Bars and restaurants within hotels always get a bad reputation, I find. I was so passionate about this at one point that I even considered starting a whole new blog about them, but then realised how difficult it can be to keep this one up to date and quickly knocked the idea on its head. I am a regular visitor to Store Street within the Hilton Doubletree and love its close proximity to Piccadilly. It makes it the perfect spot for one last drink before home, but now…. there’s a new spot in town.
Dakota is the newest hotel to land in Manchester. Straight from its roots in Scotland, this small luxury chain is slowly moving its way South with a property in Leeds, and now the spot in Manchester. Located between Piccadilly and Ancoats, Dakota offers luxury style and service with a ‘local’ feel. The staff are keen that guests feel at home, whether you’re staying overnight or just visiting the bar.
The bar interior is cool, dark and moody with a touch of sparkle and a splash of animal print. Through the bar is Dakota Grill, where the interior is lighter and brighter but stays with the brown leather and black sparkle theme. There’s an extensive cocktail and wine menu that I can’t wait to make a significant dent in. Luckily for me, we were to be spoiled with wine pairings throughout the meal and a couple of cocktails too.
To start, a delightfully fruity number called Rhubarb, Rhubarb. Edinburgh rhubarb and ginger, aperol, lemon and foam is not overly sweet and the perfect start to a meal, or end to the day.
As we were seated in the Grill area, we were greeted with a Biciclette to pair with our amuse bouche. The bartender’s twist on a Martinez – Citadelle gin, vermouth, St Germain liqueur with an absinthe rinse. It’s dry yet smooth with a delicious herbal note. The perfect way to start a meal.
So, we were served small plates of dishes that feature on the Dakota Grill menu and paired wines. They told us small plates but boy, we were seriously stuffed afterwards and the portion sizes must be huge! There’s 6 of them, so this is going to be a lengthy one. I would apologise but it’s worth it, so I won’t.
Our amuse bouche featured a celeriac and apple cream with truffle, which was light and frothy with a sweetness to cleanse the palate for the dishes to come.
Next, was a simple yet incredible dish that is also available on the bar snack menu. The Venetian dip is a rich tomato sauce topped with goats cheese and served with a crusty cob, baked freshly by the Dakota chefs, with all the bread that is served in the restaurant. The Venetian dip will be my downfall. I can totally see myself visiting for this and a glass of wine after a hard day at work. Comfort at its best.
Next was king scallops with Oriental ribs and pork crackling, served on a carrot puree. The ribs are boneless so easy to eat and the crackling is more like chicharron, the bubbly and light style of crackling that doesn’t break your teeth when trying to bite into it. The carrot puree sweetened out the sharper oriental flavours and the scallops were gorgeously plump. The dish was served with Txakoli Hondarribia from the Hiruzta winery in the Basque region of Spain. It has a light sparkle despite being incredibly dry with notes of grapefruit and peach. The flavours balanced out the dish and the sweetness dulled to floral on the palate.
Next was the chicken liver parfait served with fig jam and mini brioche. The rich and creamy parfait is coated in charred onion for added crunch and a touch of bitterness to cut through all those rich flavours. The brioche is soft and buttery without being too sweet. The dish was served with a Riesling Grand Cru Geisburg from Alsace in France. The dry wine is balanced by the sweetness of the fig and releases yet more floral notes. It’s a beautiful wine and was my favourite of the evening.
The fish course was line caught sea bass with king scallop, red pepper and asparagus. Compared to the previous dishes, this is light with fresh flavours and a meaty piece of fish. Served with Otella ‘Back to Silence’ from Lugana in Italy, there is yeast on the nose with a light citrus on the palate to work with the fish.
Our meat course was a thing of beauty. Fillet of beef with potatoes sarladaise, morels, watercress and escargot. The beef was cooked beautifully pink so still soft. The potatoes were creamy with crispy potato crisps on top and the morels added an earthiness that was welcomed. The little ravioli parcel at the back contained a rich gravy that we popped and dipped into. It’s such a unique way of serving a dish that I’ve not seen anywhere else. The dish was served with Chateau Ste’s Michelle cabernet sauvignon, which has light tannins so as not to be overpowered by the dish with smooth fruits on the palate.
I’m not sure how we managed it, but our final course was a dessert of mango cheesecake with passionfruit and coconut. Luckily it was light and smooth with a good tang to the sauce. Served with Michele Chiarlo moscato d’asti from the Piemonte region of Italy. The wine was the perfect way to end the evening with peach, apricot and floral notes, it’s a gorgeous sipping wine.
With that we left Dakota with full tummies and overflowing warmth for the place. The staff are incredible, friendly and work hard to make sure you have a good time. It’s the perfect spot for a decadent meal, or to simply relax with a fantastic glass of wine. The latter will have me returning regularly, will I see you at the bar?
THE DEETS
Dakota Grill within the Dakota Hotel, 29 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JL
I was the guest of a friend who had been invited to review the menu and was not asked to pay. That said, I also wasn’t asked to write anything.
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