Gary Marshall

I happened to find myself in manchester the other day, a quick call to resident Thom ascertained what i had suspected from my brief time working there back in 1996, that all the action foodwise was in the suburbs. (I am glad to see my personal favourite the lime tree, didsbury, still going strong). In the town centre, other than the bridge gastropub that sounded good, but a little informal for my needs two names cropped up Obsidian and Establishment. Obsidian sounded a bit too fushion-y for my taste so i went for establishment which sounded, and on their website looked more of a serious foodie place. I also noted a less than favourable review by Coren on obsidian last saturday though maybe his meal was tempered by his guest turning out to be a radical vegetarian. Unlucky Giles. It turned out i did know Establishment of old it, was a bar on the end of King street where i remember many Friday lunchtimes being passed in a haze of becks. Despite what you put in the space it will always look pretty special as it is an old banking hall, full of marble with impressive domed ceilings. In it's guise as a restaurant they have created a bar and a semi-private dining space. The predominant colour is a ramsay-esque aubergine but the room is big and tables generously sized. We had a warm greeting at the door, from that rarity in the trade, a helpful, welcoming maitre d' (i suspect also the proprietor too) who took our coats and settled us in bar area for a swift coupe and menu perusal. From the website i thought only set lunch was offered with full ALC in the evening but luckily this was not the case, the set lunch looked fine but we were in no rush so settled on ALC. My starter was a green risotto with parmesan crisps and a basil ice cream i think (the menu on the website is not representative). It was indeed green, the ice cream was fine and not 'challenging' and the risotto not overdone. My mate had hand dived scallops with a frogs leg beignet which he looked very happy with. Mains were for me roast cod with a burgundy jus, lardons, mushrooms and other assorted drizzles, plus a jug of extra jus. The plates were huge, glass and very pretty though it wasn't the largest piece of cod i've ever had, though as it's overfished perhaps that's good? It was a complicated dish, quite pleasant and the sort of dish you'd think michelin would go for, but in reality a little too fussy i thought. Mate's venison with chocolate bonbon suffered the same fate, quite small and a lot going on. We then split a cheese course and ordered deserts and coffee also. Not quite sure why the coffee order was needed at that point but no harm done. The cheese board had mrs kirkhams and and four others so it was 2 bits of that and a bit of eveything else, with a quince jelly too. They were in decent condition, can't remember the names, about 5 minutes later a very nice but oddly refrigerated fruit cake and crackers appeared. Then there was a strange moment, as i paused with my cheese, mid yet another no-doubt side cracking anecdote the young waiter tried to take my plate away. He obviously likes to live dangerously! I assured him the cheese was not yet finished but this was not putting him off. He set up the cutlery for the deserts next to the cheese (i told you the tables were big) and then momnets later brought out the deserts, which sat there until we wanted them! mine was cold so it wasn't an issue, i forgot my mate had ordered choc fondant so that was a bit more of an issue but by the time he had finished cheese it had cooled to a pleasant temp. my deserts were a white choc cheesecake with a shot of milshake and i think raspberry ripple ice cream. not suprisingly coffee soon followed along with interesting space dust coated choc truffles which were good. Wines were a 1/2 white bordeaux for starters at sommeliers suggestion and a red premier cru pernand-vergelesse at my suggestion. Both did the job, there was also a desert wine slipped in there too. It was a pleasant lunchtime, the service was very good natured but no-where near polished enough if indeed stars are the aim. Ok i'm being picky, but the errors were: an odd smell at our table in the bar, probably caused by wiping with a musty cloth, getting dishes the wrong way round, everytime, and making a fuss over swapping the cutlery, the usual wine in the cooler and not topping up regularly enough, (though red was left on table), offering us set menu deserts rather than alc's, the desert issue, forgetting crackers, coffee 'i'd like a large espresso' -'would that be large or small sir?'. Don't get me wrong i say these only to help, often they are faults found in many establishments both lesser and greater. so i think the raw material is there, at least the staff were smiling, enthusiastic and hopefully will learn the ropes eventually, the restaurant only opened in may. Dishes although i felt probably overly complex were enjoyable. The wine list had been chosen with thought and had not unreasonable mark ups. i hope it is a success, i'm not often in manchester but would go back, for an attitude and fashion driven city like manchester it is refreshingly down to earth. Though unfortunately for Thom, but luckily for me, a long way behind both no3 and Anthony's (had to get them in somewhere ) cheers gary www.establishmentrestaurant.com

did you not get some form of 'chutney' with the cheese? usually there is something that adds to the cheese, i don't usually bother with bread with the cheese. the cheeses i've had there are always in very good condition. As for the price, well at winteringham fields the cheese is £12.99 from memory, they have a bigger choice but what ends up on your the plate at the end of it is not much more than anthonys! the grouse dish is a new one to me, i haven't been since the season started, how was that presented? cheers gary

yes, it opened on friday night. i was going to head over on sunday but for the first weekend they were closed to give them time to ensure everything was in order. they have slightly unusual opening hours, tuesday to saturday evening only and lunch on sunday. I can see from an operating perspective it's nice not to do lunch but from an economic point of view if the chefs are there prepping they might as well do the odd lunch too! i may well see you there next sunday! cheers gary

