Thursday 7 March 2013

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

Lovely Beagle branded glasswear sporting Buxton's Dark Nights and the Kernel's London Sour

Never have truer words been spoken than the title of this post. Spotting The Beagle's Chicken In A Basket night - chicken served three ways - our pulses raced as it was confirmed that fried would indeed be one of the ways it would be cooked. Then I stupidly decided to give up fried chicken for Lent (yes, it has got that bad). Cue moral dilemmas. Being agnostic I'm not really that strict on the whole Lenten abstinence, and decided, for the sake of democracy - as Jamie's analysis of fried chicken is only going to end in one answer: "good!" - to go and eat everything anyway.

I will ashamedly admit that we had never before visited the Beagle. Though it had most definitely been on our to-do list since I picked up a mysterious flyer promising a beer house with dining room (bastards! I shouted, they've stolen my concept!) at IMBC, we had failed to make the lengthy two bus-rides journey over. Whilst we have an array of chicken eateries on our doorstep, this journey proved we will travel far and wide for our land-burdened feathered friend. On entrance, the bar made me feel a little like I was in a very sophisticated German beerhouse - and even reminded me a little of Die Henne in Berlin (chicken on the brain or what?!) - though on moving into the restaurant area, it felt a little more like I was in a super stylish granny's living room.

Though we would be provided with beer as part of the deal, we opted for something different as an aperitif, and Jamie wisely selected us a half of the Kernel London Sour (at 2.3% perhaps one of the lowest ABVs I've seen on something actually drinkable!), and another of the Buxton's Dark Nights (4.6%) - an American style Porter. Having acquainted my palette with a rather less sophisticated Irish porter in an attempt to enjoy beer as a young girl, I ended up becoming rather good friends with it, and so the Dark Nights was right up my street. Whilst I could appreciate the er, aperitif style of the Kernel (it certainly got one's mouth watering!) the barman's description of it tasting like salt & vinegar crisps couldn't get out of my head, and I passed this on to Jamie. Good news all round as he's loving the Cantillon brewery at the moment, whose Geuze beer isn't altogether dissimilar to the Kernel's offering. I should also take this opportunity to award Jamie with a small round of applause for managing to refrain from any puns on its name given what we were here to eat...

The most perfect scotch egg in the world. 

We were given a couple of morsels to begin: a perfectly cooked scotch egg (look at that yolk!), and something lovely and buttery on brown bread. I had to ask the waiter what it was who replied "just potted cheddar". Now to he who works there, and probably is lucky enough to pinch a bit every day of his working life (late at night, when going for a 'fag break' but secretly going on a fridge scour - that's what I used to do), it may just be potted cheddar, but to me, it was one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten on bread before EVER. Even with the chicken still to come, this decided it: the Beagle was my new favourite restaurant.

Now, I can't say I'm altogether taken with this new fad of serving things in a basket (think burger bars), but I was going to let this slide for tonight, and was more than pleased when I spotted that the Beagle had carefully sourced lovely stylish baskets for the evening. Despite that, chicken in a basket ain't ever gonna look pretty so there's no photo, but you do get to hear my comprehensive description! First of all, my guilt re: Jesus' death subsided as the fried chicken was 'popcorn' style, and therefore not even what a fricken aficionado would term fried chicken due to its lack of grease. The coating was light and tasty and easily popped! into the mouth. The spicy Buffalo wings were seriously spicy (though I'm only one step up from a Korma kind of gal) though didn't set my mouth on fire as much as the ones we tried at the Bird in Berlin (more of what they're about here). Fortunately, the sides offered blue cheese dip which made them easily manageable for someone as wimpish as me. We were also given a purple cabbage slaw and crudités of carrots and celery (the chef's Mum had clearly taught them that you must always get at least one of your five-a-day in your evening meal!).

BBQ Beanz & blue cheez dip
Back to the chicken, as we still had a breast and a leg of chicken each to get through... My guess is that they might have been cooked sous-vide and then finished off in a pan as they were so wonderfully tender. Or they're just really good at cooking their poultry to perfection too! We were also given the best chips ever: perfectly seasoned with what I can only imagine was crack-salt as I am still craving more of them now, a whole week later. There was so much food we had to ask for a doggy bag to bring half of the chicken home, which I thoroughly enjoyed in a club sandwich the next day.

We were, of course, also given matched beers with the chicken with a choice of either Quantum's American Amber Ale (5.3%) which I really enjoyed; not overly hoppy and therefore a great choice for me. We were also served Magic Rock High Wire (5.5%), which - to be honest - I don't remember at all, but beer ratings websites seem to score very highly so it's probably not bad!

This would have small children crying with tears of joy
Dessert was still to come and took the form of a retro ice cream sundae. The ice creams were phenomenal - the strawberry even better than a Mini Milk (what high praise!), and I would hazaard a guess that the other was a dark chocolate sorbet. All served up with strawberries, bits of brownie and honeycomb, and topped - slightly too high, for my liking - with whipped cream (the proper stuff) - we manage to get through most of it, as we were worried it might not transport so well in our doggy bag.

All in all, a highly successful evening! I think that's evident from the number of seemingly superfluous statements I've made in this entry, but it's all true. My only criticism would be that when I heard 'matched beers' I thought there would be set beers provided to compliment each of the courses and had dreams of some sort of treacly dark beer to go with the dessert. Nevertheless, booze was enjoyed, food was demolished and even better, it was a bargain! £20 per person for a pint, a nibble, pracitcally an entire chicken, sides and dessert. I hear other great themed nights are on the cards, so please Beagle, reserve us a spot now, because I can't wait to see what you'll do with a prawn cocktail...


The Beagle
456-458 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton
Manchester, M21 0BQ
0161 881 8596

The Beagle on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Gorilla

A spate of engagements (all food and drink related naturally!) has recently meant a brief hiatus from blog posting.

