. Juicy pork loin was thinly sliced and covered in a thin, smokey, sweetly spicy layer of paprika - not enough to be overpowering, but enough to perk up what could have been a very boring but very well-cooked piece of meat. A red-wine poached pear cut through the sweetness of the meat and the crispy sage leaves added texture that could have otherwise been missing. The boy's duck with cherries and our friends' lamb dishes displayed the kitchen's knack at getting the meat just right, coupled with well thought out accents to liven up standard fare.
Pork and poached pear
Another surprise was awaiting - this time a sweet canape. Not something I have experienced elsewhere and a lovely, caring gesture that was all the better for being great; a buttery, melt in the mouth star shaped shortbread with a raspberry on top.
Sweet canapes - an ace idea!
My pudding of chocolate torte was cleverly jazzed up with shards of caramel and crushed pistachios - a dence chocolaty slab of decadence; no fine dining, pastry chef creation - just an honest and well made pudding. Spotted dick was warm and comforting; tending to our primal, nursery needs - but weirdly served with a very watery, almost stone cold creme anglais. When we mentioned this to the proprietor he testified that this is how creme anglais is served - really, what about it being able to coat the back of a spoon? You don't pull the wool over Nosh's eyes that easily! (Either it was porkies or I'm seriously worried at the level of food knowledge here; judging from the rest of the menu I'm going with porkies).
How big is this serving? (ashamed to say I scoffed the lot!)
Apart from the odd custard slip up, the service couldn't be faulted - we were well looked after and made to feel very welcome. Our complaint of feeling a little cold was met with the immediate rustling up of a floor fan, turning up the overhead heater and a fiver off our bill. Tables are a little squeezed in, sometimes giving you a feeling of having people on top of you - but it made for good atmosphere and for spying on other guests' food.
Grenache isn't going to win any awards for gastronomic brilliance or cutting-edge cookery with boundary crossing ingredients and I take a little offence to being told obvious porkies about the creme anglais; however it's a place where you can be sure of a pretty good meal and some very good portion sizes. The fact it's slightly out of Manchester means the pricing's pretty good too.
Price for two starters, three mains, two puddings off the a la carte, plus a three course decadence menu and drinks: £108.80
Food - 7/10
Atmosphere - 7/10 (one knocked off for the cold)
Service - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Total - 29/40
Go again? Yes I would if I was in the area, though there's more exciting places on my list to try.
Grenache, 15 Bridgewater Road, Walkden, Manchester M28 3JE - 0161 799 8181 - info@grenacherestaurant.co.uk
http://www.grenachrestaurant.co.uk/
Friday, 9 December 2011
The Chetham Arms - Chapeltown, Bolton
I’m in fear of shocking you readers, but there’s something to be said about the North West’s dining scene; if you only eat in the cities because you 'know' you're guaranteed the best food, then you're getting a raw deal - the best food, the best service and the best prices are all found outside town.
I’m going to propose a theory; no matter the quality, a city restaurant it is always guaranteed custom as long as it's cheap enough or flashy enough. There’s the footfall, the tourists, the convenience, the being part of a scene (ad nauseum) and these factors ensure bums will be on seats and food will be in mouths. (Seems many restaurants in Manchester are surviving very well on just being flashy; but that's another rant and another blog).
Take an eatery out of the city and suddenly things change. There’s no guaranteed footfall bar a few pint seeking locals, so quality suddenly becomes very important; as does reasonable prices and staff that are capable of serving rather than just looking good.
One such place proving this theory is the newly refurbished Chetham Arms in Chapeltown on the outskirts of Bolton. Nestled away in a quintessentially small Northern village, it has been taken over by the powerhouse that is Chris Yates. At the tender age of 24 he already has two very successful ventures under his belt (Elephant and Castle, Shoulder of Mutton) with a raft of awards to boot and an inclusion in the Relish cookbook, along with such luminaries as Robert Owen Brown and Andrew Nutter.
