April has been a good eating month
for me. A cracking meal at L’Enclume
and return visits to The
French and Manchester
House – as seen on TV in BBC2’s Restaurant Wars (on which myself and my
blog made a guest appearance.)
On a half term trip to New York, I
was lucky enough to dine in Public, Per Se, Le Benardin, Brooklyn Fare Momofuku
Ko and Eleven Madison Park. Per Se was the pick of the bunch in terms of food
and service but I loved the vibe at Brooklyn Fare, Ko and Public.
On a short trip to Spain I gave the
Michelin guide a miss and focused on eating good quality ‘peasant food’ in
rural farming villages. Lots of Callos, Conejo and Carbrito – including a dish
made solely from congealed goat’s blood.
My Manchester eating itinerary saw a
return to some new and old favourites (Beef & Pudding, Mughli & The
Shoulder of Mutton) as well as checking out some for the first time (Ban Di
Bull, Nasi Lemak, Mud Crab and Côte).
Ban Di Bul – Korean
Ban Di Bul
is a Korean restaurant, centrally located on Princess Street. It’s one of those
places I have walked past on numerous occasions but had not got around to
visiting.
I found
the food on a par with other Korean offerings in the city (Koreana, Baekdu, Eat
Goody & Seoul Kimchi) – as authentic as availability of ingredients allows
but generally homely in style.
Kimchi set – Kimchi (Spicy, pickled preserved
cabbage), Oh Ee Kimchi (Pickled cucumber in red chilli), Kak Too Gi (pickled
diced white radish)
Namool set – seasoned spinach, radish and bean
sprouts
Dak mo rea jim – stir fried chicken gizzard. Great
dish – all about the texture… like chewy, crunchy whelks.
Yok hae bi bim bum – steamed rice with raw beef and
vegetables in a hot stone bowl. Nicely put together (unfortunately I didn’t get
a pic before it was mixed).
Sae u gu I – prawns with special sauce. Decent
enough. Cooked on the ‘BBQ’ in the centre of the table.
Ca dul ba gi – marbled beef. The quality of this
was a little disappointing for the price Not the most marbled of marbled beefs.
O sam bul go gi – squid and pork with vegetables. A
large portion with a deliciously fiery sauce.
Pa-jeo ri - seasoned spring onion. A lovely
side dish, definitely worth ordering.
Mr Coopers House & Garden
The French
may get all the national plaudits and TV coverage but it’s important not to
overlook Simon Rogan’s ‘everyday restaurant’ in The Midland Hotel –
consistently one of the best restaurants in city. For cocktail lovers, one of
the best bars in Manchester too.
Fried brioche, black
pudding, apple & bacon jam
Anise crusted
sweetbreads, saffron risotto & fried leeks
Confit duck fritter,
spiced red cabbage & roasted duck breast
Caramel tart with
mascarpone ice cream
Spiced madeleines,
lemon curd, apricot & orange
Shoulder of Mutton, Holcombe
With my wife and stepdaughter
visiting the theatre in nearby Bury, I made a long overdue return visit to the
excellent Shoulder of Mutton. Head chef Chris Yates is back at the stoves after
a stint in the Michelin starred kitchens at Northcote Manor.
Pork scratchings with truffle
salt – fabulous big
house made scratchings. The perfect pub snack.
Hand raised pork pie
with piccalilli
Carroll’s heritage potato,
leek & wild garlic soup with bacon puffs – I rarely order soup but the ‘bacon puff’ swayed it.
As it turned out the bacon puff was not as ‘bacony’ or ‘flaky’ as I’d expected
but the soup was very good indded.
Goosnargh wheat fed guinea
fowl – Cavolo nero,
glazed carrot, spring cabbage and crispy skin. A good dish.
Trio of desserts: Chocolate fondant with rhubarb
compote, Vanilla pannacotta with orange jelly, caramel espuma and pain
d’epice crumb, Sticky toffee pudding
with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Beef & Pudding – Sunday Lunch
Beef & Pudding has been the
subject of a number of reviews and blog posts since it opened a month or so ago
– not all of them 100% positive. My wife and I love it, and the people. Not to
mention, easily one of the best roasts available in the city centre.
Crispy tripe, Lancashire Cheese & pickled onions
– great cheese, deliciously sharp picked onions but no where near enough of the
crispy tripe!
