Category Archives: Eating Out Reviews

At restaurants, pubs and other fine eateries

The Millstone – Newton-le-Willows

October 12, 2014 thecooktwit 1 Comment

“A little bit of the world in Newton le Willows!”

Difficult to believe but somehow it seems to work. The Millstone is a small hostelry offering International tapas. It is on Mill lane heading out of Newton. It’s a little bit out of the way to be part of the standard High Street pub crawl. It’s niche really is its small and friendly bar offering decent cask ales for its merry band of regulars. It doubles up as a pit stop for our Sunday stroll. The pub is only small, square in shape, symmetrical set in two. You walk through the central door to be greeted by the small well kept, ‘U’ shaped bar to the right. The small, ‘thirtyish’ covers dining area is set behind a partition to the left. Cream and navy paint allied to neat signage and oak furnishings present the gaff in a smart, contemporary manner.

A couple of big tellys in the bar side mean its a favourite with the sports fans. When we ventured in for a romantic trist we had not factored in the Rugby League Grand final. It was wonderful to be reminded throughout our meal that the Warrington Barmy Army were in and in fine fettle! Still such is the way the dining area is set off from the bar side you can enjoy your meal in relative seclusion. It was a little unusual on this occasion for it to be quite so raucous! Newton is a rugby town after all.

Head chef Paul uses quality local and international ingredients to produce the goods. His mediterranean influence sparked by a seven year stint running a restaurant in Portugal. He prepares all the dishes to order on his trusty six burner stove and his huge collection of IKEA pans! This ensures the food is hot, tasty and perfectly cooked. Some dishes work, some don’t work quite so well. As well as the international tapas they do a steak on a stone, a traditional Sunday lunch and a first rate paella.

Platter, salmon kebab, bury tapas, Panko cod

Our opening platter of feta, anchovies, peppers and olives with warm bread was delightful. As were the spicy kidneys. My bury black pudding tapas in mustard cream was less so. The garish yellow sauce being a bit thin and sweet for me. The wine is good and well priced and my Thwaites Wainwright set the scene nicely.

In contrast to some tapas bars the morsels turn up together and are then dotted around your table. This gives me the chance to steal some of The Flames superior choice at will, much to her annoyance!

King prawn fajitas, lamb chops, chicken chorizo stew

The menu is extensive and skirts around all walks of international cuisine. Spanish, Indian, Chinese, Mexican and many more all get a chance. I have witnessed a substantial paella in the past which I have yet to try. After our opening platter we ordered a further three dishes each (we were hungry!). The flame homed in on the fishy side of things which are thoughtfully listed separately. In no particular order we wolfed through a Cod in Panko breadcrumbs and a sweet chilli jam, salmon kebabs dusted in Cajun spices, Mini King Prawn fajitas, chicken and chorizo stew, bury black pudding in a mustard cream sauce and lamb cutlets. We washed this lot down with some spicy wedges and some warm bread.

The ensemble. Cosy dining area, Apple Betty

The dishes are all around a fiver, plus or minus a quid if there’s some posh fish involved. For me the lamb cutlets won. Four beautifully cooked chops around eight millimetres thick (are you sure they weren’t 9mm? – Ed). Another highlight was the king prawn fajitas, well cooked prawns with a hint of heat. The flame reckoned the chicken and chorizo stew won and who am I to disagree? To be fair it was all pretty good. As I mentioned above the slight downer being the swimming sauce around Bury’s finest. Using my special dessert stomach I managed an apple Betty with three scoops of ice cream just to finish!

This lot all romped in at £60. We had quite a bit of grub and drink for that, after all we can both walk here! It was a crisp bright night so it was a pleasant walk home. So there you have it Newton has a few decent places to eat! We always nip to Ariete if we want Italian and Amans for Indian. If you want a flash of Spain, The Millstone is the one.

The Millstone
71 Mill Lane Newton-leWillows, Cheshire
01925 569306
http://www.themillstone.org

Eating Out Reviews

The Elephant – Woolton, Liverpool

September 8, 2014 thecooktwit 1 Comment

“Another quality food and drink emporium from the Simon Rimmer stable”

It was a rather subdued young relative that The Flame and I picked up from her newly acquired abode on the outskirts of Liverpool. Another session of student life beckons. However, the poor girl was minus her usual ‘bonhomie’ on account of her having her wheels half inched within hours of arrival by the local hub cap collection service. We figured an honest feed would win over the day. A quick plug into the ‘smartish’ phone revealed that Simon Rimmer’s new gaff ‘The Elephant’ was a mere five miles away. We pointed the steed towards leafy Woolton.

Always had a good meal at a Simon Rimmer place. He likes his fresh local produce, and that is what’s promised at The Elephant. Earle in Hale is good and his veggie haunt ‘Greens’ in Didsbury (reviewed here) is always good for a decent feed, so I reckoned we were in for a treat.

We slowly entered the sunlit village. The Elephant homed into view. And what a splendid sight. Dappled in bright sunshine punctuated with copious amounts of brightly coloured foliage. It really did look the part. A smart outdoor area was being heavily utilised, we doubted we would get in.

However, the three of us were quickly ‘ooshed’ to a bright wooden booth complete with scatter cushions. Water based restoratives were quickly provided by the bright, smartly uniformed young chaps and lassies. All was well. As it was a Sunday the menu was a simple affair reflecting the British tradition of a hearty Sunday roast.

