SOLE Seafood Restaurant & Bar

SOLE Seafood Restaurant & Bar  opened just before Christmas and has consequently been reviewed very little, therefore my wife and made our booking because we both enjoy fish and seafood.

Prior to eating there we had no expectations and knew nothing about the chef. Upon our return and being very impressed by the food a little research informed me that the Chef, Simon Salt was crowned the 2008 North West Young Chef of the Year and reached the quarter finals of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2010. He has also completed stages at Martín Berasategui and Mugaritz – where he undoubtedly learned a thing or two!

Armed with the postcode and not knowing exactly were the plaice place (sorry, couldn’t resist it!) was, we set off in good time with the usual plan of dropping my wife off before I found somewhere to park. Conveniently, the restaurant turned out to be directly opposite the Church Street NCP.

Inside, our first impressions were very positive. We found the main dining room modern and sleek. Black woodwork and off-white walls were set off by the stylish, curving, studded red leather corner bar. 

Bright red lights, set against exposed brickwork, spelling out the word ‘Soul’ with an arrow pointed downstairs to a further bar area were we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink.

The area downstairs with its red and black leather banquettes and clusters of high stalls around round bar tables gave it a clubby feel; which was further enhanced by the electric blue bar and large video mural – and of course the sound system and DJ booth in the corner. A great venue, which can apparently be hired out for private parties for up to 80 people and seems like a good place to stop and have a cocktail or two whilst out shopping.

Back upstairs, we ordered half a dozen Colchester Oysters  served over ice with a dinky Kilner jar of red wine vinegar & shallots with lemon and Tabasco. As well as being beautifully served – they tasted great!

Bread rolls, including a Treacle & Malt Rye and an amazing, smoky Alsace Bacon & Cheese.

To start, my wife chose the Mackerel a la plancha with compressed cucumber, radish & horseradish. She kindly gave me a little taster - I’ve enjoyed compressed watermelon before but this was my first encounter with cucumber made using the same technique. I found the overall concept and execution of the dish to be excellent. 

For my starter I opted for the Seared hand dived scallops with cauliflower puree & chanterelles. The scallops were plump, fresh and cooked perfectly. I particularly enjoyed the complementing acidity from the tiny pickled cauliflower florets.

For mains, there were six choices; unusually, for a ‘seafood’ restaurant there was an equal number of fish and meat dishes (3 of each), but no vegetarian option. The loin of venison, sirloin of beef and Goosnargh duck were all tempting but we both came expecting seafood and ordered correspondingly - my wife going for the Roasted monkfish with Savoy cabbage, Parma ham & trompetes. Sampling the dish, I found that the silky and moist monkfish had good synergy with the accompanying flavours. 

For my main, I ordered the Roasted fillet of cod, squid & clam broth with a parsley foam. The piece of fish was beautifully cooked and the vibrant parsley foam tasted as good as it looked. Not looking so good, was the ‘broth’ which turned out to be a thick, gloopy, greyish, brown soup… I know I am not making this sound particularly appetising but it was in fact delicious.

To accompany our desserts we both selected a fruity Quinta do Noval 10 Year-Old Tawny Port. I’ve had the 1975 Noval before and was not too impressed but this one was well worth the very reasonable £2.95 we paid per glass.

For dessert, my wife selected the Selection of British Isles Cheese, which was served with fig chutney, grapes & quince paste. The plate was attractively presented with four quality cheeses; I can’t be 100% sure what they all were but I did detect an Oxford Isis which is like a milder version of a Stinking Bishop or Époisses.

For my dessert, I indulged in the Pavé of Chocolate with pistachio purée & ginger ice cream. As if the pavé itself was not decadent enough the crisp shards of chocolate tuile were extravagantly swathed in gold leaf – a top notch dessert and a fitting end to one of the best meals that we have had in the city centre for some time. We’ll definitely be returning. 

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Grill on the Edge

Last week, we visited Grill on the Edge - part of the Black House Group that also operate Manchester’s Grill on the Alley and the Smithfield Bar and Grill in London, among others.

In a previous post ('The Alderley Restaurant’ at The Alderley Edge Hotel), I set myself the goal when writing about somewhere in Alderley Edge to not mention Premiership footballers and/or their WAGs. Sat across from us however, was the pair, arguably at the top of the Premiership celebrity couple league table - Wayne and Colleen Rooney!

