Restaurant Review: Bill’s, Manchester

I’d heard of Bill’s Restaurant before it arrived in Manchester but had no idea what they were about. Located between Byron Burgers and The Restaurant Bar and Grill I did wonder how Bill’s would fare being sandwiched between 2 established restaurants in the city.

On arrival we were warmly welcomed, shown to our table and told the history of Bill’s. It started as a small grocery shop in Lewes, East Sussex by Bill Collison. Unfortunately there was a flood which damaged the shop so it was renovated and a new café was opened inside. Their ethos of good food and good service was a bit of a sensation and they have since expanded across the country with several new venues to be opened later on in the year.

The interior is vast but separated into different areas so it feels more intimate than you might think. There’s lots of Bill’s merchandise for sale around the front of the restaurant ranging from jams, truffles and oils. I found this confusing as I didn’t know anything about Bill’s beforehand and I’m guessing the majority of Manchester hasn’t either. It makes sense when you hear that Bill’s is a grocery and café elsewhere but I’m not sure if this concept travels well.

That said we settled down with the vast menu to try and make a choice. The theme is Mediterranean with a British twist. Bill’s have an excellent breakfast and afternoon tea menu that I will be back to try as soon as I can. I mean, come on, their veggie breakfast includes houmous and guacamole!

There are very few cocktails on the menu but an extensive wine list that looks a bit different to the usual you find in Manchester restaurants. There’s a pinot grigio reisling from Brazil for example (Alisios Do Sieval) that is exquisite. It wouldn’t be a proper Phat Cupcake review without a few cocktails thrown in and I tried the hedgerow fizz first. Sparkling wine and elderflower topped with a frozen blackberry was refreshing and light. The perfect aperitif for any fizz fan. I also enjoyed the Amaretto sour with pink lemonade and lemon juice. Fruity with a lovely sour finish, it wasn’t overly sweet and the garnish was simple yet effective!

Onto the food and I chose the grilled asparagus with chorizo and hollandaise to start with Charlie going for the crab cakes. The asparagus was lightly grilled giving it a lovely taste that worked well with the fatty chorizo and slightly sour hollandaise. I’d have liked more chorizo but, from a clean eating point of view especially, this was the perfect dish. Charlie’s crab cakes were more crab balls but also contained prawns with a slight heat from the addition of chilli. The mango and spring onion salad gave a lovely fruity element and the dish worked really well.

Onto mains and I chose the chipotle, coriander and lemon chicken with Charlie going for the hake dish from the specials menu. My chicken was supposed to arrive with sweet potato fries but I think we confused our waiter with Charlie’s request for some tenderstem broccoli as a side as this came with my dish. No matter though as the wait staff are attentive so quickly sorted this and my fries were ready in no time. The chicken was lovely and moist with a lovely marinade. I expected more heat from the chipotle though and I couldn’t taste the paprika mentioned on the menu. The chilli buttered corn was a delight with a gentle spike of heat to the sweet corn and the sweet potato fries were some of the best I have tried. Slightly crispy on the outside and just cooked on the inside so they are still firm. They also had a huge hit of salt which is great for me but be aware if you are not a salt fan!

Charlie’s hake was served atop a gorgeous potato rosti cake and topped with a guacamole salsa. The dish as a whole was light and beautifully presented with moist fish, a crisp skin and a well constructed rosti that didn’t go limp under the fish. I really enjoyed it and I’m guessing she did too as I got the teeniest little taste before it was gone.

Onto dessert and there isn’t much on the menu for the health conscious. The pecan pie had been calling my name since I looked at the menu at lunch time and, with my American trip looming, it seemed so wrong not to order it. That said I would rather work on being confident enough with my body to wear a bikini on my said American trip so we decided to share the cheese plate. The highlight for me wasn’t the cheese funnily enough, it was the sultana bread. Cut thinly but still with a fluffy inside it was lovely and fruity. A lovely change to the normal crackers you usually get. The cheeses were good too; Westcombe cheddar, Cornish brie and ‘Wrekin’ blue gave a nice selection with my favourite being the cheddar. Very mature with a flavour that lingers it had a light citrus taste making it a different one to include. The ‘Wrekin’ blue was soft and a lighter blue cheese meaning I liked it, I’m not a fan of heavier blue cheeses! The brie was as brie should be; creamy, mellow and melting but unfortunately it hadn’t been rested out of the fridge prior to arriving at the table. It had started to melt as we ended the meal, a shame we couldn’t wait long enough for it to be at room temperature to try it!

The staff were attentive throughout our meal with our waiter explaining everything well and also sharing his passions with us. Turns out he knows a thing or two about cheese having worked at the Cheese Hamlet in Didsbury and is a keen photographer offering me some tips on seeing my DSLR. And that’s what this place is about. You are welcomed and treated well, who wouldn’t want to come back to that? There is also a nice menu with some great clean eating options meaning you don’t need to miss out when dining with friends. I think it is different enough from Byron (a burger joint so doesn’t offer the same sort of dishes or dining experience) and The Restaurant Bar and Grill (more upmarket and a more formal dining experience so for a different occasion) to coexist in such close proximity. I, for one, am glad. I’ll be back for my veggie breakfast as soon as I have a day off work.

We dined as guests of the restaurant and weren’t asked to pay for our food or drinks. This has not influenced this review in any way which is honest and unbiased.