The logo. Simple menu

First impressions of the newly opened unit were entirely favourable. Farrow and Ball and the branding lads have done well here. The duck egg blue paintwork looked smart and contemporary. Any doubts that you were in The Elephant are quickly dashed as there are elephants everywhere, be it pictures or sculptures. There is a bit of a logo fest going on. Even the cutlery tins are branded! Still, it all looks rather agreeable. You could bring your mum here no trouble.

And what about the grub? Well as I said its simple Sunday fayre, but by hokey its good. The Flame kicked off with the healthy option. roasted salmon on a feta salad (£9.95). She concluded all was well, particularly liking the feta which gave the whole ensemble an acidic lift.

The aforementioned, hurting young relative was suitably perked to crash through a sensational Fish, Chip and minted mushy pea fest (£10.95). I’m a great lover of the traditional chippy tea and this was as good as any I’ve seen. I think you’ll agree from the image. Our ordinarily difficult to please student was well chuffed. I managed a quick forkful and concur that quality is the ‘mot juste’.

I continued my unofficial quest for the best Sunday Roast beef. At £9.95 this was well up there with the best. The beef was rare, tender and very tasty, just as I like it. All the veg wonderfully cooked and all piping hot. The only issue for me was that I wasnt able to indulge in the vast array of craft beers that were on offer. Such was the choice that a beautifully presented (and branded) booklet was on hand to help. A previous nights excessive binge on the ‘hop’ had led The Flame to suggest I should refrain on this quaint afternoon occasion.

a bit more fish & roast, brownie and cheesecake

For research purposes the baked cheesecake with raspberry sauce (£4.95) was tested. And it was proper. No moussey mess here, proper baked job, lovely. The vexed student commiserated with a chocolatey brownie and caramel ice cream (£4.95), again voted in with a considerable majority. No re-election needed here.

Branded tins, craft ale, branded tab slate

All in all a cracking afternoon. The bill came to £46.95 for the three of us and not a bad course. The service was superb, swarmed as we were with young, pleasant enthusiastic waiters. We reckon we’ve found another favourite and if you fancy something really different tagged round the back is ‘The Liberty Tavern‘ an American diner full of lobster and pancakes. We’ll be trying that one as well soon.

The Elephant, 1 Woolton St, Woolton, L25 5NH

0151 909 3909

http://www.theelephantwoolton.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

The Red Rose Diner – East Lancashire Railway

August 21, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“Our very own Orient Express……..in Bury”

We ventured as a foursome to the gritty, northern town of Bury. I say gritty, but an afternoon stroll revealed it to in fact be pretty heftily furnished with colourful blooms. Maybe it’s upping its game? We were loosely celebrating a special birthday. A quick tour of the market, a black pudding, a pint in the ‘The Two Tubs’ before an afternoon relax at ‘The Rostrevor’ hotel.

Suitably spruced, we set out once again to take our place on ‘The Red Rose Diner’, a steam hauled dining train which is birthed at the rather excellent ‘East Lancashire Railway’. We are promised a step into a world of vintage glamour and sophistication with an ultimate foodie experience.

Well first things first. This little jaunt has a rather fortuitous starting post. It resides right next to ‘The Trackside’ pub. The pub itself is set in former railway buildings on the platform at Bury Bolton Street station. It’s mission appears to be to offer more real ales than any other pub I’ve ever been. I think it is succeeding. The place was packed with locals and Red Rose customers alike. A pint of ‘Piston Broke’ was ordered to oil the cook twit pipes. The platform remained a thriving sea of well stocked eggs, ready to take their place on the chocolate and cream diner.

Once ensconced into our romantic four berth booth we quickly got on with sorting out the next round of booze. My hawk eyed celebrant and partner had picked up on the sensational note that your own grape juice could be brought on board. A couple of ‘bots’ of Tuscany’s finest was acquired from the local M&S. The less hawk eyed had failed to pick up on the £7.50 corkage fee (or screw top removal fee!), thus rendering any monetary gain as negligible. Still it was good plonk.

With the vino sorted we were then presented with a goblet of bubbly to quaff with our first course of Galia melon complete with a couple of spoonfuls of forest fruits. If I was being picky, the melon was a tad ripe for me and was for all practical purposes impenetrable using the prescribed, humble teaspoon. However I persevered and at least achieved a cleansing of the palate. It looked good though, as with everything here it was presented with elegance and elan. By this time the train had chuffed nonchalantly from its sidings and hit the Irwell straight at a heady 25mph.

Next up the soup course. This was a much better effort for me. Mushroom and stilton soup. The flame was perturbed, her least favourite soup, not sure where the stilton was but there was plenty of earthy mushrooms on offer. It tasted wonderful and had a proper mushroom colour too. The loco had rested by now on the spectacular Sommerseat Viaduct, offering stunning but ever darkening views of the river beneath.

