Mel loves James Martin

Since after-school viewings of Ready Steady Cook back in the mid-90s, I've always been a fan of James Martin. This had nothing to do with the colourful bandanas he wore, but the homely yet refined cooking he has now become known for. I watch Saturday Kitchen every week while nursing a hangover and eating left over pizza, just wishing I could be the celebrity who tucks into his weekly food hell or heaven.

Well this week I was the guest as the team at his Manchester restaurant invited me along to try out his new a la carte menu. None of the dishes on here fell into my food hell, all lovely sounding, all seasonal and not at all pretentious. I mention pretentious because when you are included in The Sunday Times’ Top 100 UK restaurants and in the company of The French (the only other Manchester restaurant), Fat Duck and Claridges, you are typically entering “pompous-ville”.

As you arrive via Manchester 235 casino floor, you get the instant buzz of a busy casino and a bar full of merry young professionals. For a restaurant, this is great background ambience and a killer lobby. The restaurant itself is huge, but with a low open brick arched ceiling, it removes any kind of echo and is incredibly cosy with the soft colour scheme.

Straight away you could tell that the staff were highly trained. Our waiter Michel was outstanding from start to finish. Welcoming, forthcoming with suggestions yet distant enough for privacy. All of my dishes were recommendations and boy, Michel knows the good ones.

Whilst enjoying some stunning floral Les Pierres Blanches Sancerre we sampled a pre-starter version of the Goat’s Cheese Beignet. This lovely crisp cheesy croquette worked a treat with the sweet and tart beetroot relish, although I wasn't too keen on the cracker or sorbet. I have sensitive teeth so the molten beignet and freezing sorbet gave me all sorts of mixed emotions. I also thought the dish would have shone brighter on a light plate rather than slate.



As a complete contrast, my starter of Scallop Ceviche was the best starter I've had this year. It had so much going on, yet balanced within an inch of its intricate life. I was staggered by the level of detail in such a dainty yet robust dish. Soft sweet flavours from the red pepper gel and scallop, citrus from the ceviche dressing, salty from the caviar and seaweed then smokiness from the mussel. WOW, an instant 10/10.

My fellow diner’s Thai Crab Risotto didn't look very nice but boy did it taste good. Even though there was plenty of heat and zest from the kaffir leaves, green chilli and lemon-grass, the crab still came through strong. Solid start we thought and were excited for the rest.

A nice pause between courses meant we could tuck into our mains with the same enthusiasm as the starters. I am sometimes guilty of getting bored whilst dining out because it’s all too much to deal with sometimes. Not here. The balance of flavours, the balance of service; everything was in harmony.



Although Michel suggested the Salt-Rubbed Pork Belly, I was going to order it anyway as it is my food heaven (if James is wondering). This particular version was a belter and came with vivacious accompaniments of Ibérico shavings, roasted pineapple (both a dressing and shards) and charred octopus tentacles. Much like the pork, the octopus was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Every now and again I’d bite some Ibérico or a nugget of roasted pineapple and bang - the palate was energised. Enoki mushrooms brought a neutral colour, but other than that I would have preferred a stronger mushroom to stand up with the rest.

Other main was a fillet steak, something I never order as I'm incredibly picky about how it’s cooked. This was no exception as it was overcooked, however my fellow diner ordered it rare and it came medium and was just about saved by its superior quality and to be honest, when it was combined with the peppercorn sauce and insanely good dripping chips - you couldn't really fault it.



Pre-dessert time and again, a favourite of mine; Pumpkin Pie. A wonder to look at consisting of beautiful autumnal colours of a vivid sage and raspberry sorbet, contrasting chocolate mille-feuille and parkin soil with wedges of pie and green leaves reminiscing of spinach. It tasted incredible, loved every mouthful and I want to be able to get it on standby. Another 10 and went wonderfully with Michel’s recommendation of a Lafleur Mallet dessert wine from Bordeaux. Having never understood dessert wine, I finally got it with this sweet accompaniment to a savoury dessert.



On the other end of the spectrum was the main dessert of Chocolate and Chestnut Parfait which was incredibly sweet and needed a drier dessert wine. It came with a mini glass of mulled wine full of red berries which burst Christmas with every mouthful. The delicate parfait was encased in tempered chocolate and had a marshmallow base which was more chewy than normal - perhaps because it was underneath a parfait? Nevertheless, it rounded off a stunning meal and one I won’t forget in a hurry.

James Martin should be very proud of his culinary team headed up by Doug Crampton and the waiting service team. Its mind boggling how he can get so much flavour in a dish without overpowering the accoutrements. Equally, how you can get a relaxed atmosphere for such a fine dining experience.

My visit easily demonstrated how the restaurant ranks as 78th best restaurant in the UK and is a credit to the Manchester restaurant scene.

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Posted: Wednesday 2nd December 2015
ID: 3606 - 1471