If you're a regular reader then you'll be fully aware that one of our favourite spots in town for a great quality meal at a reasonable price point in a lovely space, is Podium.  It's a broadly underrated dining experience with many passers by doing just that, no doubt under the assumption that it's a samey hotel foyer restaurant with not much interesting going on.  That couldn’t be further from the truth though!  The kitchen is headed up by Chef Dave Ashton who's one of the city's very best in our view, so you're in safe hands at Podium.

As long-term veterans of the Manchester food review game, the city's original restaurant guide since 1999 in fact, you're also probably aware that we never carry out reviews based on free meals/invites, and such things can only be considered as previews or first looks, also known as 'advertisements'.  But we've long wanted to do a proper review of Podium, yet at the same time didn’t fancy taking photos or turning any of our personal visits into work gigs.  So, it was high time that we got booked in for this full fat review.

I spotted the perfect opportunity for a revisit via a 3-course dinner on Thursdays promotion for just £20, as advertised on their socials.  And that's not a typo.  You need to book ahead and can't just rock up, but that’s the only catch.  It seemed too good to be true, and then I read that it also includes pretty much the entire a la carte, not a truncated menu full of cheaper options!  So from here on in I shall mention the usual menu prices, since this isn’t a Podium promo after all.  Off we headed….

We had to start with the Cheese Custard, which we've waxed lyrical about many times.  It was a bit over-aerated on this visit, so sank into becoming half a ramekin as we chatted away, but it was still half a ramekin of now-familiar goodness.  It comes with some lovely quality Holy Grain sourdough, made just over the road, and an onion tea on the side, for just an extra fiver per person.

Cured and Smoked Loch Duart Salmon (£12) was a rerun of our last preview visit and didn’t let us down, being just as enjoyable as last time, so there's no corner cutting to balance out the crazy-low price points.  Panko Chicken (£10) was a new choice from the carte and again delivered in spades.  It's the kind of dish that's impossible to not enjoy, unless you somehow don’t like chicken?  The saucing on this was superb too.

Whilst the dining room is smart enough, I believe that the whole venue is due for a huge refurb in the not-so-distant future, which explains the hotel's temporary branding ahead of what's seemingly going to be a fully-fledged rebrand so I have high hopes for when it happens.  Sadly I don’t know too much about the plans to be honest, and even if did I'd likely be sworn to secrecy.  But I guess that all surprises will be revealed in the coming weeks?

What's no surprise is that we really enjoyed the Chinese style duck main course (£26) following its launch just a few weeks prior, so decided to also reorder it here which turned out to be a wise move.  It had pushed on a bit too.  The bao were a better size and more fluffy inside, and the portion of precisely cooked duck was even more generous too.  It's just a great plate.

Our side of Triple Cooked Chips (£5) didn’t quite hit the highs of previous visits and could have used another minute on that second/hotter fry, but were still tasty enough and did the intended job of delivering additional well salted carbs.

Service was charming and professionally warm throughout, and our server Aleksandra was the same lady who looked after us just a few weeks prior too.  She also remembered us from our last encounter, which always makes the customer feel valued and looked after.  She somehow even remember what we'd ordered last time too. It's what the art of service is all about.

The second main needed no sides though.  Podium's Lamb Skewer (£25), made with both belly and rump, sourced from Cumbria, showed off Podium's grilling credentials.  Flecks of depth imparting char, juicy meat of sound provenance, and was generally really enjoyable.  The whole thing was sat on top of an equally shaped potato rosti, which was a super Cheffy touch for what's essentially a kebab.  It was also served with a generous side salad should that float your boat.  Zero complaints.

And so arrived that quiet window of time in between the mains and pudding, where you sit and relax, debating if a pudding is even needed.  Irrespective, that £20 for 3 courses deal meant that puddings would be ordered either way. 