The more experienced waiting operatives shimmered in and out from service like an expectant Jeeves whilst the young helpers fluttered around. The service was all rather pleasant. Young and old alike providing the food and unscrewing the wine top. The mains were up next. The hot plate presented first with a piping hot, herb crusted cod. A decent wedge too. The young flutterers lined up to add the basic veg of carrots and green beans along with Lyonnais potatoes and roast potatoes. I think we managed to acquire a fairly exclusive romesco sauce to add piquancy and moisture. Considering the obvious kitchen constraints the food was presented very well and arrived piping hot. It was tasty too. A further rest on Ramsbottom station afforded the neat idea that we were truly living in the vintage past. Some old cases were piled up on the platform.

The train wended its way further up the line towards Rawtenstall where the fine crimson steed was allowed to rest and slink back from the front to restart the non stop rumble back. A dessert of creme brûlée and a shortbread biscuit sweetened the occasion washed up with a decent coffee and mints.

Some three hours later we found ourselves back at The Trackside for a nightcap. The whole shebang had notched up a fee of £44 each. A bit pricey? Perhaps, but presumably we were adding some coinage to keep this wonderful locomotive and it’s rolling stock in the gleaming condition it was in. It’s all kept together by the honest toil of enthusiastic volunteers. If I’m honest the actual food bit was nothing too special. Very Good? yes, exceptional? Not really. Compared to a decent, contemporary restaurant it was left a bit wanting. It was a basic menu with no choice, but it was served beautifully, and was nice and hot. The Red Rose dining experience is all about the setting and the drama of travelling by steam and recreating the heady decadence of a time gone by. It does that in spades.

Red Rose Diners are the ultimate dining experience, perfect for romantic meals and friendly get-togethers. Red Rose Diners run on selected Fridays and Saturdays between February and November.

The happy throng. L-R The celebrant & partner, The Flame, The Cooktwit

Bolton Street, Bury BL9 0EY
T: 0161 764 7790 (lines open daily 10am – 4pm)
http://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk

Eating Out Reviews

The Nags Head at Haughton

August 15, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“Another quality addition to Nigel Haworth’s Ribble Valley Pub Chain”

I’ve always had a soft spot for the RVI pubs. Ever since The flame treated me to an overnight sesh at Northcote Manor we have kept a keen eye on developments of the Northcote offshoots. There are five now. From “The Three Fishes”, reviewed previously here to “The Bull at Broughton”. The original four are dotted up North in the bowels of Lancashire (although one strays close to Yorkshire!). The Nags Head at Haughton is the first excursion into deepest Cheshire. And blimey it is an excursion as well. It was labelled as Tarpoley, but it seems a fair few more miles before you hit Haughton. Mind you it’s a handsome sight as the sat nav informs you that you have finally made it.

This is what the term “quintessential rural country pub” was invented for. A soft timbered, red tiled dwelling surrounded by greenery and gravel. A vast outdoor seating area dominates to the right as you enter. The weather was a little mixed when The Flame and I rocked up. I could imagine on a barmy summers eve the garden could be a thriving village with its own name! It was a wet Sunday Lunch when we turned in. We had booked a table for two at two on the efficient website. It’s only been open a few months, I reckon the place was half full, but by the time we left it had swelled considerably. A good sign.

Spot The Dead parrot! Nice plumage.

It’s fairly clear some serious wedge has left the wallet of the RVI encumbents. A substantial, mock tudor hangar has been grafted on to the original modest dwelling. Some of the timbers looked real! The decor and fittings are all top notch. The colour scheme and material selection is exactly how you would never do it at home, but somehow it works. A complete mismatch of materials, colours and patterns, fused by the dominance of petrol blue and cream. I even think there was a dead parrot on one of the fabrics. It had nice plumage anyway. The tables and chairs are smart, contemporary, comfortable and well sized for the job in hand.

More Interior design

So what about the grub. Well as I say it was a Sunday lunch menu, printed neatly black on white. I’ve don’t recall a bad course at an RVI. The closest I’ve been was probably here for my starter. Pigeon, black pudding Kiev, with pickled carrot and a few other bits and pieces. The expectant ooze of buttery garlic failed to materialise. I was left with a rather dry fork of gamey flesh. It was marginally moistened and enhanced when matched with a morsel of soused carrot. It was fairly good but no where near as good as The Flames’ chargrilled sardines on sourdough toast and a rafagado sauce. Thankfully the flame quickly realised this was a significant portion and slapped a quarter of the feast on to my plate. Blimey this was good, real quality. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Sardines, the brew, drinks, pigeon kiev

For mains the flame again came up trumps. A staggering goosnargh chicken leg and ham pie with peas, beans and lettuce. Served with an element of drama it came with the leg bone protruding through the top. It looked superb and when opened up it looked even better. Plenty of salty ham, clung together with a hint of tarragon cream. It was delish. The flame complained of a soggy bottom but I told her to carry on with the exercises, I’m sure it will tighten up (she meant the pie! – Ed). Again such was the portion size that I managed a few fork fulls. A truly handsome plate of food.

Amazing chicken ham pie, a decent hake and chips

I played too safe. Battered Hake and real dripping cooked chips, homemade tartare sauce and crushed garden peas. Beautifully cooked and presented it tasted great as expected, but I must admit I had an envious glance at the next table who had the Sunday roast. Some corking slabs of aged Angus rump. That really did look well. They even took a photo of it. How sad is that? I’ll be back for some of that.

Handsome bar, fancy toilet tiles!

For research purposes I had a chocolate sundae, largely to try the ice cream from Ginger Comforts. It was rather splendid and finished off a fine meal.