When I say engagements I mean hangovers. After the Liquorists Ceylon Arrack trail and The Drunken Butcher's supper club (posts to follow), I could have taken a good shot at sousing herrings in my own stomach. Ergo, writing was not at the top of my priority list

The first was one of many visits to Gorilla and this time we'd set our phasers to 'review'. That's the first and last attempt at referencing Star Trek.

Nothing before had given me the impression that they would disappoint and indeed Gorilla is up there with Kosmonaut as one of our favourite new bars.

To find out more about what we thought take a look at our review over at Social & Cocktail.

Though the review here focuses on their drinks selection, I can heartily also recommend the burger, sticky chicken wings & halloumi (the latter two an absolute steal!).



Gorilla
54-58 Whitworth Street, Manchester
M1 5WW
0161 407 0301

Saturday 16 February 2013

Fire & Salt BBQ, North Carolina Supper Club

Mal: a man passionate about everything barbecue
Despite having talked incessantly about supper clubs, and enviously looked on at the multitude of their occurrences in - to quote Stephen Lee - that there London, it was only on the 8th February that Jamie and I eventually got round to dining in a stranger's home for the first time. I say stranger, but I had already heard and knew lots about Mal and his obsession for barbecue, after chowing down on his amazing riblets at IMBC last autumn. Listening to Mal's passionate history lesson on this age-old cooking technique almost left me digging up my own back garden to build a pit. Alas, I'm not yet on the property ladder and didn't fancy being sued by my kind landlords.

The evening began somewhat nervously, as Jamie and I sat down at a table occupied by two others, and several empty seats. I initially worried we'd actually been booked in for some sort of double dating reality T.V. programme (think Wife Swap meets Come Dine With Me). Fortunately, several minutes later a group of five showed up and the quiet calm of the dining room soon turned into a clattering hubub of introductions. We were generously welcomed with a shot of bourbon, infused with cocoa nibs and vanilla, finished with a spring of mint, a delicious chocolate Sazerac-like aperitif, wonderfully created by Mal's girlfriend, Laura**.

The mini jam jar bourbon shot
First up came the opportunity to try a variety of the barbecued pork: naked; with a vinegar style sauce; and with a more BBQ-esque version - with or without tomatoes (apparently barbecue chefs have nearly killed each other over the tomato debate*). Without wanting to reveal too much about my personality, naked turned out to be my preference. The flavours in the meat were pretty incredible, though I did my best to resist eating too much as I already feared the amount of food on offer might have been too much for my newly 5:2 shaped stomach.

To start, came the Brunswick stew, and I'm not sure I can sum it up much better than their very own description - 'this stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into BBQ pits'. I have to say, that didn't sound particularly appetising but this was a little bowl of comfort. Next time I'm ill, Mal, if you could drop me some of this round, that would be great! I can't remember what exactly was in it, but I'm sure one of the aforementioned small mammals was a rabbit...

Brunswick stew
Up came mains, with the pulled pork taking centre stage, and the sides staggered to ensure our plates kept filling. Barbecue joint black-eyed beans were my favourite of the lot, as apparently there wasn't enough protein in the several million kilos of piggy on my plate, but deep-fried okra came a close second. Okra, that vegetable so feared by small children due to its pseudonym, was beautifully textured with its cornmeal crust. The hush puppies weren't for me, I'm afraid, though not suggesting that's anything to do with Mal's cooking as I've never had them before so I can't possibly compare!

With an event such as this, I fully expected the real showstopper to be the barbecued meat. In no way do I mean this as any discredit to that slow-cooked little piggy, but the winner of the night - and possibly the food that has most made me question my existence (pure sugar delirium, it was) - was the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding. That's right, goddamn American donuts cooked with eggs and sugar and butter and all things evil. There's a lie on the Fire & Salt BBQ website though: it says it was served with ice cream. It wasn't - this buttery heart attack inducing dessert was served with MORE BUTTER. Bourbon butter to be exact. Nobody on the table could be tempted with 'ice cream'. Why, came the cries, would I want anything less than a fully saturated fat on my dessert which probably already contains my daily allowance of calories?! Oh Mal, you predicted us all so well.


The artery-busting Krispy Kreme pudding
The night was a success, the food left us full, the bourbon cabinet envious, and the concept filled with glee at the prospect of things to come. I couldn't help but think: perhaps if James Hitchen (Southern 11) had an ounce of the passion that Mal has, his one million pound restaurant might be nearly as good as the food served up by this fella, out of his terraced house in Chorlton.

*This might be a slight exaggeration, but I hear it's pretty fierce.
**Special mention also goes to Laura for managing to successfully co-host the supper club, despite requiring a nurse to pop round and bandage up her finger mid-proceedings.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Livebait, Manchester

I bought Jamie a copy of Giles Coren's How To Eat Out before I really knew who he was (Coren that is, not my other half), and - rather naughtily - ended up reading it before Jamie knew he'd been bought it. It is anecdotal with snippets of advice littered throughout, and despite agreeing with Ramsay's comment on the cover, I rather annoyingly enjoyed it. The best - and I suppose most obvious - piece of advice he gives is: "Always order the fish". A delicate specimen, best eaten on day of purchase, it makes sense to let restaurants do the hard work - filleting, scaling, pinboning, and, of course, cooking. I therefore felt very content to accept the invitation of Livebait via Manchester Confidential to dine at their restaurant as a guest, and do nothing other than order the fish. Apologies for photo quality - we couldn't find our camera charger so had to make do with the iPad!

Jamie and I had actually eaten at Livebait not that long ago, and it holds the special place of being the first Manchester restaurant we reviewed on our blog. Whilst we had a thoroughly enjoyable time before, we were disappointed at how empty it was. We returned on another Wednesday to a slightly busier restaurant - though this might have something to do with its 50% off deal during January - and were acknowledged as soon as we entered, despite the manageress being on the phone.