We actually went with the cheese course to share; a Mrs Bells Blue (£10), slightly melted in this case, was served with a lovely date pudding and some skilfully prepped apple.  The apple garnish on top was sadly a bit dry, intentionally so it felt, but just didn’t eat very well.  But generally it was a delish precursor to the sweet course, which again was shared.

The final flourish was Podium's Chocolate and Salted Caramel Fondant (£8.50), served with a clever croissant infused ice cream.  I won't waste my words telling you how good this was.  Look at the photo.  Now I've long said that I miss proper pastry these days, even mid to high end range dining rooms.  Dessert is all too often just a lazy Cremeux or something else that the Chefs can quickly bang out in bulk as a token sugar-based gesture.  But it's always been as clear as day that Podium have a proper pastry Chef running things. 

As a reminder of that, along with the bill came a couple of salted caramel chocolates, which were big enough to serve as dessert in themselves.  Perfectly tempered chocolate of the right thickness, with a supremely well balanced salted caramel filling.  Theres not even a handful of places in the whole city who make their own chocolates.  Even our trio of Starred-level gaffs don’t take the time to do that.  It's just exceptional work, even forgetting that insane Thursday price point.

So, even though the usual prices are still solid value, Podium's Thursday offer represents some of the vest value in the city, and the standards of cooking are still undeniably high.  Who knows, maybe it's the single best value for money offer in the entire city centre? 

Hawksmoor's outstanding value 3 courses is £26.  Chinatown's only all you can eat buffet, which never makes a penny off me, costs £18 of an evening.  A Five Guys will set you back £20.  Or you can go to a swish hotel and get 3 courses of well-prepared food that’s put together by a team of Chefs for the same cost?  It's just an absolute no brainer for us.

Seasonal Menu Launch

Last Friday evening we were invited back down to Podium, located on the ground floor of the sumptuous Manchester Deansgate Hotel, which is due for a refurb in the coming months.  Having said that, it's already a great looking venue so I can only imagine what the refurb will bring.

Now as you probably know already through our past write ups, the hospitality operation across the hotel is led by Chef Dave Ashton who is without question one of Manchester's very best, and Podium reliably serves up some of the city's most enjoyable and great value plates, hence their long standing 2 AA Rosettes.

Anyway, the new seasonal menu is a real treat and contains a strong selection of new additions to keep things exciting, along with some tried and tested Podium classics which we've come to love over the years.

We ordered a couple of cocktails and settled in to take a good look and eventually make our selections from the menu.  There's something for all tastes and budgets with starters begin at just £9, mains from £18, and desserts from £8, so its superb value considering the current market pricing, the swish venue, and the general quality on offer here.

Every experience eat Podium simply must begin with their Cheese Custard, which has become their signature.  An aerated cheese served with a rocher of butter and a pot of onion broth which is as great as ever.   And of course, the bread from Holy Grain just over the road is lovely. Sourdough for me has become overused across dining rooms in general, but it's not suited to every purpose.  However, it's the perfectly robust accompaniment to Podium's aerated cheese.  It's a dish that you simply must experience.

Along with the Cheese Custard, Chef treated us to some lovely snacks.  Now these are not on the menu and we received them as press guests, so sadly you won't be able to get your hands on them yourself.  A lovely salmon tartare croustade as packed with flavour and texture, along with a pair of generously filled cheese gougères.  Our taste buds were well prepped for the full-on starters!

We started with a quite brilliant smoked Cheddar Tortellini, with expertly prepped pasta that's rolled to the right thickness and was properly filled.  It came served with fig chutney, roasted pine nuts, rosemary, and a slice of fig to tie things into the rest of the garnish.

The second starter was Podium's Cured Smoked Scottish Salmon, which was served in 2 tranches of different preparations. Garnish was the classic salmon accompaniment of dill, along with punchy jalapeño and a well acid balanced buttermilk dressing that's applied tableside for a bit of theatre, which worked so well with the fish's natural fattiness.

