Restaurant Review – Lunch at Manchester House

Following on from her hard work in the kitchen, Gemma was invited back to have lunch, as a guest of Manchester House.

And though it makes me the worst of bloggers, I somehow ended up gatecrashing.

Thankfully both Gemma and Stina are lovely, and didn’t mind me tagging along. Or if they did, they were lovely enough to keep quiet about it.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit the bar on more than one occasion before, but this time I was going to step into the restaurant itself first.

I know I tend to get a little…er…. animated when I talk about food, but this time, I had butterflies.

Maybe it’s because it’s because this has been on my visit list for so long, I never thought I’d make it. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard so much and tried to close my ears so it doesn’t spoil it. Or maybe it’s just because there’s an atmosphere about it that induces anticipation and excitement?

Or maybe I’m just a giddy thing when it comes to exciting food.

Stina and Gemma, however, were the picture of calm  elegance. Dammit.

Visually, the venue is stunning, quirky and individual. There are little touches throughout the space that hint at other things – the floor reminded me of a school dining hall, the seating had an elegant style – hints and patches of leather tipped a nod at brogue shoes. There’s an organic feel, everything matches, but not in an obvious manner.

And the view.

Admittedly, not as stunning as the view from the bar and, less so on a typically grey Mancunian day, but the vast amount of natural light present enhanced the natural, almost corporeal feel of the venue.

The welcome from the staff was warm, but with a formality that only served to make my butterflies flutter a little more vibrantly, but a smile and a word of recognition and there was a relaxation of posture without any loss of professionalism.

Before selecting our meals, we decided a celebratory cocktail was in order and that little selection was to be down to myself. A little discussion on palates and tastes and I barely had to turn pages in the vast catalogue. A Brandy Alexander for the sweet toothed Gemma made with Courvoisier Exclusif cognac, Edmond Briottet Crème de Cacao and cream, topped with nutmeg freshly grated at the table.

A Blood Sand and Smoke for the dryer, whisky loving palate of Stina made with Talisker whisky, Antica Formula sweet vermouth, and Cherry Marnier – shaken with freshly squeezed orange juice and served on the rocks.

And for myself a Sazerac #3 – a blend of Courvoisier Exclusif and Rittenhouse Rye whisky, Peychaud’s Bitters and brown sugar, stirred and strained into an absinthe lined glass.

Unsurprisingly, the cocktails were stunning. All three of us very happily settling down to sip and peruse the lunch menu.

The lunch menu is delightfully simple. Six courses in total – beginning, middle and end. You can select two for £22, three courses for £27.50 or, if you have a healthy appetite, all six for £50. We rather sensibly plumped for the three courses.

But of course, there were nibbles to awaken our taste buds. Brioche – incredibly light with a buttery sweetness, a dainty quenelle of rich caramelised onion butter and the most heavenly consommé complete with salty parmesan foam. We began by delicately dipping our bread into the consommé….  and we finished by drinking it.

The contrast between the starters was patent. My selection of frogs legs, Jersey potatoes and parsley, was just stunning and tasted just as delightful. Dotted amongst the lollipops of leg and crisp wafers were morsels of frog shin (yes, I said shin) and I loved the contrast in flavours and textures of these and the crisp parsley leaves and soft buttery potatoes.

When the colours were revealed, the light greens and fleshy pinks were the colours of springtime and altogether the dish was very well balanced in delicate flavours. Stina commented that she would never have thought to pair langoustine with broad beans but they really worked.

For their main, both ladies were again in accordance and opted for the rib of beef. They were more than pleased with their choice. The meat was perfectly selected trimmed and served, and though it looked like a smaller dish, it was perfectly balanced in flavour, texture and portion size. The reduction was so sticky, rich and delicious that their only complaint was that they wanted more of it. As someone who has been known to ask for a straw for their gravy, I can’t disagree.

I had selected the lighter main, and the cod was absolute perfection – lightly sticky flakes of fish sat beneath an incredibly crisp skin. The potatoes, the fronds of fennel and the meaty little cockles were all delicious, but that fish was divine. Utterly so.

Onto dessert and the ladies had both selected chocolate. I have to admit, I’m not one for chocolate desserts – but this arrived looking delightful. Blackberry compote, and pretty little macaron and, unusually, avocado were artfully arranged on the plate in forest colours.

However pulchritudinous, I don’t think the ladies were convinced – separately each element of the dessert was declared perfect (though Gemma’s sweet tooth lay unconvinced by the avocado), but they felt there was just too much happening on the plate. Certainly for me I felt the chocolate wasn’t quite deep enough to balance the greenness of the avocado and it’s freshness.

My own dessert of strawberries and Champagne was no less visually enticing, but when it came to flavours, it was absolutely luscious. The texture combinations played with the senses, the flavours darted over the taste buds. My only teeny grumble would be that the little piece of shortbread hidden beneath the foam was probably unnecessary and distracted from the lightness and delicacy of the dish. But as a piece of shortbread, it was delicious (I just would have rather had it with a cup of tea. Unadulterated).

Replete, we finished the wine we had selected from the list and chatted to our neighbours. The lovely couple had been visiting for a birthday and treated themselves to the full 6 courses. As such they were feeling somewhat over full and over faced by the beautiful macarons that arrived at the end of their meal. So much so, that these little pretties were offered for us to nibble.

I have to admit, some of the best macarons I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a fair few.

Relaxed, we adjourned to the bar upstairs. The view, no less grey, was a little more impressive. In no time we were chatting whisky and gin with the bar staff and we were selecting final cocktails before we separated for the night.

The bar selection is impressive and after discussing gin Pokemon (Gotta catch ’em all!),  I had my arm twisted a little bit into a Martini with Old Tom gin. I have to admit, Old Tom style gins usually are a little too sweet for me, but the balance of this was ideal for my palate and an ideal way to end the afternoon.

So, would I go back? My goodness yes. The evening menu, I obviously have yet to sample, but lunch is an absolute steal for the quality of food, ambiance and service. The service was quite possibly some of the best I’ve had in Manchester, impeccable, friendly but not overly so, formal but not unapproachable and above all, knowledgeable.

Now, another Martini in the bar anyone?