Chocolate Sundae, menu, gun table

So there you have it. Nigel and the Ribble Valley Inn chain have moved south and into Cheshire. The Sunday lunch cost £21 for the three courses. A couple of quid over some I suppose but getting your ingredients from local artisans such as the Cheshire Smokehouse don’t come cheap. Let’s hope it’s the first of a few more. It’s a bit of a trek for some but I think it’s worth it. Recommended.

The Nag’s Head

Long Lane,

Haughton Moss,

Near Tarporley,

Cheshire,

CW6 9RN

Telephone:

01829 260265

http://www.nagsheadhaughton.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

Amans Indian – Newton-le-Willows

August 11, 2014 thecooktwit 1 Comment

“Probably the best Indian Restaurant in Newton!”

Like most provincial communities, my home town of Newton-le-Willows has succumbed to the rising influence of the great British curry. A veritable phalanx of spicy food emporiums have come and gone. That said a good number have been here a good while now. “The Fort of India”, “Balti Towers”, “Shajahan”, “Belash” to name but a few, have seemingly found a niche in the local gastronomic scene. However, theres a new kid in town, ‘Amans’ has rooted a dark almost satanic frontage smack bang in the middle of (a faintly resurgent) Newton High Street.

It has an even more imposing gaff a few miles away down the East Lancs at Astley. On that occasion the old “Queens Arms” succumbed, at Newton it was merely a solicitor that went pop! (I think!). Amans it seems is taking over the North West with Congleton, Lowton and Bramhall either fallen or next in line.

So what’s it like? It’s pretty good really. I could stop there but I won’t (groan – Ed). I feel I should set this review in context. Owing to The flames virtual intolerance of Indian food it is very rare The Cooktwit gets to indulge in the fruits of Indian cuisine. That said, out with the boys a few months back I had a glorious meal at Mughli on the curry mile in Manchester which was sensational and is reviewed here on the blog, Amans has a tough benchmark to match.

As I have mentioned black is the main colour, helped along by a purple neon edge. Long gone are the mismatched tables and paper tablecloths. New Indian restaurants nowadays endeavour to ooze sophistication. Amans is no different. As it’s new it is smart. A purple backed, fret cut, wall matrix serving as the feature backdrop. A bizarre wall of plaster ceiling roses forming the way up the stairs to the upper floor and the loos.

The neon purpleage matrix, smart outside and in.

Believe it or not The Flame was here on this occasion. Along with six others we were celebrating the flight of leading nephew Ben as he bolts off to China on a teaching shindig. A ‘swifty’ in the Pied Bull across the road meant at least one decent pint could be had before I had to have Kingfisher! As is the norm in most Indian restaurants, Amans present us with a luxurious, metallic, golden tome. It takes hours to get through. In my eyes it presents the first negative comparison with Mughli. Their entire menu is presented on the side of one card. It is the work of a moment to select your meal.

With the miriad of dishes and sauces on offer I am reminded of the TV programme ‘The Restaurant Man’. If you are not familiar, the premise being that a handsome cove, well versed in what makes a successful foodie joint work, trots round to would be owners and tells them where it’s all going wrong. One episode featured some good natured Asian ladies who had the laudable idea of cooking and selling real Indian food, just as their grandma had taught them. The snag had been how they could create their wonderful dishes to the scale they needed to make some cash. A head chef was hired. He immediately purchased a huge vat and an industrial ‘whizzer’ in order to create huge quantities of the ‘base’ sauce. Every dish would therefore start off as this but then have a little something extra added just prior to service to create a ‘different’ dish. It was incredibly off putting for me. Im not saying Amans do this but I sense many Indian restaurants do this in order to service these vast offerings.

I digress though. In order to make sure my experience of Amans is not tainted, the flame and I opt from the non standard half of the menu. It makes a pleasing change. I go for ‘Tahori Fish’ to start, pieces of seabass in a light batter (£4.95). Two pieces of beautifully cooked fish, marred slightly by the appalling effort of a garnish. Why restaurants think we diners appreciate scrags of limp lettuce, a shred of onion and an olive is beyond me, but it seems to be ‘de rigeur’ in some places. The flame trooped home in first place with some stunning pieces of chicken. Called ‘MalayTikka’ (£4.25) Tender pieces of chicken marinated with mayonnaise, ground almond, ground spices and natural yoghurt. I managed a morsel and have to say it was superb and moist. The salad was from the same pot as mine! Sadly I didn’t manage to get a pic as she had wolfed it in no time.

For mains we again went off beam and came up trumps. The flame probably won again ‘Pangash Biraan’ (£10.25) described as white fish fillet marinated with medium spices and lightly pan fried, served with sauteed onions, red and green peppers, spring onion and garnished with lemon and coriander. The fish was superb, beautifully cooked with a light spicy, seasoned coat. The flame had to shove the mound of onions off to one side (there was no peppers or spring onion garnish) but other than she said she would come again just for this. Can’t say fairer than that. The same scraggy garnish made it to the plate! I went for a ‘Lamb Chop Balti’ (a slightly whopping £11.45, but boy this was good. Five, tender chops wonderfully cooked in a rich tasty sauce. They were very pleasant. I left a mound of dry bones and mopped up the sauce with some boiled rice and a chapati. The desserts on offer were the usual freezer based ice creams, no ‘Rasmalai’ I’m afraid. At least the well turned out waiters laughed when I asked for it!

