Albert's Shed, Manchester

Another random night without Mr Nom looking for somewhere to eat in Manchester. I was driving down Liverpool Road and nearby Albert’s Shed in Castlefield popped into my head since it had been a long time since my last visit.

My dining partner and I both ordered a scallop starter, the dish from the a la carte and one from the specials. The a la carte dish with wasabi pea puree certainly had a kick; in fact it was so powerful it totally unblocked my nose!

King scallops in a thermidor sauce and buttered samphire was off the specials list.

The delicious roasted rump of lamb was quickly demolished by my dining partner whereas I ordered seared tuna.

The tuna was zingy from the freshness of the limes but rather over seasoned for me. The dauphinoise potatoes were creamy and yummy but again over seasoned. I was dreading to try on the green beans at this point but they were ok! The rest of the dish however felt like it was my salt intake for the week. The supervisor/manager noted that something was wrong when I left it untouched and asked if I wanted them to heat the fish up again but to be honest I did not see the point as it needed a fresh piece of tuna to make amends. However they topped up the sides. 

Since I did not eat much of my main, I definitely needed a dessert, one or maybe two! I was recommended the sticky toffee pudding although I did have my eye on the panna cotta. I am easily persuaded though and went with the suggestion, although I feared the sweet toffee sauce would be too sweet and sickly for me. It was nicely presented and is a fabulous dessert for those with a sweet tooth.

Hit and miss but I’ve always wanted to try the branch in Didsbury and there is one under construction in Worsley. 

Rosylee Tea Rooms, Manchester

I remember hearing good things about Rosylee Tearooms in the Northern Quarter but I had never looked into it until Mr Nom randomly suggested it.  I wish I knew about them earlier because it was such a relaxed place for a bite to eat on a chilled Sunday afternoon.

I started off the meal with a hot chocolate, not my usual choice of beverage but I needed warming up; it shocked Mr Nom and he went for his usual glass of wine.  We decided on the Sunday lunch menu, which was good value for money, with 2 courses for £15.95 and 3 courses for £18.95. 

For starters we had crispy goat’s cheese bonbons which were delightful balls of joy and it married well with the beetroot.  Minted lamb Ballantine was tasty with freshness coming from the strips of cucumber and the roasted tomatoes.  Like refined lamb koftas!

Mr Nom’s roast looked extremely delicious. I was envious of the perfectly cooked medium rare beef; all the trimmings were wonderful and the Yorkshire pudding looked very inviting. He kept asking me whether I wanted any to be polite but secretly he wanted it all for himself as shown by the speed he gobbled it up. 

Breaking from the norm I ordered the chicken dish from the main which I usually never do. Chicken breast with a rich mushroom sauce, buttered kale and crispy potatoes. It was so filling I had Mr Nom finish off the dish for me but it did not stop me from ordering dessert as the Zara rose crème brulee caught my eye from the beginning. 

I love rose so what a fantastic combination of them both to create a moreish dessert. The shortbread was a lovely addition to the brulee but I was so full by then to finish off a little biscuit. 

Mr Nom’s apple and rhubarb crumble was lovely and a classic dessert, it was dainty and I could smell the vanilla as he was pouring on lashings of the custard. Personally I didn’t think it needed the clotted cream on the side as the custard was more than adequate.

I would definitely return for more nibbles, cakes and cocktails. Although if you are hungry there is a slight wait between each course, but the wait is definitely worth it because each course delivered. A nice surprise for a spontaneous Sunday lunch.

All Star Lanes, Manchester

When it comes to bowling alleys, this brings back memories of fun and arcade machines with monochrome blue pac man style graphics from the television screens displaying the scores. Balls and pins would regularly get stuck requiring someone to retrieve errant balls and lodged pins.  Food and drink were simple affairs yet satisfying to the young like slush puppies and hot dogs and fries.  

How things have changes since the good old days.  Technology has moved on and punters expectations have risen exponentially.  Despite only being in my twenties I still found the razzmatazz of the Manchester branch of All Star Lanes took some getting used to for this 80s child.  Flat screens with cartoon animations now replace the big chunky blue screens of the past with Catchphrase type graphics of turkeys following a series of strikes.  One thing that hasn’t changed though is that I’m still awful at bowling, starting off with three gutters and with only one strike all game.

Growing out of hush puppies one of the good points of All Star Lanes is its drinks menu with a variety of cocktails, beers, shakes and other non-alcoholic beverages on offer.  Recent Halloween cocktails such as midnight margaritas and Dracula jars were on offer at £5 a pop so didn’t break the bank either.  After a few drinks we moved on the shakes/non-alcoholic menu with a bacon Elvis and banana colada.

After working up an appetite the restaurant offers up an American menu.   For starters we ordered buffalo wings and popcorn squid.  The chicken wings were some of the smallest we have seen, and plumper ones would be much more satisfying, not too hot either.  The popcorn squid is served in a small oriental takeaway type box with some unnecessary chopsticks.  It’s a shame that they were dripping oil otherwise they would have fared quite favourably.

Moving on to mains which were much better, the full rack of BBQ baby back ribs looked like it came from a dinosaur, it was humongous   I was glad I refused to order a side of chips when I saw how big it was, anyhow it come with a small dollop of obligatory veg in the form of coleslaw on the side.  I struggled to finish the whole rack but the meat was tender and moist coming off the bone with ease. Blackened salmon was also a generous portion of two fillets with nice crispy skin, served with crush Cajun sweet potato which was different and welcome.  

We were glad we chose to bowl before eating as we weren’t able to move after, not helped by washing down our food with shakes. Whilst the prices are reasonable for drinks, coupled with food and bowling the cost soon mounts up, it is easy to rack up a bill of nearly £50 each for a game of bowling, a couple of drinks and a two course meal.  Good for a night out for a group but expensive to kill a couple of hours for two.

