david goodfellow
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Posts posted by david goodfellow
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Hopefully when I get better at this, I will be able to insert these photos in between my writing, seems a pretty grown up thing to do
I can imagine Thom salivating over these
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Thom,
I would be pleased as punch if this was around the corner from my office. Value for money is terrific especially given the portion sizes.
You may well beat me to Bubbles especially as its on your patch.
What about one main course at Bubbles and pop next door to Red Chilli for the Lamb Hot Pot?
Just a thought
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Think I'm going to have to pay Will Holland a visit soon, his main course looked lovely, but I am an asparagus nutter.
Surprised you have not been yet, its a lot closer to you than it is me.
We dined there last year, met Will, had a tour of the kitchen, met some of his guys, shame its not closer.
Top notch food.
Good job I had Sat Nav because the signs are easy to miss.
As its out in the sticks watch out for the tractors, ooh arr, ooh arr,
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I thought that we had eaten at Glamorous restaurant at some time in the past. As soon as I passed it I remembered the car park, the Wing Yip cash and carry and the bustling weekend service. I do not however remember the dining experience.
"Oldham Road is left or right at the lights,I would go left if I was you"
This really is a grungy part of Manchester, but isn't that most of the City?
I'm thirty meters past the place to notice it on the opposite side of the road.
Cafe sums it up to a tee, in your wildest dreams would you stumble on this place. In honesty I looked up Bubbles and this place on Manchester Confidential and Bubbles scored higher but the menu is heavily weighted to noodle dishes which is mostly a no no to her indoors, so here we are.
The prominent feature of the room is the fifty inch flat screen TV playing a video of a Vietnamese pop star, but he was performing to a sound track from another source.
"Can we have the BBQ Quail please"
"Sorry, we have sold out"
"Bugger, we have driven a long way for the Quail"
"Sorry bout that, what about the Pork or the Lamb Chops?"
"OK, the Lamb Chops it is"
"I think the Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls need to be tasted"
"Sorry, we don't have any left", but why not try the Summer Rolls?
Well, yes the summer rolls were fine,pork, shrimp, noodles, beansprouts & herbs teasingly wrapped in diaphanous rice paper. Nouc Cham dipping sauce helped lift the blandness .I was worried my taste buds were playing tricks with me, could it be the diet coke? (no drinks licence)
A step up thankfully were the Salt and Pepper King Prawn interspersed with spring onion green and sliced red chilli. My wife counted eleven, and true to her fairness split the dish into five and a half each. I just hope our marraige lasts as at this point I clutched my balls at the thought of losing half of my wealth. A truly sobering thought.
The Bahn Xeo, a savoury Pancake, again with shrimp, pork, and beansprouts was invitingly tasty served with a side of crispy lettuce topped with a coriander bush. The same Nouc Cham sauce appeared and we were told to tip the sauce over the Pancake which most certainly helped the dish.
The BBQ Lamb Chops again had the dipping sauce and the lettuce garnish but had a welcoming mound of boiled rice.
Not much happening Orientally so to speak with the chops, a touch over cooked but tasty enough, my caveman instincts were catered for as the charred flesh was first ripped and then devoured in much haste.
Most folks at this stage would be stuffed as the portions are truly generous to a t. And we were just about there.
I could'n't help but notice the bowls of Noodle soup at another table when we took our seats and assured by the waiter (owner) that if we struggled to finish it he would doggie bag it for us. We nodded in approval.
We chose the chicken, which was a huge cauldron of the longest sloppiest noodles, (slurp, slurp,)swimming in a base stock featuring fish sauce, ginger, star anise? spring onion and a mini forest of green herbs like coriander, spring onion green and ? A small side plate of sliced red chilli, beansprouts, holy basil and lemon wedge was provided to add to the broth as and when desired.
We did struggle and ate the rest of the soup today.
I'm not quite convinced that the subtle flavours of Vietnam are for me, enjoyable though it was it was no better than I can produce at home.
The owner did say his wife was the only one producing the food and that was the deciding factor in the simplicity of what they served, it can certainly be described as home style.
There is an annoying repetition to the ingredients which hopefully they will address as the place develops
We travelled quite a distance to eat here but we really are the exception, most people would not be bothered to cross town to try it out. The best that I can say is that if you fancy a Viet fix give it a try, but only if your local.
One bonus about a visit here is the Wing Yip supermarket virtually across the road. Stock up on all kinds of oriental foodstuffs. If your feeling in the mood for a luxurious treat choose your own live lobster or crab from the tank. We bought a pack of Quail, some prepared clams for a chowder later on this week. Also some deboned Duck, frozen Whitebait which we deep fried yesterday (how very seventies)etc,etc.
Total for the above including a generous tip
£27.
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Totally agree with Wild Honey and Hereford Road.