I’d have to say we all enjoyed it. The place was packed out. The service was efficient and friendly, giving us just the right amount of gap between courses. We certainly weren’t rushed. As a standard Indian restaurant it was very good. A few Indian pale ales wouldn’t go amiss to top up the Kingfisher and the cans of ‘Tetley Smooth!’

If you’re in Newton le Willows and want an Indian you really couldn’t beat it. It is probably the best Indian in Newton! But, if you want to try something a little different and have the time I would see if Mughli have a table and get the next train to Oxford Road, then a £5 taxi to Rusholme. Explore the simple menu and enjoy. It cost us £50 a couple at Amans. I reckon you wouldn’t spend much more going down the curry mile. A welcome addition to Newton though. We will go back (if they let me!).

Amans Indian Restaurant

61 High Street

Newton-le-Willows

Merseyside

WA12 9SL

T 01925 292677

amansindian.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

Bacaro – Liverpool

July 30, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“The more sophisticated member of the Salt House family. Lovely”

Occasionally the Cooktwit ventures west. A Manchester United supporter will sometimes allow a jaunty surjourn into the lofty, port side metrop of Liverpool. In fairness the sea frontage is a thing of beauty. In this instance the cooktwit. with a nod to his arty side was nipping into the Tate to view a couple of blocky, coloured pics by a long departed French cove called Piet Mondrian. Apparently he got quite famous for painting coloured squares and had some digs in London in the early 1900’s specifically for the cause. Naturally the jaunt had to include some decent grub and a beer.

The selected establishment this time was Italian Tapas experts Bacaro. Bacaro is the sister of its noisier neighbour Salthouse Tapas that I reviewed only a few weeks back. I was impressed that time and had heard that this was even better. It took some finding. I actually fired google maps up to discover we were across the road. It doesn’t exactly shout out from the street, subtlety being the word here. But hey once inside things start to look up. A dark, classical decor harks to a more sophisticated atmosphere than its sister. Quieter, higher quality fittings. You could turn up with your tinsel and tiara here or your jeans and fit in quite nicely.

The flame and I settled on a table for two in the centre. A schooner of ‘Meantime’ London Pale Ale had the cook twit settled in a thrice. Things were looking good. And then we got the menus. No readers meant the grey on brown menu was hard to decipher. The lunch menu much easier to digest, £12.50 for three courses. As we were on a mission we quickly decided this was for us. A choice of twelve delicious sounding dishes. As with most tapas restaurants the dishes simply rock up when chef gets them ready. This can lead to a pile up at certain points.

Things started at a pleasing rate, charcuterie platter and some lovely rosemary faccacia bread with oil. We each munched along with a joyous smile. Then entering side right, the pan fried sea bass with cannellini beans, feta and tomato. We decided to split in half. The beans were a bit cold but the sea bass was wonderful, tight crisp skin over succulent white flesh, very nice. For me The Flame wasted one of her dishes by having the house salad, it was pleasant enough, but salad! My chicken and aubergine pizzette turned up. Nicely mounted on its own board complete with its own chrome pizza cutter, nice touch. It tasted good as well. Again we split two ways.

While I wasn’t looking in popped another of my choices. Chicken Caesar sliders. These were a revelation. As we got two, it was an easy share. Basically it was a mini schnitzel on a brioche bun with salad and mayo. Top dish. The plates were flying in by this time. Belly pork with butternut squash sage and chilli was next. What can I say? soft fatty, luscious pork with a shield of crispy crackling down one side. I managed to cut, roughly in half. Some might say my half was biggest but who’s counting? Set on a very tasty mash of butternut squash, it was another cracking little dish.

charcuterie, foccacia, coffee, cheesecake

For research purpose I had to try the cheesecake which had apple and caramel popcorn on it. To be fair this was pretty standard ‘moussey’ stuff and at £4.95 I could have missed it. We then finished with a decent coffee. All in all a very pleasant luncheon. It set us back £44, not bad with the drinks and the extras. I would have to say this was better than Salt House Tapas for me. A bit more grown up, nicer atmosphere. I would definitely come again and try something from the sensational looking full menu. The Flame has it on her radar for when she comes shopping with her mates. So there we have it another one to try in Liverpool. It’s looking good.

Bacaro

47 Castle St,

Central,

Liverpool L2 9UB

0151 665 0047

http://www.salthousebacaro.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

Michael Caines – Abode Hotel Manchester

July 17, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“A quiet, intimate, plush space with some beautifully presented plates” On the face of it a bit of a boring Tuesday night was on cards, but this was different. The Cooktwit was having another year grafted onto his CV. To celebrate The Flame breezed into town to take me out for a slap up scran. Having tossed a coin between many offers, the penny finally settled on Michael Caines Restaurant which is housed deep in the bowels of the Abode Hotel up at the Piccaddilly end of Manchester. After a quick livener at ‘Beef and Pudding’ the architectural, sunlit frontage of the Abode homed into view.

