Fans of the
BBC2 show will know, one thing that angers the Dragons in the Den is when
people pitch their businesses at a value well above what they’re worth.
Pricewise, Quill has pitched itself on par* with
Four AA Rosette places such as The
French by Simon Rogan and Manchester
House. Sadly, to my mind it’s
poles apart in terms of quality of cooking and, most importantly, in delivering
on taste.
(*Quill’s 9 course Tasting Menu
is £85; the 5 course Chef’s Signature at £65
Mcr House’s offer 15 courses
for £95; and an impressive 8 courses for £60
The French’s menus are 10
courses for £85; the smaller tasting is 6 courses at £65)
Before I go
on to knock the food, I should point out that I dined from the cheaper ‘Lunch
Menu’ which offers 3 courses for £24.50 – obviously, at this price, I wasn’t expecting
the food to equal to the two places mentioned above (however, Mcr House do have
a 3 course lunch for just £27.50)… but, I was expecting the food to be flavoursome
and harmonised.
Laughingly
served like a pimple on a duck’s arse in an oversized straw bed, housed within
a bespoke wine box, the Chicken Liver
Parfait with blood orange & chicory jam was, along with the Sourdough Bread, the nicest thing I
ate.
Re. the
butter: I’m in the “Love Marmite” camp – I’ve had the Marmite Butter at The
Typing Room in London and it’s a wonderful thing. I found the Quill version
to be far too strong – surely even a fan does not want a “full on” side of
marmite on toast with a supposedly well balanced meal?
Pigeon – Cabbage, Tuna, Parmesan
The pigeon
starter was okay. Artfully presented, it consisted of a “pigeon pastrami” with
slaw, shallots, raisins, parmesan wafers and a well judged smoked tuna mayo. Promise
shown from the young chef, Curtis Stewart.
Sea Bream – Chorizo, Corn, Cockle Broth
Then things
took an awry turn. On paper an excellent combination, the dashi broth flavoured
with chorizo and cockles appeared off kilter to me – there was an acidic
element which overrode, rather than enhanced. The flesh of the Sea Bream was
well cooked but I’d have liked the flavour and texture that a crispy skin would’ve
added.
Passion Fruit – Meringue, Cucumber, Wasabi
For me, the
dessert was another dish that just didn’t deliver at the expected level. I
found the passion fruit cheese cake was served far too cold; the wasabi ice
cream lacked all but the subtlest of flavours and the cucumber balls tasted
like they’d been marinated in dish water.
Despite my
negatives, Chef Curtis Stewart is obviously a young talent. I’m hoping that,
given time, as he and team his team mature and develop, Quill will be able to
justify their prices and achieve their ambitions of competing with the best in
Manchester.
Until that
time, I believe better food is available at greater value for money at Two AA Rosette
places in such as Mr Cooper’s House & Garden or Grenache; and at One AA Rosette
places such as Earle in Hale or Nutters.
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