Taking advantage of January dining deals in Manchester is something I always try and do. Whilst it is a month when funds are tight, it really is a great way to try restaurants that you wouldn’t normally visit or couldn’t ordinarily afford to visit. One of the restaurants that has been in my sights for quite some time is James Martin, which is located within Manchester 235 Casino at Great Northern. They serve a tasting menu of five courses for £30 per person. Throughout January and February you can take advantage of this with free wine pairing mid week, which is usually an extra £17.50. It was too good a deal to miss so we headed in for a post Christmas treat.
The restaurant is on a raised floor above the bar area of the casino, so it allows for a fair amount of privacy from the casino itself. It is a completely open area with ornate vintage style chairs and a random window into the kitchen’s meat storage area, which has been designed to look like a shop front. It’s a lovely way to show there is actually a kitchen back there as otherwise, you would be none the wiser!
Things start with sourdough bread, butter, maldon salt and beef dripping oil. I mean, a set menu means there is no mulling it over whilst eating the bread so I think I enjoyed it even more than normal. Keeping the butter unsalted and providing the salt means you can choose your salt level, for me that’s a lot. The beef dripping adds a richness to the oil and is seriously moreish.
The first course is Cheese And Onion, that delightful combination that I swear can do no wrong. Here you are presented with sweet roasted onion, topped with sweet onion pickle, an onion mousse and Westcombe cheddar curd. There is a touch of texture from crispy onions and cheese palmiers, designed to dip into each of the layers so you get sweet onion, rich cheese and roasted onion goodness in each mouthful. It is paired with Ponte Prosecco, which is not something I would have ever thought would pair with such a dish but it does work. It heightens the sweetness of the prosecco and brings out the citrus notes.
Up next is Braised Pork and Apple Faggot. It sounds like really old fashioned dish and I guess the flavours are, but the execution is seriously modern. The faggot is braised in cider from the Welsh Mountains and is served on top of the smoothest potato puree with the crispiest potato strings on top. The cubes of apple bring out the pear and melon notes in the paired wine, Brampton unoaked Chardonnay. I talk a lot about my love for new world wines and South Africa is definitely one of my favourite regions. I would have happily ordered a bottle of this stuff to sip after the meal, it was beautiful.
The fish course is a BBQ Miso Braised Cod. The slightly salty and charred cod is served with a sweet fermented kohlrabi and a slightly sour rhubarb verjus, which is then drizzled with Thai basil oil at the table. The Thai basil oil completely brings the dish together adding fragrant elements to the otherwise meaty fish and changing the flavour palate to something a lot more oriental. The paired wine is Sauvignon de Touraine from Bougrier, which heightens the freshness of the dish and adds even more oriental flavours of mango and passion fruit. Once again, a beautiful wine I would happily drink alone.
Perfect for winter is the game dish that arrives next. Salt Aged Duck. It is served pink and soft with a leg ragout wrapped in hispi cabbage and topped with a touch of creme fraiche. The leg ragout is both rich and decadent, which paired beautifully with the Italian Mezzacorona merlot. It totally smooths out the wine with heavy vanilla notes to mellow out the fruit.
The last course is of course dessert. Caramelised White Chocolate Marquis with lashings of my favourite flavour, pistachio. As you would expect the textures are completely different with a smooth white chocolate marquise, a creamy salted caramel ice cream. soft pistachio cake and chewy pistachios on top of a fruity orange segment. The paired wine is the French dessert wine Sauternes La Fleur, which is delightfully floral with the dessert that ends with a lovely honey richness.
It’s a beautifully created menu that, even at the full price, is impeccable value for money. With food AND wine for £30, it really is the deal of the century and I just wish I had time to go back and do it all again. Please go and do it for me?
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