The Chetham Arms doesn’t look anything special, in fact it looks like a local that’s had a little bit of a makeover in the main dining room; nothing stuffy or over pretentious. The staff are very welcoming and there’s plenty of good ale on tap. Even the menu is unassuming; filled with local produce and hearty sounding dishes: it doesn’t give an inkling of what’s to come.
A soup of jerusalem artichokes was rich and velvety without being overpowering; the accompanying truffle cream added a heady perfume that matched with an earthy brilliance. The cream had been foamed slightly and this added a lightness to a dish that could have suffered from being far too heavy.
Isle of Skye scallops were sweet, caramelised and cooked to perfection - nothing rubbery or anaemic here. I’m not one for foams when they’re just ‘there,’ but the addition of a smoked bacon foam added a salty punch that brought the dish together amazingly well.
Homemade black pudding with quails egg came with a moreish pineapple relish and julienned sour apple slices; a quirky slant on a well known food pairing. An accompanying fritter was light with no hint of grease - a testament to the chef's skill and one which added a lovely crunch to the dish.
For mains we had burger, it would have been rude not to whilst sitting in a pub. The patties were amazing; not too salty, not too greasy, not too bland, not too much bread. Everything was spot on with this dish; from the handmade ketchup (heavy hints of star anise) to the onion relish, to the home picked onions to the toasted muffin and it was served pink to boot. Perfect!
Finding space for pudding was hard, but after the quality of the proceeding dishes we reasoned we should try and find space. Rice pudding and treacle tart were very well constructed, but the most amazing pudding was the simplest – a raspberry parfait with orange rind compote. I’m not sure how the chef had managed to create such intense flavours, but the small quenelle packed a massive punch of fruity flavours - the balance of sugary sweetness and the underlying tartness was just right, leaving you neither sugared out or pinched in the mouth.
The Chetham Arms may be a simple pub with good, honest grub; but the high standard, creativity, skill and reasonable prices means this is likely to become a definite go to destination and proves that out of the city it's the food, service and price that does the talking.
Ps - I try not to go to the nth describing every dish or go in to raptures of delight on my blog, however the food at The Chetham Arms was so surprisingly good and priced so extremely fairly I'm sorry, it was needed this time!
Price for taster menu and drinks: £34.60 – as The Chetham Arms is newly opened the staff gave us a small taster menu for the same price as the three course market menu (13.95 for three courses lunch time and 5.30-7pm Mon-Fri).
Food – 10/10
Service – 9/10
Atmosphere – 6/10 (they were a bit empty, but the staff made up for it)
Value for money – 10/10
Total – 35/40
Go again? Yes, we have already booked to have Christmas Eve there and will go back time and time again.
83 High Street, Chapeltown, Turton, Bolton BL7 0EW - 01294 852279 - info@thechethamarms.co.uk
http://www.thechethamarms.co.uk/
I’m going to propose a theory; no matter the quality, a city restaurant it is always guaranteed custom as long as it's cheap enough or flashy enough. There’s the footfall, the tourists, the convenience, the being part of a scene (ad nauseum) and these factors ensure bums will be on seats and food will be in mouths. (Seems many restaurants in Manchester are surviving very well on just being flashy; but that's another rant and another blog).
Take an eatery out of the city and suddenly things change. There’s no guaranteed footfall bar a few pint seeking locals, so quality suddenly becomes very important; as does reasonable prices and staff that are capable of serving rather than just looking good.
One such place proving this theory is the newly refurbished Chetham Arms in Chapeltown on the outskirts of Bolton. Nestled away in a quintessentially small Northern village, it has been taken over by the powerhouse that is Chris Yates. At the tender age of 24 he already has two very successful ventures under his belt (Elephant and Castle, Shoulder of Mutton) with a raft of awards to boot and an inclusion in the Relish cookbook, along with such luminaries as Robert Owen Brown and Andrew Nutter.
