The Northern Quarter is seen as so ever changing, that it’s easy to forget the history of the area and with it some of the original venues in the area, such as the Market Restaurant.
It recently caused a bit of a stir whilst host to a Khalua pop up – the characteristic green turned red and a shot of Mexican vibrancy was added to that corner of the Northern Quarter, fitting in alongside Luck Lust Liquor and Burn and the ever bouncy Keko.
Now celebrating it’s 33rd birthday, it’s almost as old as I am (shh, yes really) and to celebrate, it’s looking back at it’s original menu. As ever, the ethos is simple – good food, locally sourced (as much as possible), wholesome food.
Following the fun that was the Manchester Day Parade, which saw me wearing lime green and gold for the WI, Mr GFB and I stopped by to take a look at the new look restaurant and retro menu, from a time when I would have still been eating food cut up for me (thanks mum).
The layout is still the same, but the bar area has been cleared and the whole space feels more light and airy – even with the collection of pictures on the walls, it feels more open. Settling on a spot near a window so we could watch the world go by, the wine list is still fabulous as ever, and chose a bottle of Rioja while we deliberated.
Mr GFB’s eye was caught by the courgette fritters with chilli jam, whilst I just had to have the hand-dived scallops with a white bean stew for starters. The scallops were sweet, gently cooked and delicious. The bean stew made the perfect foil, saltiness of the bacon, creaminess of the beans all contrasting with the scallops in texture and flavour.
The fritters were crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and the chilli jam packed a lovely punch, without losing the delicacy of flavour from the courgettes.
Onto the mains and I just had to plump for the confit duck leg. Given the Rioja was warm and soft, I thought this would be a great pairing and Mr GFB decided the spiced lamb with yoghurt and almonds would suit him nicely.
The duck arrived atop a bed of lentils that were lovely – I’m a fan of lentils and don’t see them available often enough if I’m honest. With a rich gravy, they were warm, nutty and lovely. The duck had great flavour, but for me, was a bit overdone. I read confit and I think soft and fatty with the meat falling off the bone. Whilst the skin was lovely and crisp, the leg itself was chewy, hard and disappointing.
The lamb had been kept a little pink (it’s lovely that the staff ask whether you’d like it pink or not), and the homemade mint sauce was lovely – both sweet and savoury. Flavour wise, the meal was more like a good roast dinner – the almonds were there, adding a lovely sweet nuttiness, but we couldn’t pick out the yoghurt or spice in any strength.
Onto dessert and Mr GFB was more adventurous than I, opting for the pear sorbet. I wanted something a bit heavier, and so went with my old favourite, the cheeseboard.
The sorbet was delicate and light, flavour building over time to a soft sweetness in the mouth.
The cheeseboard was fabulous, the star being the Garstang Blue proving itself a fantastic contrast to the digestives on offer. Why aren’t there more digestives on cheese boards? The homemade chutney proved a perfect foil to the acidic crumbly Lancashire and the brie was gorgeously soft and creamy.
All in all a lovely evening in different yet familiar surroundings. However, the Northern Quarter is ever reinventing itself. And yes, the ethos of the Market has always been it’s selling point. Good locally sourced food, cooked without artificial ingredients. But for me, there are other places doing the same thing, but better, in which I’ve eaten in and walked away thinking, wow, that was fantastic, as opposed to yes, that was lovely. And yes, to be fair, the Market has only been back with us a few days.
But.
I want to be able to shout about how great it is. I really do. And I hope too one day, but it seems not quite yet….