Locatelli is a disgrace, this was my review last year,
And,,,,, I stumbled on this last week, which makes illuminating reading,
http://truetraveltreasures.blogspot.com/2009/04/locanda-locatelli.html,
Went to Scotts last year and whilst we had perhaps the best Shellfish Bisque (with cream and cognac) ever, the rest was not memorable except again for the shocking service.
They claimed they did not have a booking in my name, when I remonstrated and offered to go back to my car to get the name and booking time the snotty tart relented and gave us a rubbish table next to a busy service area, was I not pleased
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We called here today for lunch having left a message on the answer phone yesterday. As it is closed Monday and Tuesday this is the first dining day of the week proper. As is mentioned above no lunch menu is on offer, this really is odd as very few people want to pay a la carte prices at lunch time. Thankfully some of the pricing is very keen indeed so you can eat here without it costing a fortune. In a way I was grateful that we could try what is normally on offer.
At least three of the six tables (including ours) had been prompted to visit by a recent Telegraph article entitled Crunch Lunch. Its marvellous what a bit of national press exposure does as according to our server and part owner recent lunch times have been deserted. Could this be down to the lack of Table d'Hote?
Service was initially a bit slow and our server did not seem initially at ease with her role. I had however to keep reminding myself that this is not a Michelin place where we would normally be fawned over, just a neighbourhood restaurant. I did however feel that more attention should be paid to topping up wine and water.
The interior was more pleasing than I had imagined. Crisp linen tablecloths, odd white hand painted chairs suitably distressed. One wall with bold gold patterned paper and a spotlessly clean solitary loo. Table spacing seemed OK to me with twenty six covers in total.
Our table faced the open kitchen where a vocal Mary-Ellen McTague and partner Laurence Tottingham beavered away with one other helper.
A tasty amuse of Duck liver parfait with a sliver of sourdough arrived not long after the good home made bread.
Hand Dived Scallops, Granny Smith apple, crackling & lemon and thyme (£9.50) was actually one and a half scallops topped with foam, a line of pickled? apple, fabulous crackling, some very tiny dice of bacon and two slicks of apple puree. It all came together well.
My dish was Bury black Pudding, Scotch Egg, (£6) served with a mild tomato sauce and mushroom relish. The Quails eggs were just runny and along with the Black pudding wrap and crisp coating ate quite well with good bite, although the portion size to some may not seem enough.
Because we wanted to put the kitchen to the test we chose a main course as an additional fish course and thoughtfully this was individually plated by the kitchen.
Poached Irish Oraganic Sea Trout (£16.50) served with Pickled Anya potato, beetroot& vanilla vinaigrette was a decent dish, certainly not the best Sea Trout we have tasted but never the less very tasty. It was well presented topped with vivid green pea shoots showing up well against the pink trout and beetroot.
We both had Slow Cooked Leg of Goosnargh Duck (9.50) which sat on a bed of savoy cabbage a side slick of pumpkin puree to the side and five fingers of buttery chateau potatoes.
Now this was a really beautiful piece of cooking, a thoroughly enjoyable and bargain priced plate of food.
Desserts were Treacle Tart with lemon jelly & Earl Grey cream (5.50) and Lemon Posset with olive oil biscuit and blackberies £5.50).
Both desserts were moderate to good, my Posset was good however the line of blackberries looked and tasted well past there best, strange considering the general quality of the kitchen.
We skipped coffee as is normal for us.
The bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that I chose was not good drinking on its own without food, but I;m the first to admit this is an area that does not really interest me too much. I need to brush up in this area.
I was really concerned that we may not enjoy this place as much as others on here, but I'm pleased to report that this really is a bit of a find and we are hopeful that it gets the full support that it deserves
It would be interesting to know how much local support they get, but as has been pointed out they do need to make the place a little more accessible with a set lunch option.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/7623805/Crunch-lunch-Aumbry-Prestwich.html
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John,
Agree the breakfasts are memorable.
One dinner included Lobster Thermidor which was to die for. Our fantastic waiter noticed how much we enjoyed it and joked "would you like another one" and yes he was good to his word another one appeared
I also remember Brian Sack dishing out hampers for guests (ourselves included)FOC with whatever choice you wanted from a large kitchen selection.
That would never happen anywhere today.
Nice problem to have perhaps, but on the third day we began to flag a bit as the food was so rich and plentyfull. We just craved simplicity for a change.
Going to make the effort to return soon.
I just hope the return is as good as the memories.
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I missed this one on Manchester Confidential perhaps because being constantly bombarded by them I tend to skip some of the reviews.
Still thanks are in order(to you) for pointing this place out, looks like missing Red Chilli and Red n Hot are in order to give this one a punt,
Sounds very good indeed.