Onto mains, and one of the new offerings is a duck dish by Chef Brandon Tainsh.  It's inspired by a dish served at one of his favourite restaurants in Manchester, which is something I love as getting an insight into a Chef's personal tastes and personality always adds unbeatable back story to any dish.  The generous serving of duck breast was cooked perfectly, served with crispy duck, a couple of mini bao and some charred cucumber.  The classic Crispy Duck and Pancakes upscaled into a superb dish. It's great to see Brandon well and truly getting into his stride.

Roast Loin of Halibut was our second main course and easily held its own against the lovely duck.  Two meaty slices of fish which were perhaps predictably cooked to perfection, with a nappe of yuzu sauce all finished off with a couple of dabs of green herb oil to give it a more Cheffy look.  Two delicious main courses.

Sides were both as you'd hope; simple but very well executed.  The chips were notably good, being triple cooked and all, and Heston would 100% give his approval of these.  Fluffy inside with a wonderfully crisp exterior, seasoned well too.   Labour heavy, but superb and fully worthy of all that prep.

Our second side was the Tenderstem Broccoli, cooked to the perfect bite and served with a lovely miso & sesame dressing.  There was perhaps a bit too much dressing as it had pooled in the bowl, but then the chips were perfect for mopping it up, if I'm not going to be too stiff about things here!

Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel Fondant was executed to textbook standards.  A well baked casing which revealed a soft and runny core once cracked open.  For extra indulgence there was some feuilletine for a pop of crunch, and a divine baked croissant infused ice cream.  It's a dish that should please most tastes.

We also ordered Podium's take on an arctic roll, which was listed in the menu as Blood Orange Torte.  A bright red embossed sponge coated a lovely Earl Gey tea ice cream, with caramelised honey tuile.  Striking and utterly delicious.

Just when we thought that we'd finished for the evening, Chef Brandon returned with a new dish which isn’t on the menu yet but looks like being an addition before long.  A play on a Crème Brulee, with the addition of a variety of toppings and some crumb for extra texture.  Our view is that this should be on the menu pronto.

After 3 puddings on top of the rest of the evening's indulgences, were absolutely full to the brim.  Fortunately, we didn’t have to walk very far as the hotel very generously invited us to stay over, ending the evening in perfect style.    Somehow, despite living in/near the city ever since the property was built, I've never stayed in the hotel so this was a real treat.  The rooms are still lavish and very well kept, despite that pending refurb, and the views are simply untouchable, especially since we were put on the 21st floor which gave amazing views over Deansgate Square and south Manchester in the distance.  It's one of the city's most iconic hotels for good reason!

And whilst I didnt mention it earlier as to get to the point and talk about dinner, beforehand we started with a couple of drinks in the hotel's executive lounge, which is located on the other side of the elevator foyer to the iconic Cloud 23!  It's got similarly amazing views being on the same floor, but is more private and intimate with a great selection of beers, wines, spirits and snacks as you relax overlooking the city.

It's well worth upgrading to a club room for when staying in the hotel, and to be honest I can't think of a better lounge anywhere in Manchester when considering a combo of the views, comfort and menu!

Podium Winter 2025 Menu Launch

One of the RoM office's favourite dining rooms in the whole city for a great quality meal for a super reasonable price point, is the two AA Rosette awarded Podium.  The restaurant lives in the street level corner unit at The Manchester Deansgate Hotel, which standing at 23 floors in height is part of one of the city's most iconic and eye-catching buildings.

We were invited down to try their brand-new seasonal menu, which began with their now signature cheese custard (£10).  The new rocher of butter is an improvement from the former XL ramekin, which wasn't really needed.  That cheese custard itself is more than enough indulgence and it was as light, airy and delicious as ever on this occasion.  The also comforting and delicious onion broth which it comes served with fitted the weather outside perfectly.

A generous basket of Holy Grain sourdough accompanied the cheese custard itself, and it was the perfect vessel to scoop up all that cheesy goodness.  It's quite simply a must order dish and is worth a visit for in itself.

