I regularly get asked by friends where they should go for something to eat or drink. When asked I always respond by asking questions, something people regularly find weird. There are just so many amazing places in Manchester that specialise in different things, it would be impossible to recommend somewhere just on ‘it’s a good place to eat’. More recently a friend was struggling to find somewhere unpretentious to get married so I armed her with two places to try; Rosylee and Elixir. She loved both equally and really struggled to make her decision. So much so that she told me she hated me several times for a few weeks. In the end she chose Rosylee and had an amazing time.
Rosylee have since launched a new menu developed by new group executive head chef Chris Byron. Chris comes with over 25 years experience including previously working at The Belfry and Thwaite’s Judges’ Lodge where he won 1AA rosette. The new menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients with many of the dishes being cooked in their £10,000 Inka grill which brings you that unique BBQ taste from state of the art charcoal oven heated to 400 degrees.
Chris is also going to be playing a key role in, what has been described as, a new food venture in the Northern Quarter as well as rolling out current brands around the UK. I’m guessing the former may be THIS and I, for one, am very excited at the prospect of an all American diner in the Northern Quarter.
Anyway enough waffle and onto the meal. We kicked things off nicely with a ‘Rosylee fizz’ which is a mix of King’s ginger and St Germain elderflower liqueurs, lychee and pomegranate topped with prosecco. Lightly fruity they were the perfect appetiser as we perused the menu. There’s so much to choose from we needed a fair bit of time to decide but orders placed we eagerly awaited our first course.
I started with ‘mussels of the day’ which I thought was a cracking idea. We’ve all seen ‘soup de jour’ but this is a bit different and in a very good way. A great sized portion of freshly steamed mussels were piled in a lightly spiced and fragrant sauce dotted with rich pieces of chorizo served with a chunk of fresh bread. A really satisfying starter and at £4.95 a bargain. I’d happily sit out on the terrace area with these in summer and a good bottle of white wine.
Anoushka chose the scampi and tartare sauce which was a much smaller portion, although this was the reason she gave for me not getting a taste. I’m told the prawns were fresh and juicy whilst the batter was light and crisp. They were gone in seconds amidst much ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’. Looks like I’ll have to try them for myself next time.
Onto mains and Anoushka, having just returned from New York that morning, chose the 10oz flat iron steak with a side of peppercorn sauce and salad. She was advised the only serving option was medium or well done although I’m not sure if this was just for this launch night or if that is all the time. That said what arrived was a perfectly cooked medium rare, bordering on blue, steak. It was exactly how she had asked for so that made for one happy lady. There was no gristle to be seen and the Inka grill gave the steak that lovely, slightly charred taste. It looked incredible as, yet again, I didn’t get near it. One thing I did try was the peppercorn sauce which was slightly thinner than the style I am used to but this works well for a summer menu and the lightly peppered creaminess also worked on my chicken.
I also went for a dish from the Inka grill choosing the chicken skewers with a dandelion and burdock glaze, cauliflower cheese and hand cut chips. Unfortunately the chicken was cold but the meat was soft and tender, still juicy and lightly charred for that BBQ taste. The dandelion and burdock glaze was sweet and surprisingly tasty however I was expecting it to come already on my chicken, more like a marinade than a dip which it appeared to be. The chips were a delight and just like the kind my Grandma used to make in her deep fat fryer. Lightly seasoned they were light and fluffy with a crispy coating yet unevenly cut just the way hand cut chips should be. I was disappointed by the cauliflower cheese which was one floret in a pot with the tiniest smattering of cheese on top. I’m used to cauliflower cheese swimming in a creamy cheese sauce and this was very dry. I love how the menu allows you to choose your sides rather than having them picked for you. At £3 a serving though, the cauliflower cheese seemed a bit steep if you were having it separately.
We’d been told chef Chris Byron has a real sweet tooth so were really excited to see what the desserts had to offer. The menu is fairly classic with sticky toffee pudding and lemon posset having a place. I chose the most different thing on the menu going for the strawberry daiquiri eton mess. Unfortunately I think the desserts had been sat waiting for some time as there was no meringue present in this dish at all and the cream topping had developed a skin. The rum taste was evident though as was a light hint of lime. A bit of crisp and chewy meringue would have made it.
The brownie had been recommended and was beautifully presented topped with strawberries aside a salted caramel ice cream. The brownie was overcooked which made it dry and bitter in parts but the addition of amoretti biscuits was a nice touch. Perhaps a splash of amaretto would have softened things a little.
It appears the team at Rosylee is also fairly new as I didn’t recognise a single face but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As always with these launches they were busy yet service was with a smile and they certainly tried their best with a particularly critical crowd. Rosylee plans to revamp the bar area as well as the suntrap terrace with table service – the perfect place to try the new drinks menu in particular the 2 for £10 cocktail offer on a Friday. I suggest you get there early as this one is going to be popular with the after work crowd. As for me? I’ll be back on a quieter day to try those desserts again. I mean it would be rude not to right?
I was invited to dine as a guest of Rosylee and was not asked to pay for my food or drinks.
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