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Ryan Simpson's new venture will be up and running at the beginning of next month.
The website is in its early stage but there is a bit of information on there.
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Thanks Felix,
A good read and you have helped cement my desire to eat here.
The wine list is wasted on me, I will certainly be asking the sommelier to point me down the value route.
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Really enjoyed tonights show. Will's dish looked the dogs goolies, a work of art, and it clearly ate as well as it looked.
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Liz,
Thank you,
That sounds right up my street, me being a hearty eater as well.
Will report back in the coming weeks.
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Happy to accept that my cynicism last week was unwarranted. I wonder if this means Aiden Byrne's star is waning - can't see him being asked back a third time.
Mrs H is starting to mutter that we still havnt been to the Church Green even though it's just down the road. I'm starting to mutter about the bleeding prices.
Just had a look myself and I agree with you John, quite a few dishes dearer than London, and how do you justify £12 for a soup? and thats the cheapest starter
We have been four of five times and there is no doubting Aiden is a top chef but he has changed focus which has cost him. In fact every time that we have been it seems to be less busy each time, could this be down to the pricing perhaps?
The bar menu looks a lot more workable, a few dishes on there I would like to try.
Cheshire may have its bevy of super rich footballers but everybody else has to put up with a normal income ( be it state or otherwise)
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No I've not been, and for a long time did not fancy going, however that has changed a bit.
Trouble is no reports on here this year, and none whatsoever (that I can find) for all of last year,
Is it any good?
It looks OK on the website.
Anyone out there who has been recently?
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Really looking forward to this weeks show, its got a couple of big personalities in Daniel Clifford and Will Holland.
Can't comment on Richard Bainbridge but if he's anything like Galton he's going to be pretty laid back.
Glynn Purnell should keep em happy with his Brummie humour shining through.
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A cheffy pal of mine e mailed me three or four months ago, to comment on his tour of some Birmingham restaurants that I had made comment on.
We agreed on a few, questioned a few others, but according to his judgment Turners was the best, as the cooking to his mind resembled his own. Now I have not tried his cooking but I did eat at Turners not long after it won its Michelin star and I have to say the food was as good as anything on offer in Birmingham.
Well we did return back in February which was almost a year after our first visit and because of his comments we were looking forward to it.
If you do not know the area its quite easy to drive past this place as its in an unassuming part of the high street. Parking is a doddle in fact just behind the restaurant, it is however a public car park not the restaurants.
Very pleasant welcome was evident from I think James Thewlis the manager. We sat at a table for two to the right, about five other tables were occupied during this midweek lunch service.
The amuse was served in a cup which was an espuma of ? (can't remember) Well it was a couple of months ago.
Bread arrived fresh from the oven and I'm glad to say it was quite a bit better than last time, so nothing wrong there.
I had, Salad of Quail, celeriac remoulade, duck liver, quail vinaigrette. The other starter was,
Ceviche of Tuna, Cornish Crab, avocado, wasabi mayonnaise, soy mirin.
" Wow, taste that " (moi)
" Wow, taste that " (madam)
Hmmmm,
Everything about both starters were zingy, so fresh on the palate, so very moreish, and I think for once we both wanted to swap plates to taste more of each others dishes.
If this was the start, roll on the next course.
Daube of Scotch beef, creamed potatoes, bourgignone garnish, red wine sauce was enjoyed by us both.
An absolute classic, expertly executed,with a classy sticky sauce, pretty faultless really.
Fillet of Lemon Sole coated with ceps, salsify, artichoke puree, swiss chard, vanilla jus was taken as an extra course I'm really glad we did.
We tend to do this all of the time now as we always seem to fancy the same meat dish on the Du Jour, however some of the fish dishes that we have eaten recently have been a delight.
As an aside Lemon Sole is looked down on a bit in favour of Dover Sole, but in saying that we had some Lemon Sole fillets next to a Dover from our fish wholesaler and the Lemon Sole was superior indeed.
Bitter Chocolate tart, caramel sauce, peanut ice cream was enjoyed by the sweet toothed one which was satisfying before we tried the other choice (at no extra cost),
Selection of English and French farmhouse cheeses, these were, Fromage de l,angres,
St Maure de Tourraine, Lancashire Bomb, Calvados Camambert,& Fourme Sauternes. And jolly good they were too.
I mentioned up thread " unassuming " and that is what this place really is, its quietly going about its everyday business working hard to please the punters, the very same punters who no doubt realize how lucky they are to have this hidden gem on their doorstep.
I'm in no way a winehead but to me the bottle of Pinot Noir we had with the meal was better than a recent one at nearly twice the money.
1 bottle Pinot Noir £19.50
2 Du Jour three course £43.00
1 extra course £12.50
Total £75 + tip ( no service charge levied)
Severn Trent Water foc.
