This weekend I was invited to try out the new menu at The Restaurant Bar and Grill on John Dalton Street in Manchester. Now I have been here before, although it was a long time ago. In fact I am sure it must be getting on for nearly 6-7 years since my last visit so I couldn’t help but wonder (Carrie from Sex and the City style) why I haven’t been back? I remember the food being very good and the service impeccable, I’m still at a loss! Anyway, it was now back in my sights so away we went with reasonable expectations.
We were slightly early arriving but this wasn’t a problem and we were shown straight up to our table via the very impressive suspended staircase, what a beautiful feature. The decor is fairly minimalist, couple of black and white pictures on the walls, black tables, white napkins, you get the idea. We did find the tables were very close together and felt squashed in being on a middle table for 2 but the place was busy, if not full at times during our meal. We didn’t feel this took too much away from our experience.
Our friendly Italian waiter arrived with menus and came back shortly after to take a drinks order. A glass of cold Pinot Grigio blush and a bottle of Peroni went down well after a couple of hours walking around the City!
The menu is varied and lengthy with standard classics, grill options and dishes cooked in a tandoor clay oven as well as specials. I immediately knew I would be opting for the line caught haddock fish fingers (£7.95) for my starter but was somewhat off put when informed that the tuna au poivre was sold out. So off put that I still hadn’t made up my mind by the time our waiter returned. Mr Phatcupcake opted for the French onion soup (£5.25) straight away followed by the 8oz sirloin with pepper corn sauce (£21), if only I could be so self assured! I put my fate in the hands of our capable waiter who was very enthusiastic in recommending the monkfish (£19.95) with a coconut and lime sauce, pak choi and extra fries. Who was I to argue?
The starters came in good time, this was something Mr Phatcupcake was very impressed with. He gets frustrated when courses are either too spaced out or too quick in arriving and he did comment that the time in between was perfect.
The haddock was flaky, the batter crisp and the tartare sauce suitably creamy. Randomly, I liked the lemons wrapped in muslin. 0% chance of those pesky pips landing on my fish fingers. I am informed that the soup was tasty but the bread a bit too heavy, Mr Phatcupcake would have opted for something crustier.
Now I was a little apprehensive about my main course, I’ve always said I don’t like monkfish. The last time I had it the flesh was rubbery and sloppy (it wasn’t at The Restaurant Bar and Grill) but I decided it was time to get it another go. I am so glad I did! This time around the fish was firm and flaky, meaty in texture the way it should be. The spice rub was fragrant and had just enough of a kick to compliment the flavours of the fish. The vegetable salad accompaniment was crunchy and a cool partner to the spicy fish as was the citrusy lime sauce. Beautiful… the fries were crispy and perfectly seasoned, the pak choi garlicky and cooked perfectly for me with just enough crunch. I had very little of the rice but it worked well with the overall dish, I probably didn’t need the fries as well but I am never one to turn down a decent chip!
Mr Phatcupcake’s steak was well seasoned and cooked medium, as requested. I state this as part of my review because we have been to many a good restaurant in the past and some places just cannot cook a steak properly. Such a shame when purchasing such an expensive cut of meat. He tells me his chips (which, were of the chunky variety so different to mine) were fluffy inside with an impressive crunchy outside. He said he thought it was missing a vegetable of some kind but, considering he didn’t have room for a dessert, I don’t think it made too much of a difference.
Anyone that knows me ever so slightly will know that I am a dessert person, in fact, I would have pudding as a starter if I was ever in doubt that I would still have room for one after my main course. This made both our waiter and the maitre d’ giggle followed by a recommendation of sticky toffee pudding (£6.50). I was also promised that it would contain zero calories because it was a recommendation. With a promise like that I asked for a cocktail that would compliment it and the lemon cheesecake was quickly delivered to our table.
Now that is what I call a cocktail, creamy with a spicy undernote from the gingerbread and cinnamon with a real sharp zesty kick from the lemon. In the words of Craig Revel-Horwood ‘Fab-U-Lous’!
The sticky toffee pudding was the perfect size for one (sorry Mr Phatcupcake!) and the vanilla ice cream very good. The cake itself was lacking a bit of stickiness for my liking, I’m not sure if this would have come from the addition of some dates? Still, it was firm in texture and the butterscotch sauce worked well.
After dessert we took the opportunity to retire to the new terrace which, overlooks the street to the side of the restaurant. The addition of many patio heaters and comfy loungers makes for a fabulous place to chill and watch the world go by. I decided to have a final cocktail, well it would be rude not to, and opted for the rhubard and custard:
Overall we had a fabulous night made perfect by the brilliant customer service delivered by the staff at The Restaurant Bar and Grill. The food was good and we will definitely be returning, including pre night out drinks on the Terrace in the very near future
On the walk to catch the train home I noticed this fella is back decking the Town Hall. I blame the fuzziness of this picture on the movement of walking and not the delightful cocktails I had consumed… *hick*
We dined as guests of the restaurant. This has in no way affected my review which is an honest account of my dining experience.
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