We were offered an aperitif and the manageress knowledgeably recommended Tanqueray 10 with grapefruit juice (I remembered from my earlier years as a bartender in a posh hotel that this premium gin is supposed to have notes of the citrus fruit in it; I say supposed as all I get is GINGINGIN, but that's my unrefined palette for you). This proved to be a great aperitif as the bitter fruit perfectly prepares the palate for the dinner to follow. I, however, am not a fan and boringly opted for a Hendricks.

We were recommended the bread and homemade dukkah to begin, which was a surprising delight despite popping whole coriander seeds in the mouth in one go. Jamie commented that it reminded him of Modernist Cuisine's fish spice mix, and once we dissected the individual spices realised how clever it was of them to serve this unusual accompaniment: all of the individual spices in dukkah (hazelnuts, coriander, sesame, cumin, fennel and poppy seeds) compliment the flavours of seafood.


 We cheekily decided to start by trying a selection of the oysters - 3 tempura'd (that's definitely in the dictionary) and 3 natural. All were delicious, but I particularly enjoyed the deep fried ones, accompanied with a cucumber pickle. The waitress told us they used to do a crab and pickled cucumber spring roll but took it off the menu. Bring it back! Please! Having since read that 75% of raw British oysters contain norovirus, you've got carte blanche to stuff your face with the deep fried morsels. Get in!


J decided to go old-school and opted for the prawn cocktail. The waitress was very serious in letting us know that there was nothing fancy about this: like Ronseal, it does what it says on the tin. It was a pleasant enough dish, though I found it slightly odd that they served extra Marie Rose on the side of a sauce-heavy dish. I opted for the anchovy and tomato bruschetta as I can't get enough of those salty little sea monsters and will happily eat them by the bucket-load when I can get my hands on the fresh ones. These were delicious and plentiful so I was pretty happy, though felt the dish slightly off-balance. I wanted to taste the anchovies more but felt a harsher acidity was present - perhaps from an addition of red wine vinegar? Jamie, however, poo-poo'ed my suggestion and said that he thought the dish was perfectly balanced. (That's me told.)


Most of the mains sounded delicious and I was struggling to decide between the plaice and the bass. Suddenly my stupid brain went left-field and opted for the scallops. Five little beauties, served in the shells with a piece of chorizo on top of each. They were cooked beautifully, though I would have loved the coral to have been served with them, but I never understand why chorizo and scallops are served together. Maybe it's just me but I think the strength of the sausage is too overwhelming for the delicate seafood to fight against. I ate most of them without the piece of meat, and found that the hint of fatty spice from the chorizo's juices worked well. If it were me, I'd consider serving them with just a chorizo butter (or foam as Jamie suggested: he's been reading too much Mugaritz). I'd been forewarned that they came as they were, but I couldn't help feel that a little more effort could have gone into making the scallops into more of a dish. Maybe I'm just talking rubbish though, and I'm just trying to turn a more than decent seafood restaurant into something it's not.


Or maybe it's just because I had serious food envy of Jamie's sea bass, which I'd originally wanted. It came with a sorrel and garlic sauce and potato galette. It was so good. I would actually go back just to have this dish. The skin was crisped to perfection - maybe they'd read my last write-up! ;) - and you could taste the beautifully browned butter on the delicately cooked fish. We accompanied the dishes with chips, because we're heathens, and the waitress made us feel good about doing so, so she gets brownie points too. Having recently been disappointed with neighbourhood's excuse for fries, I was very happy with these. Being something of a chip aficionado, I'm going to make a bold claim and say these are probably my favourite fries (very different from chips though, please note). They actually surpass the old-style Burger King ones and take pride of place in my fried potato hall of fame.

Our meal was accompanied by a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet, a recommendation from the waitress. We'd told her we usually went for an Albarino when eating seafood, and had suggested this as an adventurous alternative. A fairly dry white, it complimented all of the courses well and would happily opt for this again.

Dessert saw us share the trio of puds - something chocolatey with delicious salted caramel, a fresh cheesecake with homemade honeycomb, and something lemony. All pleasant enough, though nothing to steal the spotlight away from the oyster tempura and the sea bass.

All in all, the meal and service were definitely good enough to say that I would go back, and I was glad to see that they'd corrected the fatal flaw of floppy skin from last time! Obviously we were guests, so one would hope our experience would be good, but everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves and their food as well. I have to say, it's such a wonderful space that I really do wish Mancunians would try it out more, as I would absolutely love to see it buzzing. I'm not sure what the plans for 2013 are for the restaurant but I hope they give a nod to some of the current food trends as several are made for this place.

I think my only criticism is of myself, for not listening to Giles. Instead of opting for shells, I should have heeded his advice and ordered the bloody fish...

Livebait
22 Lloyd Street, Manchester
M2 5WA
0161 817 4110
Livebait on Urbanspoon

Friday 14 December 2012

Aumbry, Christmas Dinner

The pass at Aumbry

To quote Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian circa 2010, ‘Aumbry is not the kind of place you’d expect to find in Prestwich, the suburb’s suburb.’ I would go further and venture to say that Aumbry is not the kind of place you’d expect to find in Manchester.

With the exception of the Wine Glass at Etrop Grange, Manchester doesn’t boast a wealth of restaurants where the chefs have honed their skills at the Fat Duck. Nor does it boast many restaurants that have garnered national acclaim: Mary-Ellen McTague won Up and Coming Young Chef of the Year in the Good Food Guide 2011.

With this in mind, Anna and I had high expectations of this small but much-lauded neighbourhood restaurant. It had been on our ‘to-go’ list for some time and then all of a sudden came an invite from Echo PR to attend a Christmas dinner.