Wayne and Colleen are busy people and, as such, probably find it difficult making time to keep a blog of their foodie exploits. So, to save them the hassle I’ll write my first ‘by proxy’ review.

Wayne had a steak, which looked like it went down as well as Drogba in the penalty box. The fact that he left the chips, I’m sure, will please Tony Strudwick, Manchester United’s head of sports science and the man responsible for the players’ diets; as will the fact that they passed on desserts.

Image courtesy of Eamon & James Clarke at www.dailymail.co.uk

Colleen opted for the fajitas, washing them down with a couple of glasses of white wine. Wayne, of course, had a glass of ‘red’ (I wonder if City players drink Blue Curacao? Just a thought.) 

Image courtesy of Eamon & James Clarke at www.dailymail.co.uk

Usually one to show off his heading skills, I won’t embarrass Man United’s leading goal scorer by mentioning the fact that he, much to Colleen’s amusement, banged his head on the low hanging light fittings as he stood up to leave. The couple both chatted to a few fans and admirers and seemed happy to pose for photos before they left.

As the papped photos published in the next day’s Daily Mail proves, they certainly left with smiles on their faces. 

The fact that no one in my family had any Premiership matches to play in the immediate future; nutritionists to appease or upcoming photo shoots, we decided to indulge ourselves. Kicking things off with some Marinated Olives, Garlic Rub Bread and Warm Baked Loaf with salted butter.

In the first half of the meal, my two stepdaughters opted for the Blackhouse Sharing Plate featuring fishcakes, salt & pepper chicken skewers, calamari and garlic king prawns. (The prawns were brought on as a substitute for the usual duck spring rolls, of which they were out.)

My wife and I scored with our choice of Beef Carpaccio with Watercress and Stilton Salad. Beef Carpaccio is typically served with Parmesan but the rich, nutty tang of the Stilton was a cause for celebration – back of the net!

The second half of the meal got underway with my choice of a 310g. Rib Eye served with home-cut chips and a side of Field mushrooms with a Béarnaise sauce. The last time I had a dish similar to this was at Aiden Byrne’s British Grill (see here) – If Aiden’s was top of the league, this was mid table.

Like Colleen, one of my stepdaughters also went for Fajitas – choosing to have hers with Chicken Breast (other options included fillet steak or roasted vegetables). It all looked fresh and was beautifully presented.

On my prompting, as she had never had Wagyu before, my other stepdaughter opted for the 100% Kobe Burger with home-cut chips and tomato relish. Priced at £8 more than then the 100% premium beef option, she commented that it was a good burger but she didn’t think it was necessarily worth the extra.

Doing the best out of all of us to stick to our January diets, my wife decided upon a salad of Baby scallops sautéed in garlic with bacon with a side of Savoy cabbage.

There was no extra time as following the Rooney’s good example, we too passed on dessert – you never know, that photo shoot or England call up could be just around the corner! 



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Sapporo Teppanyaki

Earlier this month, after an unplanned mission we ended up at Manchester’s Sapporo Teppanyaki. We had set out for our local Gusto, arriving to discover that they were closed for a staff party (to say thank you for all their hard work in 2011). No problem, I thought and promptly suggested driving into town to check out Australasia – Manchester’s new fusion (sorry) “Pan Pacific” restaurant that has been ‘on my list’ since it opened last autumn.

Pleasingly, despite the hour, we made good time into the city and (after dropping my passengers off at Spinningfields) quickly found a space in convenient ‘The Avenue’ car park. Then the bad luck struck once more as I got stuck in the lift – I pressed the alarm and help was soon on its way but a lack of signal meant I was unable to phone my wife to tell her of my plight. By the time I was freed I expected my dining companions to be on to their main courses. I finally reached the surface and ran to Australasia’s entrance ignoring my phone as I thought it would be quicker just to get there and explain my lift bound adventure!

Panting and out of breath, I arrived at Australasia’s subterranean entrance only to discover an A4 piece of paper blue tacked to the door apologising and informing customers that they were closed for the evening for a staff party! Who says lightening does not strike twice? – To cut a long story short, after locating my cold and lost dining companions who had been walking the streets of Manchester, we made our way to Sapporo Teppanyaki delighted to discover that they were not mid way through their staff festive festivities!

