I HAD AN unwelcome feeling in my head that this was going to
be one of those meals you build up to the high heavens, only to see it tumble down to earth with a big fat bump that makes you regret making the booking in the first place. However, this is Simon Rogan’s joint, and it
was my cynicism that I was soon to be the regretting.
The French is found nestled on the ground floor of The
Midland Hotel in Manchester, and has essentially been charged with bringing a
Michelin star back to the area – its first since the now Edinburgh-based chef, Paul Kitchin, vacated his former restaurant in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, back in 2008.
Sarah and I watched the BBC Restaurant Wars documentary with
much interest. Two British heavyweights
in the form of Rogan (with head chef Adam Reid running the kitchen on a day-to-day basis) and Aiden Byrne (we visited Manchester House later), both have totally different styles, but share immense reputations and the same starry-eyed
ambition.
The dining room at The French looked even more exquisite
than it did on TV, in fact, almost like something from a fairy tale tinged with
Rogan’s trademark Scandanavian furniture bringing a modern edge to this old
lady. You couldn't not admire the two globe chandeliers and the generous space given to each table. It took me a while to convince myself a white linen tablecloth wouldn't have gone amiss, but I liked that in the end... this is the 21st century after all.
The first thing I picked up on is the informal nature of the
service, despite the grand setting suggesting a stuffier affair. Waiting staff, lead by former L’Enclume maître d (Rogan’s two starred flagship eatery) Kamila Plonska, were chatty and
attentive, giving the impression they fully believed in the quality of the experience
and the L’Enclume philosophy.
We started with a complimentary glass of English sparkling wine, which was
sublime and a real statement of British intent; a classy touch indeed. Opting for the six course taster menu (£59), our first course of celeriac with apple, rye, eel and lovage
seemed to come in two parts, although I’m not sure that was intentional. An oyster shell with a celeriac sort of cream
placed to look like an oyster was perfectly seasoned, then came a delightful rye cracker with meaty chunks of smoked eel and a moussey substance
that was in total harmony with the nutty cracker and smoky fish.
We selected a ridiculously good value Emiliana Riesling from Chile (£22) with the help of Kamila, which seamlessly took the baton on from that delicious
English sparkling. It's definitely
a wine we’ll track down and buy.Second plate was a proper delight: Maran yolk with peas, beans, anise hyssop and broth of turnips. Maran is a breed of chicken hailing from the west of France, although I expect a British twist from Rogan somewhere. It was sumptuous and just one of a millefeuille of flavours in this excellent dish. The turnip broth was silky and earthy, the beans brought texture and freshness, and then came the yolky goodness topped off with an inspired note of aniseed. Wow.
The next dish, Ox in coal oil with pumpkin seeds, kohlrabi
and sunflower seed shoots, was probably the most anticipated and frequently talked about, although not always in a favourable sense.
But, it smashed it for me. The
meat was chunkier than a normal tartare, but this was anything but a normal tartare. The Ox was rich, with the kohlabi bringing
acidity and the seeds necessary crunch, the coal oil then comes into play and
suddenly it erupted to taste like a barbeque dish. Delightful.
At this point we had to pace ourselves as we had already
devoured three little rolls each: one white, one brioche and, my favourite, a
Manchester ale. All so light I could
have sent them across the room with one puff.
The slick service was also worth noting too, not just because of the
professionalism of it, but because two of our young waiters were only 18 years
of age. Both were very clued up about
not just this menu, but L’Enclume as well.
One of the pair (sorry lads, your names escape me) told me how he got
the job after a successful work experience stint while studying hospitality at
college and how he was proud to have gained a position at somewhere like The
French. Good on you kid.
That course would be hard to top I thought, but then again
there was chicken skin in the next course. Accompanying
that was caramelised cabbage with mussels, pickled mushrooms and arrow grass. The
chicken skin was out of this world, but the mussels were even better. I’ve never had mussels that tender
as in all of my life; they literally melted on your tongue. The pickled
mushrooms and cabbage worked in tandem to make sure this course was superbly balanced. The dish also came paired with a little glass
of sweet, fresh white wine, another class touch, which was exceptional, especially with the
mussels.So far so good… but to the next course we go: butter poached pollock with ox eye daisy spread, lobster, courgette and oxalis. Little disappointed with this one, because the pollock was pretty bland and only just cooked, while the lobster was too rubbery for me. The courgette flower was lovely but its bitter taste blitzed the flavour of the pollock in particular. Still, we ate it all.
The penultimate course of Holker spring lamb, onion, blewits
and sheep’s milk smelled amazing, and was a decent plate of grub. I maybe would have liked another slice of the
lamb, as one small slice seemed a little stingy, or perhaps I’m just being greedy
as it was so delicious. I found the sweetbred component pleasing enough, but the batter could have been a tad crispier. The onions provided a foil for the sweet lamb and sheep’s milk elements in what was a
real master class in how to balance flavours and textures.
The dining room was full at this point, with a much
younger clientele than I had imagined, but that’s encouraging to see as we came
to dessert. Cheshire rhubarb with chamomile,
pineappleweed and gooseberry went down a treat: the pineapple came in meringue
form and I enjoyed the sharpness of the gooseberries and rhubarb. There was a little ginger bread crumble
topping that just made the dish for me.
As we polished off that sublime Riesling, our
waiter brought as a post-dessert treat of Sarsaparilla, in the form of a little shot
and a meringue with a parfait inside.
Outstanding little pudding and a fitting end to a super experience.
This was a difficult to review because there was all
sorts going on. I’ve never eaten
anywhere where the food had so many layers of flavour, all balanced with
meticulous standards you’d expect from a Simon Rogan restaurant. The hospitality was first rate throughout and
there was no hint of pretention to be found anywhere – credit to the team at
this truly outstanding place.I have no doubts whatsoever that a
star will shine brightly at this iconic hotel once again. Different class.
Phone: (0161) 236 3333
Email: infor@the-french.co.uk
Follow: @ThefrenchSR
Opening times: Lunch: Weds- Sat 12-13.30
Dinner: Tues-Sat, 18:30- 2100
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