Adam Reid at The French, Midland Hotel, Manchester
Adam Reid at The French, Midland Hotel, Manchester
by TheYorkshireSaint
2 Comments
TheYorkshireSaint
Despite not earning a star from Michelin, this food is up there in my mind. It’s difficult to say what they need to do to get a star. The only thing I can think is the setting is very classical, with chandeliers etc. Where as the atmosphere is trying to be more relaxed. It’s a bit of a juxtaposition. The standard of cookery is up there with other one star places I’ve been to. A nice touch was the head chef greeting you and explaining the menu, and all dishes were plated tableside by one of the chefs.
Combination of an amuse bouche and a bread course. Lovely flavoured butter, if a bit too much of a portion, tart and malty loaf and rich deep sweet onion broth
Cheese and onion pie
Layered, sweet onion jam at the bottom, cheese gel, tart cheese on the top. Slight pickled onion hints and lovely crisp pastry
Beef dripping toast, beef tartare, smoked eel
Toast was crisp and flavourful. Tartare a bit lacking, had horseradish but no kick from it. Eel added a nice smokey element
Japanese style milk bread drizzled with honey, house smoked ham, pork caramel, IPA mustard
Soft pillowy bread, nice sweetness. Ham was superbly smoked, light and not overpowering. Mustard added a lovely spice hit
Scottish scallops, whey butter sauce
Lightly cured in kelp, the scallops had more of a sea taste than normal. Balanced nicely with the sweet caramel esque topping and the tart whey butter sauce
White asparagus, espuma and black truffle
A lovely light course, showcasing the sweetness of the asparagus. Fresh and clean
St Austell cod, smoked caviar, fermented white turnip and chive sauce
A beautiful bit of fish cookery. Perfectly cooked, caviar added a salty smokey edge, sauce slightly tart and oniony. A lovely dish
Duck, duck sauce, beetroot
Nicely cooked duck, slightly smoked. Sauce had a lovely depth to it. Beetroot added some sweetness
Baron bigod, pear and apple chutney, walnut crisp
A great way to serve a cheese course. Crisp added texture, fruity chutney, lovely cheese
Set nutmeg custard, forced rhubarb
Slight spice from the nutmeg, lovely fresh zing from the rhubarb. An interesting addition was a spray of rhubarb gin in the air whilst being served
Tipsy cake, greek yoghurt Chantilly, lime zest, Salford spiced rum
Super sweet, light, flavourful. A lovely way to end the meal
Chocolate orange truffle, double espresso
Rich dark chocolate truffle, hints of orange, a good Brazilian espresso, roasted locally
Gabeofwine
Been here a couple of times and never understood why they don’t have a star yet.
2 Comments
Despite not earning a star from Michelin, this food is up there in my mind. It’s difficult to say what they need to do to get a star. The only thing I can think is the setting is very classical, with chandeliers etc. Where as the atmosphere is trying to be more relaxed. It’s a bit of a juxtaposition. The standard of cookery is up there with other one star places I’ve been to. A nice touch was the head chef greeting you and explaining the menu, and all dishes were plated tableside by one of the chefs.
Malted sourdough, beef infused butter, onion broth
Combination of an amuse bouche and a bread course. Lovely flavoured butter, if a bit too much of a portion, tart and malty loaf and rich deep sweet onion broth
Cheese and onion pie
Layered, sweet onion jam at the bottom, cheese gel, tart cheese on the top. Slight pickled onion hints and lovely crisp pastry
Beef dripping toast, beef tartare, smoked eel
Toast was crisp and flavourful. Tartare a bit lacking, had horseradish but no kick from it. Eel added a nice smokey element
Japanese style milk bread drizzled with honey, house smoked ham, pork caramel, IPA mustard
Soft pillowy bread, nice sweetness. Ham was superbly smoked, light and not overpowering. Mustard added a lovely spice hit
Scottish scallops, whey butter sauce
Lightly cured in kelp, the scallops had more of a sea taste than normal. Balanced nicely with the sweet caramel esque topping and the tart whey butter sauce
White asparagus, espuma and black truffle
A lovely light course, showcasing the sweetness of the asparagus. Fresh and clean
St Austell cod, smoked caviar, fermented white turnip and chive sauce
A beautiful bit of fish cookery. Perfectly cooked, caviar added a salty smokey edge, sauce slightly tart and oniony. A lovely dish
Duck, duck sauce, beetroot
Nicely cooked duck, slightly smoked. Sauce had a lovely depth to it. Beetroot added some sweetness
Baron bigod, pear and apple chutney, walnut crisp
A great way to serve a cheese course. Crisp added texture, fruity chutney, lovely cheese
Set nutmeg custard, forced rhubarb
Slight spice from the nutmeg, lovely fresh zing from the rhubarb. An interesting addition was a spray of rhubarb gin in the air whilst being served
Tipsy cake, greek yoghurt Chantilly, lime zest, Salford spiced rum
Super sweet, light, flavourful. A lovely way to end the meal
Chocolate orange truffle, double espresso
Rich dark chocolate truffle, hints of orange, a good Brazilian espresso, roasted locally
Been here a couple of times and never understood why they don’t have a star yet.