The Chetham Arms - with thanks to themselves
The Chetham Arms doesn’t look anything special, in fact it looks like a local that’s had a little bit of a makeover in the main dining room; nothing stuffy or over pretentious. The staff are very welcoming and there’s plenty of good ale on tap. Even the menu is unassuming; filled with local produce and hearty sounding dishes: it doesn’t give an inkling of what’s to come.
A soup of jerusalem artichokes was rich and velvety without being overpowering; the accompanying truffle cream added a heady perfume that matched with an earthy brilliance. The cream had been foamed slightly and this added a lightness to a dish that could have suffered from being far too heavy.
Jerusalem artichoke soup and lightly truffled cream
Isle of Skye scallops were sweet, caramelised and cooked to perfection - nothing rubbery or anaemic here. I’m not one for foams when they’re just ‘there,’ but the addition of a smoked bacon foam added a salty punch that brought the dish together amazingly well.
Isle of Skye scallops - yes, this was served to me in a pub! (pint just out of shot)
Homemade black pudding with quails egg came with a moreish pineapple relish and julienned sour apple slices; a quirky slant on a well known food pairing. An accompanying fritter was light with no hint of grease - a testament to the chef's skill and one which added a lovely crunch to the dish.
Black pudding, quails egg, pineapple relish and black pudding fitter
Best burger I've ever had - please note this is a smaller portion than the usual one served
Lovely puddings - yum yum yum
Usually in an evening there is always a bum note or some aspect of a dish you'd change. At The Chetham Arms the composition of each plate that came out was perfect; obviously Chris Yates has thought long and hard about each and every aspect of each and every dish; ensuring texture, taste, look and smell were balanced and come together to create a harmony not often found in restaurant food, let alone pub food.
The Chetham Arms may be a simple pub with good, honest grub; but the high standard, creativity, skill and reasonable prices means this is likely to become a definite go to destination and proves that out of the city it's the food, service and price that does the talking.
Ps - I try not to go to the nth describing every dish or go in to raptures of delight on my blog, however the food at The Chetham Arms was so surprisingly good and priced so extremely fairly I'm sorry, it was needed this time!
Price for taster menu and drinks: £34.60 – as The Chetham Arms is newly opened the staff gave us a small taster menu for the same price as the three course market menu (13.95 for three courses lunch time and 5.30-7pm Mon-Fri).
Food – 10/10
Service – 9/10
Atmosphere – 6/10 (they were a bit empty, but the staff made up for it)
Value for money – 10/10
Total – 35/40
Go again? Yes, we have already booked to have Christmas Eve there and will go back time and time again.
83 High Street, Chapeltown, Turton, Bolton BL7 0EW - 01294 852279 - info@thechethamarms.co.uk
http://www.thechethamarms.co.uk/
Monday, 5 December 2011
Nutters - Rochadale
There's something of celebrity about Nutters, a whiff of expectation and an air of grandeur - it does help that Nutters is set in a eighteenth century manor house in rolling grounds, approached by a long drive, with a polished and warm welcome from Nutter Snr himself upon arrival.
Seated in the newly refurbished bar area we were served a selection of canapes whilst choosing from the well balanced menu; a fish goujon was light and delightful, however the wrap was fridge cold, soggy and tasted no more special than philadelphia in corn tortillas. The waiting area has been newly decorated; whether this is being rolled out throughout the whole restaurant I'm not sure, but the decoration jarred with the old school, main body of the restaurant, which is characterised by sumptuous royal blue carpets, dark wood, low lighting and white table cloths.
Starter of carpaccio was lightly seared and wonderfully soft with a parmesan crisp that added a welcome crunch of texture and salty savouriness, although the accompanying crispy vegetable nibbles were soft rather than crispy and didn't add anything to the dish. Vine ripened tomato soup was deeply flavoured with a warm evocation of late summer, but the truffled chives on top added nothing to the dish; the perfume rather overwhelmed and rather jarred with the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Mains were well constructed and obviously well practised by Andrew Nutter and his team. Brill with a red pepper crust with black pudding and scallops was dainty and soft, the porky sweetness marrying well with the rest of the dish. Hake with a tomato and scallop tart was brilliantly executed, the pastry light and crunchy. Steaks came out faultless, cooked to our exact specifications and were obviously good quality hunks of meat.
