The one with a Champagne Room…
Hot on the heels of the gorgeous Whitworth Locke opening, comes another hotel, and again, rather than a large chain cheapie, we have another gorgeous instagrammable hotel in our midst.
Dakota is a small chain, that began in Scotland – with one hotel in the outskirts of Edinburgh (South Queensferry) and a second just outside of Glasgow. Named for the Dakota airliner launched in the 1930s which flew from New York to Chicago, this luxury hotel brand promises style and service.
And when I and my date arrived for an Influencer Dinner (yes I know, it’s a term with lots of connotations, but it’s what I’m referred to as, so…), it lived up the the hype. We stepped through the doors on a dusty, city street, and into subdued lighting, lots of black on black, we half expected a New York skyline through the window instead of a Manchester themed hoarding.
The welcome was warm and friendly, and we were ushered to the Champagne Room – a bookable private bar space, ideally suited to entertaining, or just hiding away with a glass or two of something fizzy.
As you’d expect, there’s an extensive bar menu, Champagne list, and wine list that makes me want to break my credit card – some of which we would enjoy during dinner.
Before our food, a cocktail, and one that reminded me intensely of the rhubarb part of a rhubarb and custard boiled sweet – Rhubarb Rhubarb. Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger shaken with Aperol, lemon
juice and foamer.
I also don’t think I’ve ever written rhubarb so many times in a sentence. Rhubarb.
Appetites whetted, we made our way through the restaurant to the private dining room, where we’d be served a tasting menu – smaller versions of their dishes, served alongside a paired wine. It’s one to buckle up for, because it’s a long menu, and despite being promised smaller dishes, we still waddled out, somewhat overfull and ready for a long sleep.
But in case we were hungry before we started, our first treat is actually from the bar menu, and I must admit, something that I’d pop back in for to share with a friend over a glass (bottle) of wine. The Venetian dip, is a rich tomato sauce, with a slice of softy grilled goat’s cheese in the centre. It’s served with warm, crisp freshly baked bread.
Oh god it’s good. And it probably proved our downfall, because we all ate a lot of that, and then came the rest of the food, and… Yeah. When it comes to something as delicious as this, I suspect I’ll never learn my lesson.
A cocktail followed our bread course, La Biciclette. Created by a member of the bar team to pair with our amuse bouche, it was a twist on a classic, the Martinez. Citadelle Gin, Cocchi Vermouth, St German liqueur and an absinthe rinse, made a herbal, slightly sweet pairing to our teaser, with celeriac and truffle.
Our first dish from the dinner menu was chicken liver parfait, with fresh baked brioche, and fig jam. I’m kind of sad this too isn’t on the bar menu, because this was perhaps my favourite dish of the evening. The brioche was soft and warm, but not too sweet, the base of the mini loaf having a slight biscuity quality that was delicious. The fig had a nice acidity to it, to cut through the rich, buttery parfait. But the genius bit came with the crispy onions that the parfait was rolled in. The bitter almost burnt crispiness was such a good contrast of texture and flavour, it’s something I’m quietly going to steal for future use.
Our second dish was another starter, fat tender kind scallops with tender oriental ribs and pork crackling – or should I say chicharrons. The scallops were sweet and treated well, the pork sticky, sweet and almost melt in the mouth, the crackling feather light and crunchy.
Onto the first of our two mains (seriously, it’s no wonder I waddled out of there), featured line caught stone bass, with king scallop, red pepper and asparagus. The stone bass is a little meatier than it’s cousin, sea bass, and was pan roasted, with good crispy skin. The asparagus and smear of lipstick red pepper puree adding a fresh lightness to the dish, and I’m never one to turn down a well cooked scallop.
By this point, I admit, I was starting to feel a little warm and full, but I soldiered on, because then there was steak.
And it was pretty. A gently cooked fillet of beef, with salardaise potatoes, morel mushrooms, watercress puree and escargot.
Oh and what’s that little parcel at the top? Allow me (or should I say Keeley) to demonstrate:
It’s a little jus (gravy) filled parcel – proper lip smacking stuff. The beef was tender and delicious, the potatoes buttery and soft, the snail and morels adding a little earthy touch – though some of our fellow diners quietly pushed the shell to one side.
It was at this point, we were relieved dessert was our final course – because though we all professed how full we were, we all too remembered that dessert has an ability to overcome that full tum.
Mango cheesecake with coconut, and passionfruit puree was our final dish, and I’m not sure I can recall seeing a plate with anything left on it. The dessert was light in texture, but rich in flavour, and despite this being my second heavy meal of the day, I still somehow managed to eat it.
Everyone has their own super power I guess.
Overall? It’s a stunning venue, the food is fabulous, as is the wine list (I’d definitely recommend the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Riesling is a stunner). The service is attentive, professional but friendly. Is it the cheapest? No. Is it the most expensive? Also, no. You’ll find more expensive steak at Hawksmoor, and the prices of the starters are on par with those from there too, and Malmaison, and The Lowry Hotel.
Will I head back? Yes. Whilst the dinner menu, and the ambience might see me keeping it as a special treat (ideal for date night), the wine list, and the bar nibbles (including that Venetian dip), might just see me and the girls heading in for wine and nibbles after work.
The only question left is… White or red?
This was an invite only dinner, so all food and drink was at the expense of Dakota Grill.
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