Despite undoubtedly serving some of the most skilfully created, artfully presented and ambitious food
in Manchester, it has been ten months since I last visited Manchester House.
The reason for this comes down to the fact that, no matter how good chef
Aiden Byrne’s food can be, something
about the whole ‘Living Ventures’ restaurant experience has never quite ‘sat
right’ with me.
Mercifully, thanks to my recent lunchtime visit, I think I’m finally
over whatever has been bugging me. With an all round more relaxed feel and
maturity, the place seems increasingly slick and, quite frankly, “less up its
own arse”. Even the front of house staff now appear as if they have been hired
for their skills and not just for how good they look in their jean and
waistcoat combo.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to the best thing about
Manchester House… the food! (I opted for the six course lunch with the
‘extended a la carte’ option.)
Turnip soup,
chestnut mousse & confit chestnut with
Goats cheese brioche, whipped goats butter and shaved chestnut – I loved
this, resembling a cheesy ‘fondant fancy’ for grown ups, the dinky Goats cheese
brioche with its whipped goats butter centre was both flavoursome and playful.
Warm Comté soup, pear
purée & barbequed blackberries – the Comté ‘soup’ with blackberries was a
interesting flavour combination that I enjoyed; the accompanying ‘black pepper meringue’
however was less successful, it was far too cloyingly sweet, which made worse
by the pear purée.
Deep fried frogs
legs, parsley & garlic – I loved this creative and quirky dish when I had it
previously, and it’s still a favourite; with flavours and textures that work so
well together, it’s a real joy to eat.
Oysters & caviar,
Vichyssoise & potato – the components of this dish were good. I enjoyed the
bursting liquidity of the spherification and the flavour of Vichyssoise but was
not convinced that they fully flattered the oysters and caviar; the dish lacked
a little acidity for me, which the salty, richness of the caviar would have
enjoyed.
Crisp langoustine &
suckling pig with seaweed salad – as in the frogs legs dish Aiden’s classical
skills shine with the suckling pig elements of this dish; the puffed rice and
use of seaweeds show the clever contemporary edge which is ever evolving as
Aiden strives for Michelin stars.
Cured duck, foie
gras mousse, celeriac, sourdough & pennywort – the next dish
was a cleverly
textured dish with deftly balanced layers of flavours – the petri dish married blackberry,
celeriac and pennywort with a foie gras mousse and smoked foie; the duck fat
toast bore more foie gras mousse, a fine dice of celeriac and duck ham with
delightful morsels of duck, including tongues and caramelized wings.
Monkfish tail,
white onions, anchovies & wild garlic – mainly thanks to the acidity of
the anchovy fritters, this, was my favourite dish of the lunch. Enrobed in
Jabugo ham, the monkfish had been delightfully cooked.
Longhorn beef
sirloin & cheek, new season truffle potato soup – although not as
creative as some, this dish featured prime ingredients and flavour that packed
a punch.
Beetroot, hibiscus,
rhubarb & Greek yoghurt – a visually stunning dish with flavours to match.
Walnut ice cream,
pear, orange & fennel – another beautiful dish with innovative with combinations of flavours and
textures; I particularly enjoyed the fennel.
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