So swiftly on to pudding; a delectable chocolate delice with proper, handmade peanut brittle. This was a chocolaty, creamy delight with great shards of hard, salty brittle and tempered dark chocolate, set off by a caramel/peanut ice cream: I was in rapture and can still taste it now. For the rest of the table a small plate of petits fours arrived; small, sweet, but not anything out of the ordinary.
Wine at Nutters is managed, advised on and served in style by Nutter Snr, your glasses constantly topped up without you noticing, whilst he glides around the floor chatting to the clientele - this is clearly a man who loves his work. The operation at Nutters is smooth and well polished; food comes out silently from experienced and well kept waitresses. Service was outstanding; however we did have a little trouble in locating staff between courses, they came out with the food and then disappeared again as if by magic.
I had initially been worried that the grand exterior, the white linen and the dark panelling would have equalled a dated, fusty experience, but felt at ease whilst eating here. Although the mains were skillfully put together, some dishes failed to live up to the standard conjured up by the grand setting. Prior to eating at Nutters we had heard such glowing reviews that we expected impeccable food in an amazing surrounding. Whilst neither was achieved, Nutters came very close and was certainly a thoroughly enjoyable meal.
Price for four starters, four mains, one pudding, pre-dinner drinks, two bottles of champagne, one half bottle of port and three coffees: £245.50
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Total - 30/40
Go again - yes I would, I think there's many positive points here and it's worth another visit.
Nutters, 691 Edenfield Road, Norden, Rochdale OL12 7TT - 01706 650167 - enquiries@nuttersrestaurant.com - Twitter
http://www.nuttersrestaurant.co.uk/
Nutter's - with thanks to UK Parties
Seated in the newly refurbished bar area we were served a selection of canapes whilst choosing from the well balanced menu; a fish goujon was light and delightful, however the wrap was fridge cold, soggy and tasted no more special than philadelphia in corn tortillas. The waiting area has been newly decorated; whether this is being rolled out throughout the whole restaurant I'm not sure, but the decoration jarred with the old school, main body of the restaurant, which is characterised by sumptuous royal blue carpets, dark wood, low lighting and white table cloths.
Starter of carpaccio was lightly seared and wonderfully soft with a parmesan crisp that added a welcome crunch of texture and salty savouriness, although the accompanying crispy vegetable nibbles were soft rather than crispy and didn't add anything to the dish. Vine ripened tomato soup was deeply flavoured with a warm evocation of late summer, but the truffled chives on top added nothing to the dish; the perfume rather overwhelmed and rather jarred with the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Carpaccio with parmesan crisp
Mains were well constructed and obviously well practised by Andrew Nutter and his team. Brill with a red pepper crust with black pudding and scallops was dainty and soft, the porky sweetness marrying well with the rest of the dish. Hake with a tomato and scallop tart was brilliantly executed, the pastry light and crunchy. Steaks came out faultless, cooked to our exact specifications and were obviously good quality hunks of meat.
Hake with tomato and scallop tart
So swiftly on to pudding; a delectable chocolate delice with proper, handmade peanut brittle. This was a chocolaty, creamy delight with great shards of hard, salty brittle and tempered dark chocolate, set off by a caramel/peanut ice cream: I was in rapture and can still taste it now. For the rest of the table a small plate of petits fours arrived; small, sweet, but not anything out of the ordinary.
Chocolate delice and peanut brittle
Wine at Nutters is managed, advised on and served in style by Nutter Snr, your glasses constantly topped up without you noticing, whilst he glides around the floor chatting to the clientele - this is clearly a man who loves his work. The operation at Nutters is smooth and well polished; food comes out silently from experienced and well kept waitresses. Service was outstanding; however we did have a little trouble in locating staff between courses, they came out with the food and then disappeared again as if by magic.