Avoiding the cafe grill bit to the right we aimed left and sunk the several flights of stairs to the altogether swankier outlook of the restaurant. Mind you it took a few delicate minutes to bypass the suited greeters as our online booking was lost in the ether. As it was early, (six thirtyish) we were soon guided to a suitable spot. We entered the dark, hushed arena. Brown and grey hues were thoughtfully punctuated with spots of orange. Orange is the signature colour here. The smart Caine’s logo as well as the staff ties were all decked out with it. High end furnishings meant our table was a good size and the seating comfortable. The flame faced outwards from a plush banquette. I faced the mirrored wall on a four legged tub. This is swanky with a capital ‘S’. We both felt we should have put our posh frocks on!

Orange, The Who, orange brown and swanky

Once seated a complimentary peach and sherry cocktail served to get the spirits zinging. We then surveyed the clear, sparse menu. We had already stated we were going for the special ‘Spring into Summer’ menu. £24.95 for three courses. Choice of four starts, four mains and four desserts. Bit stingey on choice I suppose, but we were both able to select something that suited. We listened in to one or two others. The maître di (s) were overheard describing the tasting menu and the a la carte. Sounded good. Once we had selected, our passionate, knowledgable sommelier swept over to help chose a nice glass of wine to suit our choice. We also elected to have the substantial bread course (£1.50 each).

Within a short sketch the first course shimmered into view. The flame went for the salmon mouse which came with pickled beetroot and a raisin vinaigrette. I had the confit duck terrine with an elderflower and champagne jelly and a peach purée. Both dishes were sublime, both in presentation and taste. My duck dish was a gamey delight, edged beautifully with spots of peach. We were both well chuffed. We mopped up with the warm homemade breads. Mains were equally good. The flame had her favourite, chicken, albeit this one was rolled up in a ballotine. Beautifully scented with tarragon, it was seated next to a pea purée and a white wine sauce. I managed a slice of the chicken. It was perfect, full of flavour and not too much tarragon. I had the cod, which was surrounded by pan fried gnocchi, green beans, mushroom purée and a chicken jus. The fish was perfectly cooked, each see through flake. The gnocchi together with the fish was a tad unusual. The gnocchi having a dense texture. The whole lot washed wonderfully with the mushroom sauce. The Chardonnay helped as well!

Duck terrine, chicken ballotine, cod, salmon mousse

After managing to hold back our attentive and eager service we finally went for a dessert. After the initial disappointment of being told chef would not serve the lemon tart (as it was not up to scratch!) I went for my second choice, caramel tart with mascarpone ice cream and grated lemon. The flame had the ‘Opera gateaux’. I think I won here. My tart was superb, the delicate, crispy, sweet crust had to be broken through before combining with a smudge of the ice cream. A fine end.

We ended the scheme properly with a decent coffee and petit fours. I think someone had tipped chef off that it was my birthday! We both nodded to say that yes this was a very nice meal. The flame really felt it was her sort of place. Despite the headline price of £24.95 each, the costs soon ratchet up, £4.50 each for the coffee! The bill came to £90 including a 12% service. Pretty good really and to be fair the service was top notch. The waiters and waitresses were plentiful, all attentive, efficient, knowledgeable and never missed a beat. I’d recommend for a special occasion. You could pop the question here! And as a rocker they even had a pic of the ‘orrible ooh’ on the way to the loos. Can’t say fairer than that.

Michael Caines at Abode

177 Piccadilly Manchester M1 2DB

0161 247 7744 abodemanchester.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

The Deaf Institute – Manchester

July 12, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“A surprising little find just off the beaten track”

I may have mentioned earlier, as well as liking his grub, The Cook Twit likes his heavy metal and tries to keep his beer belly in check. A hot, humid, drizzly Monday eve presented a bit of a problem. Devotion to his cause meant he had to trek along to extraordinaire rock god Sebastion Bach whilst juggling a notion of keeping his weight in tune with a ’52 diet’ fast day. The breakfast and lunch had passed with ease having merely chugged some porridge and an apple. The dilemma what to have for tea. Young Seb was treading the boards at The Academy on Oxford Road, I know there is plenty of quickie food joints up there, pizzas, kebabs, burgers all standard student fayre. Cutting to the chase I slipped off the main drag and stepped early doors into hip joint The Deaf Institute.

I believe it is a cousin of more mainstream city centre stalwarts Trof and Gorilla.
The outside looks good. It occupies a grade two listed building finished in 1877, that was formerly the Adult Deaf and Dumb Institute. It still has a brilliant, carved moniker sat above the doorway which says “Deaf And Dumb”. Also above the door is a carving of a hand on a book which was the emblem used at the time on badges worn by the deaf.
Inside is just as good. High ceilings, ferocious wallpaper, well worn schoolboy furniture, trendy chandeliers, it is a grungy delight. Deep bass, thumping chilled out sounds oozed from the transistorised amplification. Not many in, but hey it’s drizzly and it’s Monday. Still I’m happy, a copy of ‘The Skinny’ and a black coffee, I’m sorted. (Coffee!!! – Ed)

I still have to eat though, how do I get something for three hundred calories? I surveyed the hard to read, black type on red, graphic menu. Some great stuff on there. It’s a limited offering. Breakfast , burgers, hot dogs, a Sunday roast and some salads.