We took the tram and found ourselves, fashionably early, sipping champagne and snacking on some wonderful smoked almonds in the upstairs reception area. A light snow, the first this winter, had just begun to fall and, as I eyed the Christmas decorations and the 9-course menu, a sense of contentment washed over me. I felt as though we were in for a real treat.

The reception area
Right, overblown rhetoric out of the way, let’s talk food.

To whet our appetite we are given bread accompanied by an ornate bowl of beef dripping and roasting juices, cleverly masquerading as oil and balsamic. The conversation turns on the idea of beef fat solidifying in your arteries. It’s so delicious that no-one cares.

The amuse-bouche was pig’s head terrine – a delicious morsel that it is hard to say much about, so I shan’t.

Pig's head
The obligatory smoked fish dish was an undeniable favourite. The mackerel was so delicately cured; it makes a nice change to see it cold-smoked. The garnishes of pickled beetroot and mustard cream were, albeit standard, perfectly judged. The presentation, too, was spot on (we're still wondering whether the beetroot was the most perfect puree I've ever seen or a spherification).

Smoked mackerel
Heston’s influence shows through in the next dish – Bury Black Pudding Scotch Egg. Anyone who watched the How to Cook Like Heston series or owns a copy of Heston at Home will be familiar with his warm scotch egg hiding a perfectly runny yolk in the centre. It is a tricky feat to pull off but so satisfying – bursting a perfectly cooked yolk always seems to elicit quasi-sexual moans from diners. No wonder this dish has become a signature at Aumbry.

Black pudding Scotch egg
The celeriac soup which followed will become the stuff of legend, the story passed down from generation to generation about the origins of the world’s greatest soup. Prestwich in the 2020s will be full of well-heeled types mumbling to themselves: "celeriac, truffle, chestnuts.." Never have I heard such ecstatic praise for a bowl of soup in all my life. And it wasn’t even superfluous. Perfectly seasoned, light yet rich celeriac soup with a perfect amount of truffle oil and some meltingly soft chestnuts at the bottom. Go and try it!

Celeriac soup
Everyone is in high spirits as we move on to the main courses. The Royal Roast consists of a ballotine of duck, pheasant and partridge with bread sauce, stuffing, roast potatoes, and brussel sprouts. There was some speculation in the taxi home as to whether the meat had been cooked sous-vide. It was exceedingly tender but the texture of the duck in particular was strange. To my surprise, the highlight was the brussel sprouts, thinly shredded and cooked with bacon and chestnuts. Mental note to try this at our Christmas dinner and to recreate the seriously flavoursome stuffing. Anna was a little disappointed with the roast potatoes - not quite as good as ours!

Three-bird roast
The Lyme Park venison stood out for me as the richest and most savoury of the dishes. The medium-rare, scarlet loin paired with slow-cooked haunch, sweet parsley root and woody, bitter brussel sprout tops – close to perfection! This is the kind of dish I long for. This was served with a Austro-Hungarian wine, Meinklang 'Konkret', a bold red with soft tannins which complemented the venison perfectly.

Venison
By now I will admit to being sated and not at all in need of dessert. My memory also becomes hazier the more wine I drink. Funny that. The sherry trifle etched itself into my consciousness with the mandarin and thyme syllabub that accompanied it. A flavour combination I don’t recall having before. The Christmas pudding was notable for the sheer amount of dried fruit it contained. And the mince pie was, well, a very good mince pie. I have admittedly glossed over the desserts but I do think although appropriate on a Christmas menu, they were never going to have the impact that the savoury courses did. A special mention goes to the 2009 Chateau Jolys, a buttery wine with hints of honey and peach, it worked well to enhance some of the slightly more bitter notes of the syllabub.

Christmas pudding
I’ll end on a note about service. I wish I had noted down the name of our waitress because throughout the nine courses she gave a masterclass in how to wait on a table. Her timing, knowledge, humour and the right degree of formality made the whole meal flow beautifully - not to mention that she also doubled as a fantastic sommelier. I hope Mary-Ellen reads this review and gives her a Christmas bonus!

Christmas is a time of year for comfort and decadence, yet it can sometimes prove difficult to merge these two feelings. Aumbry have managed to grab hold of both of these feelings and delicately transformed them into a beautiful tasting menu. At £45 for seven courses, it is exceptional value. We were lucky enough to be guests of the restaurant, but would have gleefully paid this amount for food of such quality. I have it on good authority that dishes of such high standard aren't just a Christmas treat for Aumbry visitors, and look forward to returning in 2013 to see what else I can be simultaneously soothed and seduced by.

Aumbry
2 Church Lane, Prestwich
M25 1AJ
0161 798 5841

Aumbry on Urbanspoon

Friday 7 December 2012

The Wineglass, Etrop Grange

Etrop Grange
I'd been looking forward to eating at the Wineglass at Etrop Grange ever since I first saw it spring up on Twitter. When I saw photos of Ernst van Zyl's dishes, I could see he had his presentation nailed, but I wanted to know whether it would taste as good as it looked. As it turned out, the proof really was in the pudding.

Just so readers know, Ernst was more than aware that we were coming to the restaurant, as he had insisted upon creating a bespoke menu for me. As regular readers will know, Ernst loves a challenge (see our Q&A with him, & DineInOut for more information on that!) and enjoys teaching his kitchen brigade new skills and flavour combinations; a personalised menu creation is a perfect opportunity to do that. We were pleasantly surprised with a complimentary glass of Prosecco, but other than that we did pay for our meal in full (I say we, I mean Jamie, it was my birthday after all!). Before I get lost in the details of the dishes, let me mention that the service was brilliant, and we also had a beautiful selection of wines to match each course. I haven't gone into detail about them here, as the food really was the star, but they all complimented the food delightfully.