Petis fours
I had initially been worried that the grand exterior, the white linen and the dark panelling would have equalled a dated, fusty experience, but felt at ease whilst eating here. Although the mains were skillfully put together, some dishes failed to live up to the standard conjured up by the grand setting. Prior to eating at Nutters we had heard such glowing reviews that we expected impeccable food in an amazing surrounding. Whilst neither was achieved, Nutters came very close and was certainly a thoroughly enjoyable meal.
Price for four starters, four mains, one pudding, pre-dinner drinks, two bottles of champagne, one half bottle of port and three coffees: £245.50
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Total - 30/40
Go again - yes I would, I think there's many positive points here and it's worth another visit.
Nutters, 691 Edenfield Road, Norden, Rochdale OL12 7TT - 01706 650167 - enquiries@nuttersrestaurant.com - Twitter
http://www.nuttersrestaurant.co.uk/
Thursday, 1 December 2011
WH Frost Butchers - Chorlton
It's good to support your local shops and indeed I try to. I have a local butcher and he's very good for your standard fare; the meat's well hung, the sausages are made by the butchers themselves, they're friendly and the meat's local. Sounds perfect you might think, but there's one big snag; when asking for free range chicken, game, mutton or anything a bit, well, different I get the following: "ooh not much call for that round 'ere." This article is a confession; I'm seeing another butcher.
WH Frost and Sons has been selling meat to Chorltonites since 1910 when the shop was opened by Jack Frost; the business is still in the family and is growing from strength to strength. Dedicated to sourcing quality local produce, Frosts won the Manchester Food and Drink Award 2011 for Best Food and Drink Outlet and is a member of the Guild of Q Butchers. Chorlton is not local to me and has never been; but I have yet to find anything that beats them for quality, dedication, customer service and scope of produce.
The dedicated commitment and care that WH Frost displays in their attitude to working is not only appreciated by Chorltonites and foodies like me; WH Frost is an ever expanding empire with 22 full time members of staff sourcing and delivering produce to pubs, supper clubs and restaurants - with some Michelin starred customers having kept long running accounts. Unlike other catering butchers they do not find the cheapest meat from the easiest source (usually countries like Poland and injected with water to plump it up); instead they ensure everything is British unless it is a specific product eg. poulet de bresse.
For a high street butcher, Frosts is well stocked; the meat sourced from farms in and around Cheshire and the North West. The meat is hung properly, the beef for a full 28 days (you can ask for it longer) so you'll find no bright red, sweaty polythene packs or the 'aged' steak you find in supermarkets (most supermarket steaks are cut and put in the packs from freshly slaughtered animals, they are then held in refrigeration units for a set number of days; so not matured properly allowing the fibres to relax and water to come out).
As well as beef, lamb, chicken, pork and the handmade sausages, there's plenty else to tickle your taste buds. Venison chorizo, game from local shoots, whole legs of serrano ham, pickles, duck eggs and even cheeses such as the wonderful Burt's Blue from Altrinham and the hard to source Norwegian Brunost.
The variety of choice doesn't end there. Want something special for that Masterchef menu you're perfecting or a quality bird for Christmas? Frosts will source what you need (marrow bones, rose veal, bath chaps, goose, smoked back fat) or they can suggest meats, foods, cooking techniques and even life advice.
Obviously you're impressed and want to pay them a visit; this is where WH Frosts is moving with the times and keeping abreast with the modern customer. My local butcher opens at 9am and closes at 5pm sharp; they don't open on Wednesday afternoons and are only open until noon on a Saturday. I'm out before they open, home after they close and am pretty lazy on a Saturday morning/go away a lot. WH Frost is open Mon-Sat 7am-5pm (plus if you follow them on Twitter you can get a sneaky order in at midnight when you're craving some chicken livers) and they've even been known to drop orders for repeat customers at a location to suit them.
