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There needs to be more pubs like this; old, moody, welcoming, bustling, with a sense of history.  You look around, taking it all in whilst wondering how many conversations, debates, arguments, laughs, scraps, hugs, good times and the rest have taken place within those 4 walls since its 1811 inception.  That kind of feeling is a non-tangible which you can’t replace with anything else, especially not a new bricks and mortar gaff that was thrown up in 2 months and designed around an Ikea catalogue.  A proper boozer with a hit of old-school charm and class.  I’d be more than over the moon if this were my local.  A lot of hours would be spent here.  

The slightly corridor-esque location of our table in the downstairs bar seating area was ideal for our 2 person plus a dog sized party.  It helped allay some semi-lingering anxiety over COVID that remains, and as per any good boozer its cosy inside the main bar area.  But some would feel left out of the vibe if seated in this area, as much as it was ideal for us on this occasion.

We ordered from the Gastro menu as it wasn’t too different from the main a la Carte on our visit, and was also ridiculously cheap at just £24 for 3 courses.  Altogether we paid a shade over £75 for bread, bottled water, a couple of 3 course dinners, a side, two glasses of wine and a quality pint of Beavertown.  Even mid-week when there’s deals aplenty to be had all over the city, that’s very decent value indeed considering the quality of what came on the plate, and the manner in which it was served it to us along the surroundings. 

Absolutely no complaints at all here, but we did dine early (well 6.45pm) and from the Gastro Menu as mentioned.

High levels of detail wrapped up in a pub type package.  You have to admire little yet often overlooked service details such as staff waiting to check back on us until we’d both actually tasted our food, and crucially, didn’t have food in our mouths at the time as to avoid the standardly awkward full-mouthed thumbs up.

Our side of green beans was forgotten, but then instantly served once mentioned, along with being taken off the bill for the minor hassle of us waiting a few minutes for something green which we only ordered to feel fake-virtuous anyway. Small service mistake, corrected with a perfect service response. We tipped a tenner, and it was well earned.

Sure, this is a proper pub. But the food belies any such typical associations.  In the age of pubs also being restaurants, there’s often little difference in what’s on the plate and some of the best food in the land can now be eaten with a pint of IPA.

Starter wise we ordered the Beetroot Salad; varied chunks of perfectly cooked and acid balanced beet with a stunning beet sorbet, garnished with fronds and leaves.  Straight away, it looked a few rungs above anything served in my own local.  This dish, hand on heart, would comfortably sit on the menu at any of Greater Manchester’s top dining rooms barring our Star-level options, who do their own niche thing. High praise. 

Game Terrine with brioche contained cubes of venison, grouse and premium liver, all bound with silky parfait to form said terrine.  Seasonality tick box nailed.  The brioche came with a cracking HP chutney.  A simple, classic and timeless dish for good reason. 

We greedily ordered the bread (£4), which was a splendid 5 seed sourdough from the always excellent Companio just down the road.  It was great to see somebody using bread from somewhere which isn’t Pollen in all honesty.  We love them as much as anyone, but at times it feels like a case of Taco Bell in Stallone’s Demolition Man. We are a small city, and variety matters.  

Mains arrived, starting with the (p)ubiquitous Fish and Chips.  The chips were hand cut, reassuringly uneven in length and fried to perfection with a pot of house-made mushy peas.  The cod was plentiful, cooked to a translucent ideal, and the batter was largely crispy and delicious.  A lemon wedge with its ends cut off is a minor detail which speaks volumes to the trained eye.  

Suet Pudding is a personal favourite dish, especially in pub realms.  This was textbook.  The filling was accurately cubed beef, cooked as it should be and well-seasoned with huge depth of flavour.  The pastry was just the right thickness, and the saucing tasted of unrecognised yet clear talent.  We wanted more of Chef’s work.  

Sticky Toffee Pudding was pleasant and admirable in size too.  The pud itself was rich with the right amount of bounce, and served in a cast iron pot, with a ball of ice cream on the side.  

Champagne and Figs was as fancy as it sounds, but nowhere near as pricy.  Slithers of fig, sat between numerous ice creams and mousses, dotted with gel and leaves along with some textural change from the champagne jelly disk and scattered crumb.  Another quality plate which you don’t expect to find in a pub for this much money

But; the brioche which came with the terrine was possibly a touch over-toasted.  That superb beetroot may have needed a few grains of Maldon.  The fish batter was very thick and cakey in places.  That excellent suet pudding could have been a bit bigger to be in keeping with the other courses and 100% needed a side to complete it. And the toffee sauce was a touch treacle-heavy in taste for my tastebuds.

You get the feeling that Chef’s real love is producing things that are a bit higher up the technical ability chain, and bravo to that.  Our only comment would be to have consistent standards, whether it be a Michelin plated level dessert, or just a good old simple sticky toffee pudding. ~ Restaurants Of Manchester (30th September 2021)