I went for the ‘Crunchy Mexican Streetfood Salad’ (£5). I added a grilled lemon chicken breast for an extra £1. The salad was essentially a mound of grated white and red cabbage, carrot. radishes, coriander, jalapeños, lime and brown rice. It had a few chick peas as well. It came with an oily, but mainly vinegary dressing. I have to say it was lovely. Fresh, zingy, crunchy with a healthy ‘chillified’ kick, it was absolutely lovely. The chicken was a tad overdone for me, I have a knack of cooking it still moist which is rarely replicated outside.

I’m not sure it truly met my three hundred calorie target, but I’m sure it was less than the burger and fries!
They have a great cocktail and beer menu as well. They have tons of bottled beer from all over the world including some decent American pale ales. As I was keeping off the alcohol I had a blueberry and banana smoothie (£3.50). It just hit the spot. It set me up wonderfully for a sweaty metal night. It all came to just over a tenner. It’s gone on my list. If you’re heading up to the Student area from town to a gig, you can do worse than nip in to The Deaf Institute for pre gig livener. I’ll be going again defo.

The Deaf Institute
135 Grosvenor Street
Manchester
M1 7HE
T: 0161 276 9350

Thedeafinstitute.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

The Lord Clyde – Kerridge, Macclesfield

July 5, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“An extraordinary meal. A kaleidoscope of textures and tastes”

I’ve long wanted to try The Lord Clyde. Pretty much ever since I found twitter the incredible images emanating from the @erniechef handle have had me all of a quiver. Further reviews have merely added to my need to try. And so it came last Saturday. The Flame was in need of attention. The Cooktwit had bagged a weekends golf in Blackpool. As part of the ‘Brownie point’ totalising system that all men run, a trip of epic proportions was called for. Step forward ‘The Lord Clyde’. Not that The Flame had ever heard of it. Some might suggest it was me that wanted to try it really, but I’m not having that!

The Lord Clyde (or ‘TLC’ going forward!) was a humble pub set in a village outside Macclesfield called Kerridge. It’s still set in Kerridge, but under the talented wings of Chef Ernst and hospitality guru Sarah since July 2013, it has slowly transformed into an award winning restaurant. Ernst, born in Cape Town, South Africa sports an impressive cv. From age 18 he’s cooked his way through various hotels and chipped in a stint or two at a host of top restaurants including The Fat Duck, Restaurant Noma, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

It’s an hours run for us. And I drove both ways! (Serious brownie points then? – Ed). We entered what effectively is a small country pub. It is rurally set. Slewed at the end of a row of terraced houses it has that air of work in progress. We entered thorough the small doorway at around 6.30pm, so we were pretty early. We announced our arrival and set ourselves down to the left in the ‘pub’ side. A half (half!!! – Ed) of ‘Cheshire Cat’ calmed the nerves. Being honest at this point we wondered what we had done. We were the only ones in and felt as though we were intruding a bit!

That said we were hungry and needed fuel. The plain, easy to read, black on white menu was now in our grasp. A pleasant waitress trooped over and skilfully described in perfect detail what we could expect when ordering some of the combinations on offer. Scallop, pineapple, pigs head and courgette anyone? It is an unusual menu, but I was already struggling what to chose, it all sounded amazing to me.

After choosing our extravaganza we were shown across the room to our bijou table pressed against a wall. We wondered how we would be able to fit the food on! We needn’t have worried though, our service was impeccable throughout and no extraneous hardware was left to settle more than a few moments. The decor is spartan. There are no trees, neon lights, industrial ironmongery here. Simple painted walls, dark wooden furniture, tiled floor with a few pictures. I sensed a few softer touches would help.

Out of the blue popped two granite slabs, each topped with an array of crispy, colourful morsels. The flavours became stronger moving across left to right via a beetroot and feta marshmallow to a cod and chip crisp! It was a startling pre amble to our chosen cast.
Next up the bread! Home made soda bread, served warm in a hessian sack! A miniature cauldron of smoked butter, (complete with real smoke) a heap of sea salt and my favourite, beef dripping. These all sat alongside on their own slate. It was stunning, particularly with the dripping.
Then came the real starters. Having agonised over the TLC Salad – 21 ingredients raw; cooked and pickled, The flame finally settled on the Monkfish cheek, gooseberry, cucumber and crispy beef – £8.50. She was a little disappointed with this to be honest. The cheek was diced raw which wasn’t expected. I managed a fork full and loved it. Fresh fishy taste with a sweet fresh relish. Mine though, as nature intended was raw. Jacobs Ladder (short rib of beef), allium, gingerbread crouton and coriander – £7.00. I’ve been looking out for steak tartare and it’s variants lately, I had some in Sicily recently and again at Salvi’s in Manchester. I’m starting to acquire the taste for it. This was as good as I’ve had so far. A lovely ‘oniony’ side kick to the wonderfully cured beef. The gingerbread croutons added texture and a neat sweet kick, a great start.