Beetroot 'Aero', watercress puree and beetroot crisps
I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant where I haven't read the menu at least once before dining, so this was to be an unique experience (oh, and because of the food itself, of course!). Seeing the menu placed in front of me as we were sat in the conservatory area was incredibly exciting. I had an inkling that a venison tartare might appear as it is something that I've wanted to try for a long time. Funnily enough, this turned out to be the dish on the menu I least enjoyed. So after an amuse bouche of a beetroot 'aero' (think beetroot with the texture of marshmallow) we settled down to enjoy the most interesting five courses of food we'd ever tried.

I apparently leapt back in time to my first year of university when I became vegetarian for a year as a moral experiment, and suddenly couldn't stomach the taste of the raw deer in my mouth. It was clearly good quality meat, but entirely wasted on myself. I began wishing I'd grown up in a Scandinavian country where eating this would almost be the norm. Funnily enough, my childhood didn't change, and I sat there, a girl from inner city Birmingham - with no accent, mind! - unable to appreciate the beginning of what would soon turn into my favourite ever meal (except Jamie's Hanger steak, & his version of Heston's fish & chips - ah the Brummie in me appears!). Jamie enjoyed his starter but was unsure of the inclusion of fir pine. I'm sorry Ernst, but I don't think Manchester's ready for this dish yet!

Venison tartare/ bitter chocolate/quince/douglas fir

I was excited to see that two of my favourite foodstuffs were to be included in the next course, but was completely clueless as to how they might turn out when combined. Celeriac and granola! When I took a bite of all of the components of the dish, which included to name but a few: cranberries, whey jelly, fresh cheese, and yoghurt, there was a total harmony in my mouth. The celeriac was perfectly cooked, so earthy and sweet, and worked beautifully with both the granola and fresh, bitter cranberries. Despite being the second course on an evening menu, I would love to eat this for breakfast every day, and if I were more sophisticated, perhaps I would go to some efforts to make that happen. Whilst every morsel of it was delicious, it did seem unusual eating it on a tasting menu. I mean no criticism in that, as whilst Ernst loves a challenge, I think he might enjoy challenging his diners even more. Fortunately that's a game I like to play.

Celeriac/granola/cranberries/fresh cheese
Another surprising combination next, but now I felt myself really slipping into the comforting, delicate touch of the meal. Sole, which Jamie spotted had been filleted then glued back together to create the perfect fillet - what attention to detail! - served with brussel sprouts, grapes and a spelt sauce. These were probably the best brussel sprouts I've ever tasted, though we later found out that they were simply boiled and buttered. I need to get my hands on Ernst's brussel sprout supplier in time for Christmas I think! Grapes, both in their fresh and dried form. I was expecting a modernist take on the classic sole Veronique when I read of their inclusion in the dish, but with the addition of chicken skin seasoning the fish, and the robust flavour of the spelt jus, it was a world away. Everything worked beautifully and I really began to allow myself to sink into the tasting menu.

Sole/grapes/brussels sprouts/spelt
Total, utter comfort was next - though beautifully executed as ever. Duck, served pink - sous vide, I imagine - with butternut squash, blackberries and feta. Not too wild I thought, and was somewhat glad of that. I think sometimes with a main it's important to dial down the crazy and allow the diner some time to pause before hitting them with dessert. Words are beginning to fail me for this one, because I don't know how I can ever get across how delightful it was to place all of these ingredients on my fork in one go. The blackberries were the most perfectly ripe fat little berries I've ever tasted, and the duck perfectly cooked. The feta broke through the sweetness of the rest of the dish and danced around the palette. Just go there, and ask Ernst to make this dish for you - seriously, you won't ever regret it.

Duck/feta/sweet potato/blackberries
And, though sad it is to say, all great meals must come to an end, and here was ours... the wittiest and most beautiful take on lemon meringue pie I have ever witnessed. Soft little peaks of meringue sat next to butternut squash curd, all on a bed of gingerbread puree. I remember watching Great British Menu one year and the judges announced that if they arrived at the gates of heaven and the dish they were judging were placed in front of them, they would be happy. At the time, I thought their comments ridiculous. At the time, I had never eaten this dessert. Now I understand what prompted them to utter such superfluous words. This was the perfect end to a beautiful meal.

Butternut squash/granny smith/gingerbread/meringue
I didn't like everything I ate at the Wineglass, and nor would I eat some of it again. Other dishes I could be fed for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure if I would ever get bored. If someone told me this was their regular tasting menu, I would be impressed, even knowing that this was served every night, but to know that this was an ad hoc creation, is remarkable. Ernst's skill level, attention to detail and sense of adventure is witnessed on every plate, and cooking of this level - I believe - deserves more than 2 AA Rosettes. Michelin, listen up! I've heard people talk about restaurants they love so much they don't want to tell anyone about them, for fear they'll lose sight of what was once great about them. I'm confident that Ernst won't fall prey to that game. Jamie treated me to this meal as my Birthday present, so here, dear readers, is my Christmas present to you: dine at Etrop Grange, let Ernst know, and experience your very own tasting menu: you won't be disappointed.

The Wineglass, Etrop Grange
Thorley Lane, Manchester Airport
M90 4EG
0161 499 0500

The Wine Glass Restaurant at Etrop Grange on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Q & A with Jaromir Hlavsa of Linen


As we were sat at the Linen bloggers evening, a brainwave overcame Jamie. The head chef, Jaromir, had been out several times to introduce his dishes. It was a nice touch: it enabled us to learn who the man behind the, er, magic was. He didn't have the fierce demeanour of the stereotypical head chef, but instead, seemed a pleasant and humble fella. The rise of the celebrity chef means that we may well know where Ramsay trained, or what Heston's favourite comfort food is, but rarely do we know the same about the man (or lady!) who's putting our dinner on the table tonight. Jamie decided to get in touch with Jaromir shortly after the tasting evening to find out more about what made him tick...


