In a sea of January diets, and detoxes (still not a scientific thing, sorry), and adverts for being ‘healthy’ all over social media, I’m still just doing me.
So as balanced as I can be, including gin, wine, cocktails, and good food. Which of course means supporting venues in their quietest month of the year. So if you are on a ‘new year, new you’ plan or some such, you can live vicariously through me.
Happy to be of service.
The latest dinner was over at The Lowry Hotel, in the River Restaurant. Late last year it had a complete refurb and the new look is very me. I mean, it matches my hair for a start, They’ve moved the bar too, and both spaces feel more open, but with a big bite of colour. This will work so well in the summer, when you can access the terrace space too, and look out over the water, across the bridge and into the city.
Suitably settled in, we were of course overwhelmed by the menu (there is a downside to going to a restaurant hungry, making a choice is a challenge). So opted to nibble while we deliberated. The artisan bread selection is a bit delicious. Along with thick slices of bread (including a lovely soft foccacia), you don’t just get a dollop of butter. Oh no. Alongside Wignall’s Yallow rapeseed oil, for dunking in comes a light and fluffy, Lancashire cheese custard (get a spoon, you’ll need it) and tomato butter. Given I’m not a tomato fan, I fully expected the custard to be the start of the selection, but no, it’s the butter. Creamy, salty, with a tart tomato flavour.
Oh and it looks like a cherry tomato. But it’s not. It’s butter.
Tummies suitable occupied, we selected our starters. Keeley opted for the Cornish crab – a delicate bowl full of light horseradish sorbet, sweetcorn, crab and sea herbs. Delightfully pretty on the table, and in the mouth. A little peppery warmth from the horseradish, the pop of sweetcorn, the creamy sweet crab.
I spotted the wild mushroom on toast and couldn’t resist. A selection of wild mushrooms on toast, with a slow cooked duck egg, truffle butter and dots of mushroom ketchup. And that egg yolk, I mean just look at it.
Thick, unctuous, with the gentle sharp flavours from the mushroom ketchup to cut through it. I’m still dreaming of that duck egg.
But onto the mains.
Keeley had picked the Cheshire Farm lamb rump – and no wonder, our last visit involved lamb too.This time it was served alongside lamb fat cooked carrot, braised rib, roast onion and mint sauce. The lamb, again, was tender and properly pink, the rib was all crisp fat, and soft flesh, the carrot, soft and full of flavour.
I went decidedly fishy and opted for one of the recommendations, the seaweed cured cod. Served
with a samphire studded squash puree, crème fraiche and a caviar sauce. The cod was cooked until it was just translucent, the pop of both the caviar and cods roe provided a contrast in texture, as did the crispnness of the samphire against the puree.
Alongside both, at Keeley’s request, was the creamed leeks and bacon with Cheddar cheese crumble.
The base was a cream and cheese laden combination of softly sauteed leeks and salty bacon, the top was a chewy, slightly stringy crust that usually has you fighting over it. We refrained as we were in polite company.
Onto dessert, and Keeley’s near obsession with bees saw her select the Bee Centre Honey – heather honey cake, honeycomb panna cotta, fennel and honey iced parfait and bee pollen. The flavours were a medley of toffees, caramels and honeys. The heather added florals, as did the bee pollen, and the honeycomb was deep, sweet, and almost bitter.
For me, there could be only one, The Lowry Gin. A lemon mousse encased in a crisp shell, a centre featuring lemon zest and tonic gel, and dusted with a cucumber ice. I adored this. It was tart and bitter rather than sweet, the cucumber ice added a clean freshness.
And accompanying both was one of their signature cocktails, the Queen Bee. Licor 43, honey and Champagne, garnished with a Cape gooseberry. Delicious.
Overall, we expected it to be excellent, and it was. The service was lovely, attentive, but not intrusive, and still with the professional edge we’d expect.
And if you’re worrying about pennies, don’t worry, they too have a January menu. The Chef’s Choice January Menu is two course and a glass of wine, or three courses for just £19.99. Bargain.