when idly surfing i came across the following starter on the new ALC at no3 .... 'Crispy Pig’s Trotter stuffed with Ham Hock & Chicken, Seared Foie Gras, Celeriac Remoulade, Fried Quail’s Egg, Purée of Granny Smiths' it wasn't a hard decision to decide a visit was in order the dish was 3 discs of the trotter which had been pan fried, the celeriac in the centre with a generous rectangle of foie on top, with the fried quails egg on top of that. The granny smiths puree was in little blobs around the plate, but was not very appley. for main i was dull and had Roast Breast of Corn Fed Chicken, Cannelloni of Chicken Confit, Asparagus, Broad Beans & Peas, Jus of Thyme it was the usual well executed dish nothing wrong but i felt the chicken breast lacked seasoning,however the canneloni was excellent. despite being empty when i arrived the restuarant was almost full when i left which was good to see. cheers gary

no need to apologise, a good read, thanks! are you back in sunny huddersfield yet? i really must get myself over to your place soon. cheers gary

glad you enjoyed it, what did you have? hopefully new chef will have started/starting soon so the next leg of the development of the restaurant can take place. feels like its been around for ages, but it's actually only six months old! cheers gary

thanks i never did work out how to multi quote! gary

so what does the 'quote' button do then?! cheers gary

Senile Bugger- how the hell could you forget that? ←

best restaurant : After much deliberation.No 3 York Place. Whilst the food at anthony's is genuinely groundbreaking and the staff great, wine is a weakish point but the food often defies conventional matching, therefore i'll vote for no3 as more a total restaurant experience with food, service and wine all scoring highly. i could send anyone there and they'd not be disappointed. Anthony's is becoming a temple to gastronomy and it is easy to forget it has only been open six, yes six months! 2005's best restaurant when they've got more chefs and it's tasting menu's a go-go. bollocks, just remembered a great tasting menu at hibiscus, can i have a top 3 best restaurants? gary

menage a trois with AWT what could be better training! to be fair cv is good, has it got a star now or did the glory of awards finish in 1999, the last date mentioned on the website? gary

best cheap eats (under £20 per head) Aagrah -tadcaster (well there's a few in the area) great indian food, lovely decor and staff and struggle to spend £25 for 2. with lager naturellement (the v nice lal toofan) best restaurant : After much deliberation.No 3 York Place. Whilst the food at anthony's is genuinely groundbreaking and the staff great, wine is a weakish point but the food often defies conventional matching, therefore i'll vote for no3 as more a total restaurant experience with food, service and wine all scoring highly. i could send anyone there and they'd not be disappointed. Anthony's is becoming a temple to gastronomy and it is easy to forget it has only been open six, yes six months! 2005's best restaurant when they've got more chefs and it's tasting menu's a go-go. best sunday lunch: has to be the star at harome, good value too, £8.95 i think for pork and black pud, £9-10 for roast beef and yorks puds. i always justify it by heading up for a roast dinner only but as soon as i cross the threshold resolve goes and it's 3 courses and wine down the hatch, mrs marshall driving! best place to drink: my local the st vincent arms,sutton upon derwent, york, is there a better value wine list in the UK? 2000 nuits st georges £24, st veran £17, michelot meursault £23, sauzet P montrachet £40. Gardet champagne £17, Pol Roger £24. They've got cloudy bay too if you like that sort of thing, Oh, and Foster's £2.10 a pint! best restaurant for kids: one far, far away from where i'm dining. best breakfast: got to be the star at harome again, available if you stay overnight, too sick to eat it on my stag do, made up for it subsequently. have a proper chef making the brekkie for you. is v good. best independent food retailer: the star again, i'm not in their employ i promise. Huge selection of cheeses (the full rounds) local sorced meats, home made caseroles etc and a lot of great deli product, all made in on the premises, or bought from france like poilane bread. best organic product: no idea, best food or drink book: hugh's meat book deserves a mention, but not read it all yet. best food tv programme: hells kitchen! i really loved that programme. no honestly i did.

coincidentally thom my thoughts were similar to yours there were several categories where i couldn't really get excited. For best restaurant i'm still torn between no3 and anthony's maybe i'll vote twice haha! i also like the classic conran book, it has recipes for the sort of things i like to cook and eat at home rather than looking at whilstfuly on the sofa. cheers gary ps in manchester on monday thom, was thinking about the bridge for a spot of lunch avec client perhaps.

