Manchester united in flavour
From the best of British to exotic dishes, Steve McKenna savours the northern city’s culinary revolution.
Manchester cuisine has often been synonymous with the fiery dishes of its Curry Mile (a string of Middle Eastern, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants south of the city centre), chip butties (buttery sandwiches loaded with fries) and meaty stews such as Betty’s Hotpot, the speciality of Betty Turpin, the late barmaid at Coronation Street’s Rovers Return.
While the city has an increasingly diverse culinary scene, reflecting the tastes of its cosmopolitan population, Mancunians still enjoy their trusty favourites, whether it’s at down-to-earth haunts with peeling wallpaper and no- nonsense service, or at more refined establishments which put a modern twist on classics.
The Albert Square Chop House is one of the slick new wave of eateries whose menus proudly flaunt upscale takes on hearty British pub grub.
Set in a Venetian Gothic-style building designed in 1866 by Mancunian architect Thomas Worthington, it has a cosy ground-floor saloon bar and more formal downstairs restaurant, with photographs of Manchester’s great and good gracing the walls. Its corned-beef hash cake gets rave reviews and I’m tempted by the homity pie (Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese, potato and caramelised onion pie with cauliflower, lemon and marjoram salad) but I plump for the braised steak and lamb’s kidney pudding, chunky chips, mushy peas and thick gravy. It takes me about half an hour to eat. Appetising as well as filling, it’s worth the £13 ($25) price tag, and just the ticket ahead of an afternoon’s sightseeing.
Dating back to the 16th century, chop houses were traditionally the preserve of businessmen who would hatch deals over meaty dishes washed down by fine wines and good ales. The local company that owns this restaurant also runs Mr Thomas’s Chop House, which has a gorgeous tiled Victorian interior, and the equally ornate Sam’s Chop House, which used to count L.S. Lowry as one of its regulars (it even has a statue of this late, great local artist at the bar).
Another esteemed British affair is Hawksmoor which, in March, opened its first branch outside London in the old Victorian Courthouse building on Deansgate. Punters flock here for grass-fed beef steaks and sumptuous Sunday roasts.
Set in the landmark Midland Hotel, Mr Cooper’s House & Garden promises “gutsy yet elegant” food such as Cumbrian lamb chops with balsamic- roasted beetroot, star anise and cinnamon, and hake fillet with parsley and blue-cheese risotto, pine nuts and purple sprouting broccoli.
Mr Cooper’s is run by acclaimed chef Simon Rogan, who is perhaps more readily associated with his other chic Midland Hotel offering, The French.
Lauded for its multi-course tasting menus spiked with ingredients grown on Rogan’s farm in Cumbria, The French has won a raft of awards since opening in 2013 but has so far failed to gain a Michelin star. It’s not alone, however. Remarkably, Manchester has had no Michelin-starred establishments for decades.
Often mentioned alongside The French as Manchester’s best fine-dining restaurant, Manchester House is helmed by a Merseysider — BBC Great British Menu-winning celebrity chef Aiden Byrne — and offers dishes such as Cumbrian veal fillet with cacao beans and foie-gras mousse (£34), and a delectable (£95) tasting menu.
You’ll find this in Spinningfields, a glossy business district that’s been dubbed “the Canary Wharf of the North”.
Other enticing spots in this skyscraper-strewn neighbourhood include Australasia, Brazilian churrascaria Fazenda and Spanish chain Iberica, which seduces tapas lovers with fried chorizo lollipops, iberico ham and black rice with squid, prawns and aioli. There’s a glut of Mediterranean-accented restaurants in the city centre, especially on King Street, where 47 King Street West and San Carlo vie for cashed-up customers. Jamie Oliver’s Italian occupies the old Midland Bank, and nearby on Spring Gardens, former Manchester United soccer star Rio Ferdinand owns the up-market Italian affair Rosso.
For everything from gut-busting brunches to gourmet burgers, in creative, arty surrounds, head to the Northern Quarter, where old textile mills have been converted into eccentric shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.
From next month, it’s worth nosing inside the Corn Exchange, a Grade II-listed building and former shopping centre near the revamped Victoria railway station. It has undergone a $60 million transformation and will house more than a dozen restaurants.
With the warmer months approaching, Manchester’s pop-up/street-food scene is getting ever more vibrant.
Urban Food Fest has launched its first venture outside London’s Shoreditch at the Euro Car Parks on Deansgate, with live music and 15 trucks serving the likes of souvlaki, poffertjes and Portuguese egg tarts. Street-food collective Guerrilla Eats kicked off a 12-week residency at The Wonder Inn in mid-March. Expect hot dogs, schnitzels, zesty North African offerings and much more.
For year-round street-style treats, pop into the Arndale Market, where you’ll find a melting-pot of choices, from Mexican to Vietnamese. And if you really want a chip butty, there are loads of chippies and kebab shops that will happily take your order.
FACT FILE
For an overview of Manchester's dining scene, and news on the latest openings, see visitmanchester.com.