Jacobs ladder, cod cheek, the bread and butter

After a comfortable gap the mains swept in. The flame went fish again. Turbot, black pudding, palourde clams and fennel – £19.00. A wonderful slab of beautifully cooked white fish was topped with a black pudding crumb, set on fennel cooked several ways. To add drama a swoosh of fish sauce was added just before consumption. I managed a quick fork full, before the flame took charge. She mopped up the jus with our hand cut chips (£3). Flaked, translucent the fish tasted superb, the black crumb adding a meaty edge. The flame gave it the thumbs up.
I went for the Lamb, heritage carrot, spiced sausage and aubergine – £18.00. I love lamb it’s my favourite meat. This was as good as I’ve had. Two beautifully pink tranches of (sous vide?) meat, juicy and tender requiring the merest touch of a knife to break a glorious mouthful from the main portion. Cuminised carrot purée, soft wedge of beetroot, peas and cherries in the pod added a crunchy touch. A tangy, luscious jus was washed round prior to the first morsel hitting the palate to add even more flavour. A wonderful main.

We both went for dessert. They sounded as off beat as the previous courses, but intriguing all the same. The flame loving apricot went after careful consideration for the Apricot, buttermilk, malva pudding and rooibos – £7.00. The apricots had been steeped in tea and served up with a moist spongey ‘cakette’, a sour, creamy swirl and some foliage. She loved it, exquisite flavours, I managed a touch of the buttermilk cream!!
I went for a peach. I fancied the granola bit. Peach, granola, pudding rice and nasturtium – £7.50. Beautifully presented in a half eaten earthenware bowl I wolfed it in seconds, including the flowery leaves! The pudding rice had a more solid feel than I was hoping and took a minor edge off my expectations. Still the drama of it all made up the deficit.

We had a mug of coffee each to end, some petit fours would have been nice after the start but hey a minor quibble. All in all a cracking meal. It all came in at £88. I reckon when you consider the variety of textures and flavours on offer and the dedication involved to present food in such a beautiful way it is was a bargain. I’m sure you’d pay much more in London for this! The service by Sarah and the team combined with an awesome engine room headed by Ernst deserves to make its mark. The plaudits I’m sure will keep on coming. Kerridge is indeed blessed with a unique asset. Long may it remain and flourish.

The Lord Clyde
36 Clarke Lane,
Kerridge, Bollington,
SK10 5AH
+44 (0)1625 562123
hello@thelordclyde.co.uk

Eating Out Reviews

Turtle Bay – Manchester

June 25, 2014 thecooktwit Leave a comment

“This is one for a big group to have some fun”

Cast your mind back. England unlucky against Italy, so all is well as we get fired up to slaughter the much unfancied Uruguay in World Cup 2014. The Cooktwit has plotted an intricate web of beer, food and mayhem on the way to any Manchester hostelry that possesses a big telly. However, there is an hour to kill. Planets have aligned and so it is an unusual troupe that joind the Cooktwit on this merry stroll. Little bruv and his learned fledglings join the fray.

Sophistication is not top of the list. Cheap, quick, hip and happening is where we need to be. Turtle Bay in Manchester homes into view. What do you think of here? A quick nod and were in.
Turtle Bay is a Caribbean experience that has recently set up shop on Oxford Road next to The Paramount Wetherspoons. Not the most glamorous part of town. And given the chaotic roadworks that blight that part of town it didn’t look too inviting from the outside. But fair play to ’em it’s great inside. A mixture of high and low tables, booths, shacks, coloured crates and hip graphics combine with a groovy soundtrack, neon signs and metallic chic. It really is a jolly place to enter. The spirits were on the up. England couldn’t fail after this.

Holly our bespectacled, pink hostess took us to our high table for four and explained how the whole chebang operates, Chelsea took over when the the action really started. We quickly racked up some sickly sweet cocktails which were half price until 7pm. The youngsters, despite the funny hat and wearing an England shirt, declared the opening events to be most encouraging. The only gripe was that there was no telly so we could carry on watching the match from here!
It’s a great menu, lots of different intriguing dishes. Subtitled Cutters, Lunch N Light, One Pots & Jerk Pit BBQ there’s something for everyone. I settled on a burger from the jerk pit section. You can watch the jerk pit in action, flames licking round the slabs of meat. The ‘Jerk Pit burger’ which means it came (as well as all the other standard accoutrements) with a slap of jerk pulled pork. It was accompanied with some slow and sweet potato fries all for £9.85. If I’m honest it wasn’t the best burger I’ve had. A bit too much fire had licked its flanks for me, me preferring a moist pink bit in the middle a la Gorilla, Solita and others I’ve had in the town. It had a great charred, BBQ taste though and the pulled pork gave it a nice kick. The fries hadn’t seen a frier for quite some time though as they were cold.

Others in the posse had the goat curry and the fish curry. These both came in a big white metal dish with a lid. Nice touch really, gave it a bit of drama. Sadly I didn’t get a taste of them as they wolfed it down without a murmur. All gave it the thumbs up though. Looked a good portion, plenty of goat in the goatie effort and some decent squid knocking about in the fishy one.
Given that the main reason for being out was the football with a few scoops I didn’t get chance to sample a desert. Will give em a go next time.

All in all a pretty decent effort for a ‘chainy’ type restaurant. Apparently there is a few more Turtle Bays down South and one in Nottingham. I think I’d give some more of the ‘jerky’ stuff a try, probably the chicken. I’d recommend a try with a few mates after work, just the job.
As you know England lost again 2-1, Suarez biting two goals. Some good beer in the Lass ‘o’ Gourrie though, so it wasn’t all bad!

Turtle Bay
33-35 Oxford Steet
Manchester M1 4WB
0161 236 4101
http://www.turtlebay.co.uk

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