Although bizarely where it says 'talloires' on the michelin map does suggest it is on the right hand side of the lake! in that list atelier gourmand has a star and was closed for hols when we were there ciboulette is a 3 knife and fork but din't see it and auberge de savoie is still there a 2 k& f i think but was also closed for hols. cheers gary

i have a soft spot for au pied du cochon as it was my first real parisan dinner many moons ago. it is famous for its onion soup which is very good and its various preparations of pig products. i have never been disappointed with my 'first night' meal of onion soup, steak bearnaise and profiteroles, but it is touristy and i'm sure there are more authentic places but i'm sure i'll be back again, although i have chez denise already on my list. gary

i had a great time in annecy, the sun shone the lake was immaculately clean and i found enough cols to occupy myself without having to bother with the drive to alpe d' huez briefly places we tried.... first night (Thursday) CLOS DES SENS a stunning michelin 1 star, we had a 12 course taster for 90e with innumberable amuses too, the menus start from around 30E i think and they all got the amuses too so they looked good value. wines not cheap but food brilliant, inventive, great plating and delicious. www.closdessens.com Friday HOTEL DE VILLE very poor, looked nice art deco building just wanted a steak bearnaise, booked at lunchtime went back in evening and found they had a DJ playing rubbish europop, not too loud, but loud enough that you wouldn't want to sit inside. Service fine but steak rubbish, bearnaise poor and very odd marinated salmon starter that was actively unpleasant. Not recommended but was always busy! Saturday night ROTTISERIE DU THIOU found this in guide pudlo, i'd checked all the michelin entries that were open and non appealed. This was a tiny backstreet place that was promising, niggles were that i booked downstairs (one of only 2 bookings that night i noticed) and got offered a tiny table for two 'upstairs' (upstairs being a wedge of space by the side of the stairs with 3 tables on it) wedged between a huge 3 generation family group. we said no thanks and sat outside. Food was good selection of savoie classics with their interpretation, ie they served most on a brochette, steaks etc, taken thought over the wines and food had evident care. Young chef in kitchen and young guy out front type of operation. Went back for lunch and again had table issues so walked off, probably cut off my nose to spite my face, but i wasn't in the mood for it after 3 hours up and down various cols! Would recommend it. Sunday LE FRETTI our friends loved this place so we were forced to try it, not bad on main tourist bit of old town all the old savoie classics, raclette, tartiflette, fondues. not a lot to get wrong, cheerful service and cheap. again useful, open every evening place. Monday LE BELVEDERE this was just up the road from our hotel (les tresoms, which had an interesting if pricey restaurant too). In michelin but pudlow said it was an ex-marc veyrat chef and was quite inventive so we checked the menu, some unusual touches montecristo cigar sauces and potato with xo brandy for example. But really enjoyed it lovely view over the lake and wines not too heavily marked up. Tuesday GARCIN a family owned place up a flight of stairs, apparently marc veyrat eats here on his days off, if that's any rec, for me it was the type of old school french place i like bumbling chef /proprietor, wife assiting nice menu of bistro dishes, went back twice. Recommended if you like tradition. Super panorama that john mention was also near our hotel, it might overlook tailloires but the village of tailloires is on the opposite side of the lake! cheers gary

exactly, i don't think turn left out of the station, turn right for 30 paces then first left is particularly hard to find. if you tried to take a taxi, they'd probably laugh, or charge you £10 as you quite patently have no idea where you are and therefore can be taken for ride. As i'm sure happens to me in london often gary

last years OFM poll produced some very wierd results eg a veggie restaurant in brighton the second best restaurant in the UK, the living room the best restaurant in leeds for example. you can vote at www.observer.co.uk/foodawards if you missed this weeks edition. i'll post my thoughts well, when i've had them! categories best cheap eats (under £20) best restaurant best sunday lunch best place to drink best restaurant for kids best breakfast best independent food retailer best organic product best food or drink book best food tv programme gary

well i can't explain what it is, but it is a lake fish that i had in annecy last week! seen on many menus there so quite available there. cheers gary

looks like someone gave a researcher a quick job. doesn't read like an 'inside job', not written by someone who actually lives in leeds, more about profile that can be easily found by a researcher. such slackness comes as no suprise, i was quite shocked to be introduced to a professional restaurant reviewer in anthony's who had A) never heard of anthony's until the night before, and B) thought that no 3 was too hidden away and couldn't be bothered to find it. gary

quebecs is a very nice hotel, and is stumbling distance from no3 and not too far from anthony's as room is virtually next door to anthony's. room is not bad if you like your food updated 70's classics and view an in-house DJ as a dining pre-requisite. i may 'only' be 34 but i can't remember a time i would ever have thought that a winning combination i think the room only rate on a weekend is about £90. might not still be the case but no 3 were able to get reduced rates at quebecs too, as they don't have any dining facilities there. for the record no 3 is shut saturday lunch and both are closed on sundays if you are fancying a trip. cheers gary

typical, just back from france and am now having to think about how i can squeeze in another meal here! glad you found it still on form, i've never been disappointed here, would prefer to see the tasting menu change a little more frequently but that nidderdale lamb 'pie' really is a stunner . gary

i would say they are cooking more for the local market than the whims of michelin. A full restaurant pays the bills not a star and that has been the first priority. the main complaint about anthony's appears to be that the portions are too small, i suspect no3 are just making sure no-one can complain that they've not had 'a good feed' there's plenty of folk up here who still equate quantity with quality for the record, i favour both! cheers gary

:gary: I'll see if I can get it added to the database, I'm sure it will come in handy in the future. it can go under the picture in the dictionary gary

is there an idiot emoticon? sorry patrick i've read the thread but didn't realise it was you. gary