Jamie: Firstly, what's your culinary background and why did you decide to become a chef?
Jaromir: It was a little bit random, I didn’t know what career to choose. I knew that 2 of my cousins were chefs and I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do when I was 14-15, so I said to myself I’m gonna be a chef like them. I had a chance to select my school quite carefully and it was a good place because it was always 1 week on placement and 1 week in college - you definitely learn best when you’re working.
The management of the school were quite good in that if they saw that someone was doing well they would push them into better placements. I said to myself if I'm gonna do this job I'll do it the best I can. They saw that and got me a placement in a really good hotel in  Prague. The head chef at the time actually does the Czech version of Kitchen Nightmares. I was 18 when I got that job and I was there for 5 and a half years in Prague. The hotel restaurant was the first to get a Michelin star in the Czech Republic, it’s difficult to get in Eastern Europe so it makes me proud that we got a Michelin star
I started as a pastry chef; it wasn’t as easy to get promoted. In the Czech Republic it's different, a lot of the positions here are about money - you know, 'if I'm a commis chef can I become a chef de partie and get paid more'. There it was less about money, it was a really good job but when you start someone tells you you can get £2000 a month working in a pub or £300 in a kitchen. You have to think seriously whether you really want to do it.
Jamie: Was the food at the Radisson influenced by Czech food? Do you cook Czech food at home?
Jaromir: There was a lot of French cuisine at the hotel, not quite fine dining but close. A lot of Czech food isn’t that easy to do it’s quite heavy and takes a few hours to be done properly. When I’m at home I prefer to cook some pasta, or something with rice, something healthy and relatively easy to make. I like the idea of a taking a few good quality ingredients and not messing with them too much .
I quite like looking at home, after cooking here for two hundred people it’s quite easy to cook for yourself.
Jamie: So, After 5 years in prague you came to England?
Jaromir: My friends moved to Manchester. They transferred from the Radisson in Prague to the one here, they didn't like it and went to work in Malmaison, they sent us a message saying they had jobs there and at first we intended to come over, work, improve our English for a year, then go back to Prague…but it’s going to be nearly 8 years now that I’ve been in Manchester. I spent seven and a half at Malmaison - I started as a chef de partie, then became a junior sous chef, then sous chef and I was head chef for the last few years there. Every time I wanted to change there was a new opportunity and it’s a really good company to progress in.
Jamie: What made you move from Malmaison to Linen?
Jaromir: I spent most of my professional life working in a hotel, I'd never really worked in a restaurant. Linen is somewhere in between - it’s still more like the hotel than the restaurant because the building is open 24 hours, the bar’s open 'til early in the morning, there are quite a lot of meetings in the Icon. I really like this restaurant, I think it’s got great potential, if you get the right produce and people start talking about it. We do really well at the weekend,  we did three hundred [covers] last Friday... people come here for a special occasion. I’m trying to change people’s minds and show them you can still come here on a Tuesday and have a great meal at the same price as other restaurants in the area.

Jamie: Is your ethos at Linen to take a few good ingredients and make a simple meal?
Jaromir: I'm quite a comfort eater. It’s nice to go to a Michelin-starred restaurant once in a while and get eight taster courses then get a takeaway on the way home, but I like decent-sized portions and the classic sequence of starter, main course, dessert. The dishes here are good value for money. I'm also trying to do things seasonally. These days you can buy a strawberry all year round and have the same menu on all year, but I don’t like to do that. If you buy tomatoes in the middle of winter, they’re gonna look like tomatoes but they won’t taste like it. I like to use produce when it’s at its best, as it makes a big difference.
Jamie: Is part of your future plan to change people's perceptions of Linen? Will you stay here and make it your own?
Jaromir: I don’t like to get jobs for a just a few months. I like to have a vision, a project. I knew this restaurant had had its ups and downs and that it wasn’t really consistent. It was a chance for me to kind of make it my own right from the start. What I didn’t like about Malmaison was that in the last few months they started to have group suppliers and group menus, someone in London decides on the menu and it kills creativity. Until then everyone knew Malmaison for its creativity and every hotel had its own concept and individuality. Then they introduced the American diner concept, which I didn’t understand.
Jamie: Are there any restaurants in Manchester that you really rate?
Jaromir: You know, I really like to eat Asian food and I don’t think I can make it as well at home as they do in restaurants. So it  might sound silly but I like Chaophraya or Tampopo, what they do is great and cheap. I pop in when I’m in the city centre and have a light lunch, it’s an open kitchen and what they do is really good.
Jamie: Are there any cookbooks or chefs that have particularly influenced you?
Jaromir: Lots of different chefs have influenced me but since I was really young I’ve liked Jamie Oliver because he has great passion. I know a lot of people hate him here because he was on T.V. so much, but if you think about what he does, he just wants people to eat healthily, eat good food rather than just put something frozen in the microwave.
As far as cookbooks go, the last couple of ones I've bought are called Apicius with different techniques from Michelin-starred chefs. If I served some of the dishes from it, there would just be three pieces of spaghetti on the plate and the customers here would probably want to come and get me from the kitchen! But a lot of the dishes are beautiful. They want to make you try something new. I've probably got almost every cookbook by Jamie Oliver and they're really good for inspiration too.
Jamie: What's the most unusual dish you've made or tasted?
Jaromir: I'm trying to do most of the dishes quite locally so there’s nothing that weird on the menu here. When I was in Prague we used to do promotions for different cuisines at the hotel. One time we did Australian and another time South African, so we actually had a chef fly over from Cape Town to show us how to cook alligator, antelopes, which was really interesting and a good chance to taste dishes we’d never tried.
Jamie: Finally, have you got any good cooing tips for our readers?
Jaromir: I've got loads but it's hard to think of them when you're put on the spot... A good tip for making dauphinoise potatoes is not to wash the potatoes after you've cut them. I see a lot of young chefs do that. Same goes for boulangere potatoes [cooked in stock rather than milk/cream - Jamie]. If you wash them you rinse off the starch which then stops the potato slices sticking together.
Head to Linen Restaurant at Manchester 235 to see how Jaromir's training has influenced his current style.
Our next Q&A will be with Eddie Shepherd, of Modernist Vegetarian. Stay tuned!