My large water, to quench my thirst from running, pint of Asahi to savour and green tea to warm me through soon arrived and orders were placed. The venue itself consists of several large islands; each based around two ‘teppans’, surrounded by eighteen comfortable chairs. There is also a large bar area and lounge. Some interesting antiques and artworks, such as a delightful thatched garden shrine, provide authentic Japanese touches.

My wife and I had visited Sapporo before, albeit the Liverpool branch, and knew what to expect but our dining companions were soon surprised and delighted by the chef’s shenanigans.

To start, we ordered a Sharing Sushi Platter, featuring a selection of nigiri, maki, some tuna and salmon sashimi and a California roll. The sushi here is not excellent (in terms of creativity and the seasoning of the rice) however the ingredients were fresh and the quality is on a par with other Japanese establishments in the area.  To supplement the platter my wife ordered some Hokkigai (Giant clam) Nigiri and I, my favourite, Saba (Pickled mackerel) Nigiri.

Also to start, we shared a couple of plates of the Tempura Vegetables, which included courgettes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, sweet potatoes and aubergine. The tempura batter was nice enough but would have pleased me more if it had been a little crisper and lighter. What did please however, was the welcome return of the ‘doily’ – I don’t think I have seen food served on these since eating a buffet at my Nan’s house circa 1980’s.

We also had a portion of Yasai Gyoza; the grilled dumplings served on top of some finely shredded lettuce with a soy dipping sauce.

One thing that I was unconvinced by was the Duck rolls - the tender slices of duck breast wrapped in a light pancake, with mixed vegetables were tasty enough as was the accompanying raspberry coulis… I’m just not sure about them being served together!

The starters were all pleasant enough but overall I’d describe them as average – but “average food” aside, the real reason for visiting Sapporo Teppanyaki is for the chef’s theatrics at the 'teppan' or iron plate. 'Yaki', means grilled.

After the sauté potatoes, fried rice and vegetables (which accompany the main dishes) have been cooked, the chef’s first ‘party trick’ is to toss chopped pieces of the potatoes into the air for the diners to catch in their mouths.

Now, I know this doesn’t should like everyone’s idea of fun but kids, young and old, seem to love it! For the adults in my party the tension was almost unbearable as my stepdaughter set the bar high by catching hers, first time! Of course, the old jokes like, ‘You couldn’t miss with a mouth that size!’ get an airing.

Wowing the diners, the chef’s next display of showmanship involved spatula tossing and egg spinning - building to the finale where an egg is tossed skywards to be caught atop of the toque.

Next, the diners are asked to move their stools to a safe distance; lights are dramatically dimmed and the teppan is ignited with a woosh – followed by unanimous ‘oohs and ahhs’ and  rapturous applause!

Working together to serve the three groups around the ‘table’ one chef used one of the teppans to prepare the meat dishes, the other the fish and seafood. My wife had opted for the Lamb Rump – it was a generous hunk of meat and was cooked wonderfully rare as per my wife’s request.

Although a little envious of my wife’s lamb, I was very happy with my Spicy Fillet of Sea Bass, which was expertly ‘grilled’ on the teppan.  The spicy the chilli dressing and garnish had a packed and pleasant punch.

My stepdaughter’s partner, opted for the Vegetable Yakisoba. Despite tasting good, the Japanese egg noodles, stir fried vegetables and yakisoba sauce also served with the rice and sauté potatoes was a bit of a carb overload!

My stepdaughter chose one of her favourites, Teriyaki Salmon – again generous portions provided good value for money. Similarly, hearty portions of fried rice meant I was the only one of us who managed to eat their bowlful. Feeling full, my wife didn’t even touch hers – hating to see food go to waste I would normally have polished this off but I too, was nearing my limit.

Even though I was fit to bursting, wanting ‘for blog purposes’ to see what the desserts were like, I decided to sample the Assorted Homemade Ice Cream ‘Served in a tuille tulip basket.’ Amusingly, I was informed that they hadn’t had received their “delivery” of the ‘homemade’ vanilla ice cream (which does prompt a question as to the definition of homemade) so I went for the chocolate.

Overall, if you are seeking to sample traditional Japanese cuisine, this may not be the best place to visit - if you are looking for a fun night out with family or friends, where the food is decent then you could do much worse – we certainly left with full bellies and smiles on our faces!

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