The French by Simon Rogan

At what point in a relationship is it acceptable to tell ‘someone’ you love them?

I may have had just four dates with The French (since Simon Rogan took over) but I think I’m ready to declare my love for her.

Her sister (L’Enclume) and I, go way back – so when I first heard she was moving to Manchester I was very excited to see what she’d be like and how she’d light up the city.

The first date, was a ‘blind date’ - I was invited to a preview (she paid) and I did not know what to expect. This went well - she was beautiful. I felt as though it was love at first sight but, without wanting to look like a fool rushing in, deemed it too early to shout this from the rooftops (here).

Our second date (here), went even more smoothly: I got to know her really well; appreciate her beauty and discovered she could cook too!  Although, I did think I had perhaps messed things up by talking too much about football.  

My third date, and we were able to spend our first time alone (here). The week before I went to meet more of her family and even visited the farm where to discover more about her roots. By this time I was really starting to fall head over heels, so I put the brakes on and for the past couple of months continued to see ‘others’.

Spring radish, grape oil, nutmeg mayonnaise, barley

Not being able to shake her from my mind, I started to get jealous when I saw other people on twitter and other bloggers also sharing good times with her – I knew I had it bad… it must be the real thing.

Mussels, edible shell, sea weed wafers

I sought advice on the Internet (from WikiHow.com) and discovered seven steps explaining ‘How to Know if You Are Truly in Love’

Parsnip, pork belly, smoked eel

One: Does being around the person you love make you happy? If you truly love someone, then being around them should make you happy. You'll want to be near them more than anything, and you will want to spend a lot of your time with them.

Breads

The French certainly does make me happy; the room, the service, the food are all wonderful. No other restaurant in Manchester has the same allure - I wish I could eat there every day

Beetroot, goat's cheese, salted hazelnuts, apple marigold

Two:
Would you give anything for that person to be happy? If you're really in love, then the happiness and well being of that special person should be top priority. You would give anything for them to be safe and happy. You'll want to give them the best life you could.

Razor clams, egg yolk, celeriac, sea herbs

The happiness and well being of The French is very important to me – on a daily basis I recommend her to someone as the best Manchester has to offer.

Boiled sole, onions, truffle, alliums

Three:
Appearances aren't everything. You care about a person for more than just their looks or body. If you truly love them then you will also care about their feelings, their goals, their hopes and dreams and fears. You care about their happiness and well being.

Oc in coal oil, pumpkin seed, kohlrabi, sunflower shoots

The ‘body’ of The French may be over one hundred years old but its sensual curves are still as sexy as ever and would knock spots of Nicki Minaj, J-Lo and a colony of Kardashians combined. The recent makeover has taken years off her – a bit of slap and some bling (in the shape of glittering spherical chandeliers) have worked wonders. I can even forgive the fashion faux pas of the carpet.

Fresh crab, caramelised cabbage, horseradish, chicken skin, crow garlic

But, it’s not just about looks – I do care about The French’s well being – it makes me happy when I see Tweets praising her; when I see her fully booked. I like it when I see she has a new dish – a new little string to her bow.

Spring offerings: vegetables, herbs, flowers, lovage salt

Most of all, I care about her goals, hopes and dreams – a Michelin star for her in the autumn will be a well-deserved crowning glory.

Hake fillet, buckwheat, cresses, smoked roe butter

Four:
You'd do anything for that person. You'd go to the ends of the earth for them. If they were upset then you would try to go to them to comfort them. You would let them yell at you, cry to you, hold you, and comfort them. You wouldn't let anyone hurt them. You'd fight tooth and nail for them. You might even be willing to die for them.

Maybe I am taking this analogy too far?

Reg's duck, ruby chard, king oysters, mulled cider, nasturtiums

Five:
When you think of them, you think 'perfection'. It's hard, or maybe even impossible for you to find flaw with them. You think they are the most amazing person in the world.

Chamomile ice cream, Cheshire rhubarb, toasted honey oats,  Douglas fir syrup 

‘Perfection’ is a pretty bold word but its certainly is hard for me to find fault with The French. For it’s history, for it’s food and what it means to the city I genuinely think it’s one of my favourite places to eat in the world.

Pear - poached, puree & snow, meadowsweet, rye, buttermilk, linseeds

Six:
You'd stick with them through thick and thin. You'd rather have bad times with them than good times with another. You'd rather sit through a storm with them than be warm and safe by yourself. No matter how badly it may hurt, you'll stay by their side.

I know she wouldn’t let me down – I can’t even imagine a bad time with her.

Sass 'n' soda

Seven:
You'll promise them forever. You would be willing to stay with this person forever. You'd never leave them and try to never hurt them. You'd tell them you love them at every opportunity. You'd tell them that they were beautiful/gorgeous whenever you could. You'd make sure that they knew exactly how much you love them.

Petit fours

Forever is a long time but The French has already been around for 110 years. She is beautiful; she is gorgeous… I love her. 