Friday 16 November 2012

Restaurant Bar & Grill, John Dalton Street



We were recently invited to the Restaurant Bar and Grill - in conjunction with Manchester Confidential - to try out their new menu and heated terrace area. Unfortunately there appeared to be a function taking place outside, so we did not get the chance to check out the terrace, but we did enjoy a delightful meal, courtesy of the restaurant.

When I lived in Birmingham, I often thought of 'Bank', one of RBG's sister restaurants, as a real treat to visit. Despite not having visited any member of the Individual Restaurants chain since living in Manchester, I was looking forward to finding out whether the Restaurant Bar and Grill would live up to my fond memories of Bank.

We dined at 7pm on a Wednesday evening, and were seated in the main dining area, overlooking John Dalton street. Despite the road not being the most picturesque of streets, it was still pleasant to be seated next to the large glass window. We were introduced to our waiter for the evening, Kenny, who - from reading other reviews - is either their only waiter, or the only one trusted enough to look after bloggers! Either way, he was a fantastic server, informative and friendly, attentive and unobtrusive. I certainly hope he is getting a big pat on the back from his manager for all of his hard work, as every blog I have read has said what a great waiter he is.

We were given our menus, which were quite a battle in themselves. Restaurant Bar and Grill appears to counter the Ramsay theory of keeping your menu short. From what I've read, and seen, they certainly seem to manage to produce high quality dishes despite having such a large choice. I might, however, recommend that they reduce the physical size of their menus: as a petite lady of 5'1, the luxurious leather bound item was nearly as big as my upper body!

Whilst we decided on drinks, bread was brought over with a Vietnamese style dipping oil. We had noticed that their menu features quite a lot of Asian influence. Whilst the dipping oil was perfectly balanced, I'd prefer this on a beef salad, and would rather stick to salted butter. I'm just being fussy though as Jamie certainly seemed to enjoy it.

To drink, I opted for a small glass of the South African Sauvignon, as I had already decided that I would be opting for a fishy starter. Jamie had decided on the chicken liver parfait, and complimented this with a glass of the Valpolicella.

Chicken liver parfait

Unfortunately we didn't get a shot of the accompanying sourdough bread, which was served in a mini toast rack. I loved this idea, and Jamie agreed - the accompanying toast for parfaits can so often cause problems with presentation that this mini breakfast item was a lovely idea. The parfait was just as one should be - incredibly rich with a delightful apple & pear chutney sitting alongside. Jamie was very pleased to see it encased with clarified butter... In his words, 'if you're going to eat parfait, you're basically going to eat a whole stick of butter, so you may as well have some more'. God help his arteries.

Thai squid

Having drooled over the Gourmet Kitchen's recipe for salt & szechuan pepper squid earlier in the week, I couldn't resist the Chilli squid with Thai herb & noodle salad; very well balanced I thought I could taste notes of white peppercorn, fennel seed and star anise, but I might just be making that up! It was a good dish, but I couldn't help but wish I went for the naughtier option of duck spring rolls (nothing against the starter I did have, just a case of food regret...).

Our mains nearly ready, Kenny came over to ask if we would like a wine to accompany our mains. He recommended a Malbec to go with my duck, and a Chilean Sauvignon for Jamie's fish. I should mention now that at the start of the meal, I had merely suggested to Jamie that we should each try a fish and a meat dish for both starter and main, to showcase the restaurant's variety, and perhaps try out their specials. After reading about the 35 day dry-aged steaks, he was wavering as to whether this idea should be carried out. I think he didn't want to be too cheeky by having one of the most luxurious items on the menu, and instead went for the salt-baked sea bass. We were intrigued to see what this was like, as it is something we had tried ourselves at home a few months earlier.

Before our starters arrived, but after we'd ordered, we saw fellow blogger, Simon who raved about the steak. Instant regret washed over Jamie's face. I suggested we ask if he could change his main - it would be unlikely that they would have started cooking sea bass already! He stubbornly refused & insisted I would be to blame if he didn't enjoy his main course.


I almost felt like we were on the Michel Roux documentary about Escoffier when the waiter appeared table side with the salt-baked sea bass. He appeared to fillet it well, and it's certainly no easy feat, especially with an audience! Jamie did however find a few bones, which I don't think really matters, but unfortunately Jamie is more of a scaredy-cat when it comes to fish bones than I am. I did take a photo of the impressive salt-bake around the fish, but our stupid camera must have deleted it. Grr!


Salt-baked sea bass
The sea bass came with either chips or house salad, and Jamie, of course, when for the former (not that I was complaining!). Having realised that orange actually works very nicely with sea bass the night before, he also opted for a rosemary & orange sauce. We also had a side of broccoli with cashew nuts and chilli oil. It tasted a bit like they had used chipotle or ancho chilli with these, which seemed unlikely - but I would love to know what chilli they did use if the kitchen reads this?

I, for some ridiculous reason, went for the most man-sized portion of food ever. Jamie managed to stop being huffy about not having gone for the steak, as he basically got to eat one and a half mains, as I struggled with mine. I'd also been craving duck (hmm...lots of food cravings.. I'm definitely not pregnant though!), but knew I wasn't going to be able to have it as I had seen their menu online. Lo and behold, my luck was in - it was on their specials list! Served with orange and er, I think it said "aromatics", I was very pleased to see this on the menu.