You're not going to find bargain basement prices, lucky dip meat bags or chickens for less than a fiver here. What you will find is consistent quality and pride in the way they work and what they sell. You can get carried away with the expensive produce, however shop wisely and ask questions; the staff will point you in the direction of cuts you can't get in the supermarket and you'll be rewarded with something that tastes fantastic and something you can resolutely trust is good quality produce.
Ps - Get your Christmas meat orders in quick! WH Frost sources quality free-range birds such as Copas turkeys and Gressingham geese; plus they ensure the birds are slaughtered as close to Christmas as possible. Some butchers and supermarkets will have their birds slaughtered from late November and then kept in bubbles of inert gas to keep them fresh until Christmas - not a concept I find appealing and I'm sure you don't either.
WH Frosts, 14 Chorlton Place, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9AQ - 0161 881 1827 - Twitter
WH Frost and Sons has been selling meat to Chorltonites since 1910 when the shop was opened by Jack Frost; the business is still in the family and is growing from strength to strength. Dedicated to sourcing quality local produce, Frosts won the Manchester Food and Drink Award 2011 for Best Food and Drink Outlet and is a member of the Guild of Q Butchers. Chorlton is not local to me and has never been; but I have yet to find anything that beats them for quality, dedication, customer service and scope of produce.
The dedicated commitment and care that WH Frost displays in their attitude to working is not only appreciated by Chorltonites and foodies like me; WH Frost is an ever expanding empire with 22 full time members of staff sourcing and delivering produce to pubs, supper clubs and restaurants - with some Michelin starred customers having kept long running accounts. Unlike other catering butchers they do not find the cheapest meat from the easiest source (usually countries like Poland and injected with water to plump it up); instead they ensure everything is British unless it is a specific product eg. poulet de bresse.
Paul Kitching's 21212 is just one of WH Frost's famous customers
For a high street butcher, Frosts is well stocked; the meat sourced from farms in and around Cheshire and the North West. The meat is hung properly, the beef for a full 28 days (you can ask for it longer) so you'll find no bright red, sweaty polythene packs or the 'aged' steak you find in supermarkets (most supermarket steaks are cut and put in the packs from freshly slaughtered animals, they are then held in refrigeration units for a set number of days; so not matured properly allowing the fibres to relax and water to come out).
As well as beef, lamb, chicken, pork and the handmade sausages, there's plenty else to tickle your taste buds. Venison chorizo, game from local shoots, whole legs of serrano ham, pickles, duck eggs and even cheeses such as the wonderful Burt's Blue from Altrinham and the hard to source Norwegian Brunost.
The variety of choice doesn't end there. Want something special for that Masterchef menu you're perfecting or a quality bird for Christmas? Frosts will source what you need (marrow bones, rose veal, bath chaps, goose, smoked back fat) or they can suggest meats, foods, cooking techniques and even life advice.
Obviously you're impressed and want to pay them a visit; this is where WH Frosts is moving with the times and keeping abreast with the modern customer. My local butcher opens at 9am and closes at 5pm sharp; they don't open on Wednesday afternoons and are only open until noon on a Saturday. I'm out before they open, home after they close and am pretty lazy on a Saturday morning/go away a lot. WH Frost is open Mon-Sat 7am-5pm (plus if you follow them on Twitter you can get a sneaky order in at midnight when you're craving some chicken livers) and they've even been known to drop orders for repeat customers at a location to suit them.
One of the Frost brothers (Lee) with his sausages out!
Ps - Get your Christmas meat orders in quick! WH Frost sources quality free-range birds such as Copas turkeys and Gressingham geese; plus they ensure the birds are slaughtered as close to Christmas as possible. Some butchers and supermarkets will have their birds slaughtered from late November and then kept in bubbles of inert gas to keep them fresh until Christmas - not a concept I find appealing and I'm sure you don't either.
WH Frosts, 14 Chorlton Place, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9AQ - 0161 881 1827 - Twitter
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