I’ve known the Chop Houses for what seems like forever. They’re a Manchester staple and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve suggested them to a visitor from abroad or used them for conference dinners in the day job.
What strikes you about Albert Square Chophouse is the space. It’s open and light – lighter than the other Manchester venues, and has little modern, touches, that add to that feeling. It also has two very separate areas. Bar upstairs, restaurant downstairs. So whilst I noticed something a little familiar upstairs, it was downstairs we were headed.
Greeted by the lovely Marcin, Sommelier, we were seated in a booth, with squishy seats to rival those in Neighbourhood. The menu, recently revised for the changing seasons was, as ever, real food. Food with a northern soul.
Marcin recommended we have wine paired with each course and as Keeley and I are fond of a glass or two and it gave us variety through the meal, were very happy to agree to. No trying to find something to go with everything.
I started with a celery soup (rather underrated) with blue cheese and nettle dumplings, while Keeley opted for the rather gorgeous sounding scallops and slow cooked belly pork. The soup was rich, creamy and yet managed to be light. Marcin had paired a rather lovely Amontillado sherry with this, which went beautifully. The sweet sherry and the savoury celery complimented each other, and really brought out the blue cheese in the dumplings. Keeley’s stunningly sweet scallops and meaty pork were paired with a Muscat Gerwürztraminer, from Spain, the Miguel Torres, Viña Esmeralda 2012. The light tropical fruit and floral notes in this paired well with the rich pork and those perfectly done scallops.
Onto the mains and Keeley had opted for poached Goosnargh chicken with peas, broad beans, baby leeks, and I opted for the rabbit leg stuffed with black pudding. The chicken was delicious, soft, poached beautifully and the little vegetables sweet and hinting at summer. The Domaine la Croix Belle, Vin de Pays d’Oc Chardonnay (2012) paired with them worked stunningly well – citrus balancing the sweetness of the vegetables, and working with the smokiness present in the jus.
The rabbit was by far the most tender I have ever eaten. My knife barely needed to touch the flesh for it to surrender with aplomb and in the mouth it melted into a heavenly blend of soft earthy rabbit, rich black pudding and the fatty bacon wrapped around it. If you’ve never tried rabbit before, this is how it should be done. Interestingly, this was a dish our Sommelier himself had yet to try and so suggested two wines to pair; Moonriver 2011 a Hungarian Pinot Noir and a Sangiovese – Poderi dal Nespoli, Fico Grande, 2011. Rabbit is often a challenge to pair with and given the ripe fruit in each of these, it was easy to see why he’d chosen them. However, hands down, the Sangiovese won, it retained the fruit throughout and it’s body worked very well with the bacon and black pudding. Perfection.
For dessert, I had to hit the cheeseboard – with cheeses such as Mrs Kirkham’s on offer I couldn’t say no. Keeley, indulging her sweet tooth, opted for the orange marmalade sponge. The cheeses, unsurprisingly, were excellent and once again, were paired with something a bit special. A lovely 20 year old Sandeman tawny port. This fills your mouth with toffee and nutmeg and the finish is amazing – digestive biscuits – absolutely perfect with the cheese.
Keeley’s sponge was served with that classic of the dessert wines, a Royal Tokaji (Royal Tokaji, Blue Label, Hungary, 2008). The sweet citrus present in the wine, worked to enhance those in the pudding, taking the dessert from a good dessert to a great one. Stunning.
Albert Square takes the excellence of Sam’s and Tom’s and it’s heart(iness) and turns it into something elegant without losing it’s essence.
And the wine pairing? Genius. Why have a bottle, when you can have a glass that compliments every mouthful?
This looks wonderful!
It really was.
Already planning to take hubby 🙂