After the familiar palate wakener we dived into the new menu properly, starting strongly with Podium's Pork Terrine (£10).  A textbook dish of well-seasoned layered pork, studded with pistachio, delivered with a confidently minimalistic garnish of date ketchup and pickled mustard seeds.

Our second starter was the Aged Beef Sirloin Tartare (£12), diced to perfection and plated expertly.  Garnish was via a punchy Thai green dressing, a well measured hit of pickled red chilli, Thai basil, and smoked bone marrow.  It's just a lovely dish which has carried over from the previous season's menu.

Whipped Duck Liver Parfait (£10) was a huge hit with our table.  Three generous tranches of toasted brioche, a piping of that silky parfait, all balanced off with some disks of Bramley apple.  Simple, timeless and delicious.

The final starter the Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail (£12) was a play on everybody's favourite retro classic, topped in a blanket of espuma'ed Marie Rose sauce for that Cheffy twist.  Upon digging down, you'll find a generous serve of shellfish and a crispy hash brown for that all important textural element.

Cranberry Stuffed Smoked Chicken Breast (£22) was the most festive of our main courses and a true crowd pleaser but could happily go hand in hand with any season to be honest.  It came with a  mushroom and walnut tart, plus some miso and maple-glazed swede to complete the delicious plate.

Braised Cumbrian Ox Cheek (£24) was a more robust affair featuring the chunk of slow cooked protein as its headline component.  It literally fell apart with ease, with the kind of huge flavour than only the supposedly lesser cuts carry.  White onion and Manchester honey caramel glaze levelled off all that rich collagen, with some silly wholegrain mustard mash, piccolo parsnip and kale finishing the super seasonal plate.

Loch Duart Salmon En Croute (£22) returned to the lighter style of plate.  A succulent slice of fish, cooked to perfection and wrapped in pastry, bathed in a super classical caviar sauce which carried incredible texture.  An accompanying bowl of stir-fried Brussels sprouts represented our first of the year!  Fresh, light, and absolutely tasty.

And lastly on the mains was our Braised Beef Short Rib (£35) with chive and pickled shallot.  It was an absolute feast for the eyes and created an audible 'oooooh' from the whole table as it was served.  It comes with a healthy portion of triple-cooked chips, smoked miso mayonnaise, baby watercress and sauce of your choice.  Rich, comforting and hugely enjoyable.

With the main courses behind us it was time for some sugar.  Pastry has always been outstanding at Podium, largely because they are one of the few venues in the whole city who take the care to employ a proper pastry Chef, and it really shows.  Caramelised Granny Smith (£8.5), cleverly transformed into a ribbon, sat atop a base of caramel sponge, topped with some superb Bramley apple sorbet.  It's hard not to love this dish.

The next festive sweet treat was Podium's Caramelia Chocolate & Chestnut Yule Log (£8.5).  A tidy slice of log, sporting Valrhona choc topped with a rocher of candied chestnut ice cream, and a gold tuile for one last flourish.  Seriously solid pastry work.

Next up was the Gingerbread Tiramisu (£9), which I imagine will be up with the most popular desserts, what with 2025 giving the Tiramisu a bit of a resurgence.  This one featured a festive combo of brandy mascarpone and spiced espresso, to delivery yet another seasonal delight.

We finished in English order, with the cheese course; a lovely ripe Cotswold Blue Brie (£9), served confidently with slices of honey-roasted fig, sat atop some warm Welsh cakes.  Simple but a timeless classic for good reason.

So, Podium's new seasonal menu is a strong as we've come to expect from them over the years.  It's some of the best cooking in the city but also has some great value on offer, in one of the city's most iconic hotels.  Quite simply it's a package which is very hard to beat.

And in exciting news, the hotel as a whole is scheduled for a refurb in the not-so-distant future, so keep a close eye on things as the next generation of Podium and the wider hotel, takes shape.  We will be watching very closely!