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Pie & Ale from Bakerie - NQ, Manchester

Whilst it has been suggested to me on more than one occasion, that I may well have consumed ALL the pies, I can assure you that despite loving my first visit to Bakerie’s Pie & Ale (see here) in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, I did leave plenty for you!

In fact, I only ate one… but I will be back for more!

A simple concept: they sell pies (and sides) and ale (plus other drinks – notably: Cockt’ales and, during their happy hour, bottles of house wine for just £9!). The staff were super friendly too!

The pies are all baked on site in Bakerie’s bakery – shortcrust pastry, a wide choice of delicious sounding carnivorous and vegetarian fillings and some big crimpin’. Sides of mash, mushy peas and proper gravy are available for just 85p each!

On my visit there was a choice of eight delicious sounding pies available – the Devilled Kidney & Mushroom (£5.45) sounded good, as did the vegan option of Chickpea & Artichoke (£4.95) but in the end I decided to go traditional for my first visit and ordered the Steak & Ale (£5.95).

It may not have been the best pie I’ve ever eaten but it was very good and at the price paid it was certainly excellent value. It was packed full of meat and plenty of black pepper… the pastry cow stood on top added a touch of whimsy.

My choice of ale, came in the form of St. Stefanus Blonde – I’m not knowledgeable enough about craft beers to pass any detailed comment, but it was enjoyable different with plenty of spice, hints of citrus and a strong taste of bonfire night!

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3 Twenty One 'Smokehouse & Liquor' - Deansgate, Manchester

Since last Saturday’s special preview opening for press, bloggers and blaggers, my Twitter feed has been buzzing with tweets declaring love for the meats of Manchester’s newest steak, burger and liquor joint - 3 Twenty One (housed above The Deansgate public house, next to the Beetham Tower).

I’m not usually one to believe the hype but on this occasion I got caught up in the excitement and promised myself I’d try and get along during this, the opening week.

The service was friendly and swift but not overly efficient as I was brought a soda water instead of the requested (and billed) tonic water. On a positive note, I liked the decoration and great views along Deansgate. 

To start, I selected the Forest Mushrooms – served on toast with fried duck egg and basil oil. I made the following notes: “bland, soggy, cheap oil”. I was going to leave half of it but having skipped lunch, finished it off.

Hopefully my main of Mackerel cooked on the fancy showpiece grill would be better? Regular readers of my blog may have noticed that my descriptions rarely comment on all but the headiest of food aromas, as my sense of smell is not as reliable as my palate; therefore, when the unpleasant fishy smell was wafted under my nose, I knew something was amiss.

I tasted the dish but left most of it as it also seemed under seasoned and overcooked. What’s more, the menu is at great pains to tell you that the fish is 'line caught off the south coast' but neglects not to mention that it’s frozen and out of season.

My side of Twice cooked chips (for £2.50) were decent enough and pleasantly seasoned. The side of Roasted balsamic candy beetroots (served in the obligatory enamel camping dish) were unpleasantly fridge cold, drizzled in sweet balsamic vinegar and, I’d be happy to bet money (£2.50), are not roasted in house.

Unsatisfied and disappointed, I skipped dessert (and went on to have an enjoyable meal at Bakerie Pie & Ale – post to follow.)

To be fair, to my mind, the food here is no worse than many similar places in the city. With a few notable exceptions, Manchester is currently inundated with average restaurants serving carbon copy food… I do not see how 3 Twenty One adds anything positive to this list.

As someone who eats out a great deal, I want to see restaurateurs in Manchester opening new places that offer something different or at a higher quality or value than we already have… based on my experience, 3 Twenty One fails on all counts. 

Post Script: After posting, a few comments on Twitter have prompted me to question the ‘tone’ of my piece.

When I write, I never do so with the intention of writing ‘a review’ – I do not use a rating system and never urge people ‘to go’ or ‘not to go’ to restaurants; mine is just a ‘snapshot’ of my experience.

I understand that if my experience is positive, this may add weight to people's decisions whether to visit a place or not, in search of the same. If my experience is negative people may be wary of the same and their decision may be swayed in favour of eating somewhere else.

In the case of 3 Twenty One, it is perhaps worth considering that it is ‘early days’ and as fellow blogger, Mrs Petticoat (who I respect very much) has pointed out, it its perhaps ‘cruel’ to 'write them off' so soon.

I appreciate that to make 3 Twenty One, a lot of people and investors would have worked hard and will not appreciate the fruits of their labour being criticised by an unqualified blogger like myself – I never want to damage chefs' or restaurants' reputations (especially in the case of ‘independents’) but by the same token, potential customers also work hard to earn their money and if they choose to spend it in one place over another obviously expect to receive value and quality. 

It’s important to remember that my voice is just one of many, and if 3 Twenty One continue to develop, grow, improve and maintain the quality experiences that others seem to have had, then there is no reason why they will not succeed amongst stiff competition in the city, in their sector.

I certainly hope they do... as ever, all I want is a good meal. 

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