Roast rump of mature
English beef –
Yorkshire pudding, crisp duck fat potatoes, market vegetables and gravy. My tip
is to go for the roast from the specials board, not the set menu… it’s larger
and you get two of the delicious Yorkies!
Crème brûlée – peppered raspberry vodka shot. A decent crème brûlée.
Côte Brasserie
My often misguided foodist snobbery,
means that I don’t normally “do” chains, but I do like a bit of French
brasserie food and have heard that Côte is one of the better ones.
Having newly opened in Manchester (next
to Gaucho, down the side of Kendals), I thought I’d check out their lunch deal.
At £9.95 for two courses (+ £2 supplement for ‘steak frites’) I’d definitely go
back. For the money, I couldn’t quibble with the quality of the food, service
and environment.
A fan of the traditional Nice flatbreads,
I also ordered a Pissaladière. Being
picky, I’d say that I’m not a fan of the cheap black olives and it could’ve had
a few more anchovies but it still made for a tasty snack.
Chicken liver parfait
with cornichons –
chargrilled baguette.
Steak frites – chargrilled minute steak with
frites and garlic butter.
Nasi Lemak at The Friendship Inn
Despite often seeing the students
sat outside in the sunshine and visiting the nearby kebab shops, I’ve never
been to the Friendship Inn in Fallowfield before - I’m just not a pub person
(‘gastropubs’ and obvious exception).
On the flipside to the usual
downbeat pub grub is a Malaysian led South East Asian fusion menu under the
banner of Nasi Lemak. I first heard
about this from their twitter account @NasiLemakM14.
The prices and dishes are obviously largely aimed at the pub’s large student
clientele
“Popia rolls” – not like the popiah rolls I’ve had
in KL but decent enough as spring rolls. I opted for the vegetable filling
which came “vinegar dip” (read sweet chilli from a bottle).
Taukua sumbat – fried tofu stuffed with
beansprouts, cucumber and a peanut dip. A generous portion but I found the
filling a little watery.
Ikan bakar – cod fillet baked on a banana
leaf, smothered with onion sambal. The sauce was good but the fish let the dish down for me.
Nasi lemak – rice cooked with coconut milk,
Malay herbs and pandan leaves with peanuts, crispy anchovies, cucumber slices
and sambal sauce. This was good. Aromatic flavourful rice with lovely textures
from the accompaniments.
Mud Crab, Didsbury
Mud
Crab is the ‘new’ (not so now) offering from the group behind Felicini, Grinch and Cheadle Hulme’s (disap)Pointing Dog. I usually avoid
places that have menus that appear to be trying to ‘be all things to all men’
but I found myself in Didsbury and popped in for a spot of brunch. To be fair,
my expectations were low and it didn’t let me down.
Breakfast in a bun – sausage, bacon, fried egg &
cheddar cheese. Not bad.
Buttermilk pancakes
& maple syrup –
apple compote and smoked bacon. Disappointing pappy pancakes.
Steak & eggs – flash grilled skirt steak. Tough
as old boots.
Mughli, Manchester’s ‘Curry Mile’
For a year or so I’ve championed
Mughli as the best ‘curry house’ on the Curry Mile – increasing numbers of
people are saying it’s the best in the whole of Manchester. We certainly love
it.
Popadoms with chutney tray: mango, mint
yoghurt, Indian salad, chilli imli (chilli and tamarind), garlic pickle, red onions.
Great to have a biyt more variety
Pani puri – puffed puris filled with chickpea
and potato chaat, topped with sweet yoghurt, crispy sev, red onions and
pomegranate seeds.
Chilli okra fries – bullet chilli and okra in a crisp
Mumbai batter. Probably my favourite of Mughli’s ‘Street Food’ style appetisers.
Lamb chops – from the charcoal pit. Up there
with the best.
Tamarind masala fish – fresh haddock in a masala batter,
tossed in a chilli tamarind and lime dressing. Another fave, the spices well
balanced for the meaty chunks of fish.
Kulchi – char grilled chicken tikka with
minced lamb. As recommended by Haz (the brother who controls their social media
@mughli). A great dish – full of authentic
flavour.
Paneer korma – my wife, who prefers something
mild, often orders the korma. I’ve heard talk that the new Mughli menu will be
see the end of the korma as they continue in their development away from the hackneyed
‘favourites’ lingering from the curry mile’s heyday in the 80s – as long as
they replace it with another mild option I’m sure my wife will be happy.
Sides: Okra & onions / Steamed
rice / Tandoori parata / Dahl tarka