Half a Gressingham duck
It came with a deliciously rich jus and a perfectly-cooked fondant potato. This was very impressive as I've never had one cooked so well in anything other than a starred restaurant. The portion was huge, and though we were not paying, I felt would have been very good value for money. The plate had a whole duck breast and leg! I literally only managed half of it and Jamie ate the rest. The deep sauce and salty bird - cooked to perfection - was beautifully complimented by the segments of orange littered throughout. Kenny's recommendation of Malbec was a great choice - the aroma of cherries were bursting out of the glass which compliment the gamier flavours of the duck beautifully. Jamie also said his white wine went well with the bass.

We were pretty stuffed after all this, but when I saw that they had macarons on the menu - and that they were made in house - I couldn't resist. I also thought I would only get three as it listed three flavours, but there were actually five! Again, Jamie did well for himself, as he got to eat a significant amount of these. Though pretty to look at, they weren't at room temperature and the shell seemed a little too dense. They were still tasty, but have a little way to go before reaching Pierre Herme's standards. Looking at the menus online now, I wish we had have asked for a standard drinks list, as I see they have chocolate sazeracs on their menu, and I would have happily replaced macarons with one of these for dessert! - my absolute favourite cocktail.

Macaroons
Jamie opted for the black forest gateau Eton mess! Two of his favourite desserts combined - all they needed to do was pop a little creme brulee on top and he would have been in heaven. It was beautiful to look at, but very rich. I think someone with a sweeter tooth than Jamie's would have adored this, but Jamie felt it would benefit from more forest fruits running through it to counter the richness of the chocolate brownie and ice cream (actually, I added in the 'forest', Jamie said it should have had strawberry or banana as that's what Heston said was served in the messes at Eton...blah blah blah). I tasted the chocolate ice cream and it was gorgeous!

Having always associated Restaurant Bar & Grill with the clientele of Panacea, I didn't know what to expect of our dining experience. I can honestly say that the food was delightful and well-cooked, and I was pleased to hear that absolutely everything is made on site - even down to the ketchup that goes with their burgers! We felt that this would be a great choice for somewhere to eat as a large group, or a family meal, as the menu offers something for everyone, and it appears that you can rest assured that it will be as tasty as it sounds. I'd like to thank RBG for their generosity in inviting us as guests.

Restaurant Bar & Grill
14 John Dalton Street, Manchester
M2 6JR
0161 839 5511

The Restaurant Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Thursday 15 November 2012

Dining in the Dark at the Living Room

This week, Jamie and myself were invited to 'dine in the dark' at the Living Room Manchester. When the e-mail appeared in my inbox I was rather excited having heard about restaurants that serve in the dark on the continent and elsewhere. This, however, was a much safer option, with blindfolds to obscure our vision rather than pitch blackness (especially good for me as Gregor Schneider's Kinderzimmer scarred me for life).

The evening took the form of a "pub quiz", as we were asked various questions about the dishes we blind tasted. This was a well-received format, although the bloggers did differ to the author of the quiz with regards to the definition of ingredients vs. flavours! We were pleased to see Jules from goodgobbleblog, and also had the pleasure of meeting Lex from LadyNom and her lovely friend Sarah, as well as Louise from the Lone Gourmet. There were two other fellas there though I'm afraid I didn't catch their blog name. I shan't embarrass anyone else with blindfolded photos of them, so will dutifully share one of us!

Us at our best... barely visible that is!
 
There was little opportunity to take photographs, what with all the quizzing and being blind-folded, so all the ones on this post are provided by the Living Room and Flamingo Creative. The stand out dishes of the night were easily the dolcelatte & butternut squash tart, and the lamb tagine. The former with its delightfully crisp pastry and deliciously rich filling had many of us stumpted when it came to guessing the ingredients. The latter was rich and unctuous and was also served with giant couscous which I absolutely love.

Dolcelatte, butternutsquash, walnut and honey tart - not sure what's on top of this one here though!

Lamb tagine with giant couscous, easier to work out the flavours blindfolded on this one.

 
Another dish which I really enjoyed were the vegetarian sausages. Though I was ridiculed by my scoresheet marker for suggesting a Lancashire cheese was used in the Glanmorgan sausages, I really had the last laugh as I only went and won the quiz! I was the most shocked by this, particularly as I scored a fairly low 14 out of 40. I was inwardly cheering for joy - just at beating Jamie. I have never met anyone with as good a palette as Jamie's and so could not believe I had beaten him! This was practically a double win, as I also no longer need shun veggie sausages (although I fear that all may not be as tasty as the Living Room's).

Not usually a fan of vegetarian sausages but these beat Linda McCartney's hands down!

Another dish which gets a special mention, though unfortunately there is no photograph to accompany it, was the sea bass with orange & broccoli. This was really delicious - and the sea bass was cooked to perfection! This even prompted Jamie to try this combination when we went out for dinner the next evening (more on that later).

We were also given shots of some of the cocktails on the menu, including the Living Room's signature drink - the Basil Grande. This is a drink I have enjoyed since I discovered cocktails, and I would recommend trying this out. It's an unlikely but gorgeous combination of basil, strawberry, black pepper and Grand Marnier.

Trying a menu out in this fashion was great fun & a brilliant PR idea. However, we did not get to try as much as the menu as I would have liked to be able to recommend all of their dishes. I was also very disappointed by their creme brulee, which supposedly tasted of passionfruit and coconut... though I definitely got more of a under-caramelised sugar & over-cooked egg taste. However, the savouries we tasted were well made, and - judging by the photos - well presented! As the saying goes, you eat with your eyes, so to be able to still enjoy the dishes that I've mentioned here without seeing them is quite a success!

Thank you to the Living Room for hosting the evening and Flamingo PR for coming up with such a fab concept for a menu-tasting!