Restaurant Review: Rosylee Tearooms, Northern Quarter

 

 

I am a recent convert to the delights of the Northern Quarter. Before writing this blog you wouldn’t see me anywhere near what I would have called, at the time ‘snooty’ bars. It is only when I have frequented the likes of Dusk Til Pawn and Tusk did I realise how wrong I was. I love the place now and it is growing by the day with new venues popping up all over.

Stevenson Square is thriving right now and soaking up this buzz is new venue Rosylee Tearooms. Unlike any other in the Northern Quarter Rosylee Tearooms is a beautiful looking venue with elegant chairs and a wonderfully European feel. Bacon on the Beech visited recently and said it felt very Parisian; I’ve never visited Paris but it feels exactly like a quaint cafe in Paris should to me.

For the first time in my life I ventured in to dine on my own. I was greeted right at the door and asked where I would feel most comfortable sitting. I chose a quiet table in the corner where I could watch the kitchen in full swing as well as the setting up for a wedding fair that was going on upstairs. Having been given a menu to peruse I decided to start my solo dining experience the best way I know how, with a sparkling cocktail.

I started with ‘the rising sun’; a mix of Briottet lychee, Domaine de Canton ginger, Prucia plum and St Germain elderflower topped with prosecco. I didn’t expect the flavours to work as well as they did, they combined to create a lightly floral yet fruity base to the dry prosecco. I was pleasantly surprised and the glasses are a generous size, something you don’t often find with a champagne flute.

Food ordered I chose the goats cheese bonbons for my starter. Knowing that the head chef has previously worked at Greens in Didsbury I was keen to see what his vegetarian dishes were like and this did not disappoint. Salty yet wonderfully creamy goats cheese coated in a crisp panko crust served with a pickled red cabbage tapenade, roasted red peppers and pea shoots. The sweet pickle was beautiful and the peppers added to the sweetness with the pea shoots adding a slight peppery flavour. Just gorgeous, my only complaint is that I wanted more. Much more. I should have ordered two…

Taking full advantage of feeling completely at ease in my own company I decided to try another cocktail. This time I asked for a recommendation and was told the ‘vanilla skies’ is a favourite amongst the staff. With Briottet rhubarb, vanilla sugar, lemon and Fee Bro’s plum bitters topped with prosecco I was expecting this one to be very sweet and it was at first. The lemon, bitters and prosecco give it a lovely tartness on the palate though and it is in my ‘favourite cocktail of the night’ hall of fame.

I had fully intended on ordering a salad, I really had. And then I saw the mains… I went for the lemon and thyme chicken. Well I had to see whether the chef could do meat as well as the vegetarian offerings didn’t I?  Served with buttered kale, roast parsnips and celeriac puree atop a generous potato rosti I didn’t want to destroy this beautifully presented dish. The kale still had a slight crunch which, I love and the parsnips were sweet. The chicken moist and the puree just binding it all together as a dish was perfect. I found the rosti slightly too crisp and struggled to stab it with my fork opting for the ‘spoon like’ way of eating to make sure it didn’t go all over the floor. That said, it was just around the edges as the centre of the rosti had softened with the juices from the chicken.

Having already blown the ‘I’ll order a salad’ idea I thought I may as well go all out and have a dessert. I’d heard such good things and it would be rude not to. The zara rose creme brulee was recommended and I am sure you can see why. The rosewater takes the creme to a completely new level providing a floralness I never thought would work. I thought the sharp raspberry compote would kill the delicate flavours but it complimented them so well. The sugar top was thicker than other creme brulee’s I’ve had and it meant for a much better ‘crack’ with the spoon. The shortbread wasn’t needed but I certainly wasn’t complaining, soft buttery goodness, what’s not to like?

The start of the wedding fair was delayed so I decided another cocktail was in order. This time a ‘red sky at night’ is another prosecco topped cocktail with Briottet framboise, raspberries and passionfruit. This one was very sweet but a lovely way to end my meal.

It’s safe to say the space above Rosylee Tearooms is perfect for an intimate wedding. When I dined it was set up to celebrate the launch of Just 2 Us wedding planning services and looked amazing. With a string quartet playing and a catwalk display of some beautiful wedding outfits I could really see how the little tearooms in the middle of the Northern Quarter could play host to the perfect elegant wedding. I won’t go on any further as this isn’t a wedding blog by any stretch but do consider it, and give Francess a shout if you need help planning. She’s the most passionate and ambitious woman I have met in a long time. If she can’t help, I don’t know who can!

I dined as a guest of the restaurant. This has in no way affected my review which is an honest account of my dining experience.