The Living Room, Manchester

Whilst walking down Deansgate after an event, I popped into The Living Room for a drink or two with some friends. The live music is lovely creating a fantastic atmosphere; it has always been one of my preferred spots down Deansgate, and the cocktails are fabulous too.

As much as I like a good cocktail, I was getting peckish as beautiful aromas lingered from the table next to ours.  As I was scanning through the menu there were quite a number of dishes I wanted to order. When I feel hungry, I order more than my stomach can handle, but I tried hard to be selective. 

Roasted quail sounded delicious on the menu and it delivered. The sweetness from the molasses was well matched with the bird. I was unsure about watermelon and cheese, it seemed like an odd combination but I think it worked, well I enjoyed it anyway.

Originally I fancied both the seared tuna and the crab slider but unfortunately the tuna had sold out.  The crab slider had a touch of chilli; although a little more heat would have been welcomed alongside the avocado and crab. It must sound quite surprising for someone that does not really eat spicy foods but it needed the extra oomph!

I was debating on dessert but my dining partner was eyeing on the coconut ice cream so I ordered the hot chocolate fondant which came with the ice cream. I wanted something indulgent which the fondant delivered but the toasted coconut ice cream was the star for me, even though if it was probably bought in.

Sticky Walnut, Chester

We finally made it to Sticky Walnut one Friday night.  Being based in Chester it is out the way for us being south of in-between Manchester and Liverpool.  With Mr Nom working in Wrexham one week he suggested we make a booking. However with it being just after rush hour on a Friday evening it was quite a horrendous drive from Manchester whilst Mr Nom cantered in from nearby Wrexham. 

For starters I chose flamed mackerel, apple salsa with lemon, fennel and couscous which sounded enticing and it delivered. The apple was tangy and the lemon and fennel couscous was really fresh which worked beautifully against the fish. 

Nr Nom chose the crispy lamb’s tongue with chickpeas, goat’s curd and green charmoula.

The shin of beef main was so tender, I wasn't too keen on the elderflower, but the crispy parsnip crisps added lovely texture and crunch to the dish, contrasting with the soft and juicy beef. 

With no quail wellington on the menu Mr Nom ordered the grouse was from the specials board whilst it was still in season. It came with a grouse pate, very intense gamey flavours. 

For dessert, we shared a blackberry and almond tart with creme fraiche and damsons. By now it was getting rather dark hence the declining quality of the pictures!

We saw quite a few tables ordering the chateaubriand which looked epic with all the trimmings which we both agreed to try next time.

Burger & Lobster, London

The popularity of Burger & Lobster shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, with huge queues most nights and soon to open its fifth restaurant within Harvey Nichols this London juggernaut brings lobster to the masses, and burgers but we’re not interested in them as it’s all about the lobster.  I have been to the Soho branch a couple of times during weeknights with at least an hour wait each time.  Being an avid fan of lobster the menu is short and simple either a steamed or grilled lobster with fries and salad or lobster roll/burger and the same for £20 each (plus service charge).  Apart from the cooking method the other choice is to upgrade to a larger native rock lobster for a higher price depending on how greedy you are.

There is a small bar waiting area where you can enjoy drinks whilst you wait to be called to your table.  The drinks are quite pricey and the bill soon mounts on top of the value lobster meal. Bibs are provided for the messy ones and provide some entertainment. The food is served swiftly, understandably given the price and turnover required but we did not feel rushed to finish our meal.

I opted to have my lobster grilled, served whole including claws the way it should be, I always feel short changed when they are not served as the claw meat is my favourite part.  It is served with lovely garlic butter for dipping the lobster and fries.  A shell cracker and pick are provided to get all of the meat out of the nook and crannies, it takes a few goes to become efficient at lobster eating but it’s worth it.

Before

After

The burger looked good and I was told it was nice but at £20 seems a bit steep.  I’ve not tried the lobster roll yet but for the same money I could get both a succulent lobster roll and lobster mac n cheese from my favourite London lobster joint, Bobs Lobster.

There are a few restaurants with the same concept which have popped up, most notably Steak & Lobster (formerly Alto) based in the Radisson Edwardian, Manchester.  Here we tried the lobster but it was under grilled and some of the meat was still mush.  Alternatively any decent Chinese restaurant such as Tai Pan can do spring onion and ginger lobster on noodles which will fulfil any lobster cravings.

William Curley, London

After coming across the wonderful creations by William Curley, a highly decorated luxury patissier & chocolatier based in London, I was extremely looking forward to trying the beautiful cakes. We already planned what cakes we wanted, earl grey, milk chocolate and coconut entremets and the rose, raspberry and lychee dome. 

Sadly we got to the Belgravia branch around 4pm after a trip to nearby Medlar and most of the cakes had sold out. I was devastated but ordered the yuzu and praline tart. The stunning creation with a vanilla yuzu bavaroise was nice with a slight hint of citrus. The praline was a tad too sweet but it was gooey and heavenly with the hazelnut and almond pastry.  

After one cake I wanted something more, although there were many tantalising chocolates displayed, but I did not feel like eating anymore chocolate. The ice cream selection was exciting and with different from the norm flavours which were enticing such as jasmine and miso & white chocolate. I chose the jasmine flavour, the ice cream or shall I say sorbet since it was quite icy was lovely; the jasmine was refreshing and so pure that the taste was lingering in my mouth for ages, a good palate cleanser after the sweet tart.

I hope to get there earlier next time or to visit Harrods to sample the other William Curley cakes I originally wanted. That will be the near the top of the agenda during the next London trip!