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Hi David, been following your travels - thought your meal at Holbeck looked much better value than the Hinds Head. The food looked OK but basic pub grub - if your bill had been half the price it would have been about right. You obviously have to pay through the nose for HB's reputation!
Pam,`your right of course, some of the pricing for "Gastropubs" is over the top.
I have booked a meal at The Royal Oak (new Michelin star) and the prices are about the same as Hinds Head. Be interesting how the food compares.
Same at Michelin starred Pipe and Glass in Yorkshire,(which I have yet to write up).About the same money.
Profit margins are very good in pubs, no spend on decor, less staff overhead, etc, etc.
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"The Chef going forward to represent the North West is,??????????????????????"
Gooaaaaaarrrn Lisa,
You can cook for me any day of the week chuck.
Wonder how much input "Old stager" Nigel had?
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Couple of years since we were there - our last "big" anniversary where we took their most expensive suite for a couple of nights (great outdoor hot tub).
Like David, I thought the food was quite safe, described as Anglo/French it played very much to its Gallic side. They make the mistake of having some old review cuttings on display - mistake when it's several years later and menu items are unchanged. We're hopefully popping up to Cumbria soon but Holbeck won't be on the list.
John,
Those reviews are still on display.
They were quite busy in the restaurant, fifty plus and all the rooms were sold. We met two lovely couples who were enjoying themselves, it certainly seems a popular spot and one thing its not is cheap.
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We had a fantastic lunch here last Sunday, possibly the best food this year.
Stunning value for the money especially if all the food that we were served is normally included.
I took some good photos and made a few notes so will elaborate when I have a bit more time.
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We love The Lakes. We spent a lot of our time before and after our wedding (some long time ago) exploring the area.
Even our honeymoon was spent partly at the famed Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel the Grand Dame of country house hotels.
Francis Coulson and Brian Sack cosseted their guests, they really were the pinnacle of hospitality
However ,I have to admit to deserting the Lakes for some time, having become besotted with the Cotswolds, but thats another story.
It really was good to return.
Holbeck Ghyll has held a Michelin star for ten? years or so, we have been before but not to dine, just to look at the place for future reference.
Its as you may expect perhaps untouched for decades but comfortingly shabby chic. The Lakes are of course the home for country house hotels with one seemingly on each corner.
We had a few canapes in one of the lounges as we decided on what to eat, then through to the dining room.
The amuse was Butternut squash and Gruyere velute followed by,
Tian of Crab with Avocado and pink Grapefruit, which was a bit short on Crab and not at all exciting.
West Coast of Scotland Hand dived Scallops with celeriac and balsamic dressing was the other.
The scallops were topped with a shaving of truffle which did not have a pronounced flavour They were slightly overcooked.
Bread was a choice of Granary, Apricot and Walnut, Cheese, and ?
The best of a bad bunch was the Cheese, the rest was just well,,,,,.
One good point is that they have their own spring so no selling bottled water.
Everything was classic, Villeroy and Boch crockery, Riedel Glassware, and Arthur Price of Sheffield cutlery.
Best End of Cumbrian Lamb with Puy lentils, swede puree and Haggis beignets was my choice and,
Fillet of Aberdeen Angus Beef with truffle Pomme Puree and Wild mushrooms was the other main.
Both dishes were perfectly ok but lacked any zing and seemed to be like the Hotel itself, lost in a time warp. Thankfully the Lamb was pink as no one asked how I would like it.
We are sort of used to having the dish described to us as it is served, and whilst it may annoy the minority I find it most helpful because its not possible for me to always guess the components.
Desserts were an out of season Cherry concoction which was deemed sickly sweet and a form of sticky toffee pud which is a famed local speciality.
Everything about this meal had a "safe" feel to it almost as if that is what the punters wanted, or is that what the chef wants the punters to expect?
Don't get me wrong the food was "OK" but perhaps thats the part that that we were disappointed with.
We chose from the carte, but they have a special midweek offer which on our visit comprised of one of each choice from the carte ie, starter, main, and dessert, and its very good value.
Price for one a la carte £56.50, one midweek special £32.50, one bottle of decent wine, no coffees , some nice Cumbrian spring water and a tip was £125.
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Its fair to say that this place has not really been on my radar until Michelin 2010 was announced. It really was too far away to warrant a special journey.
This changed when it was announced ex chef Dominic Chapman now at nearby The Royal Oak had won a Michelin star, so I did a bit of research and hey ho it turns out that the new chef (newish, couple years?) here is Clive Dixon.
Now I know Clive, not personally, in fact if he bought me a pint at the bar I would not recognize him.
I do know his food though and was tipped off about him perhaps a decade or more ago when he was a young gun at The Mill and Old Swan in Minster Lovell. We spent a weekend there with some hotelier friends of ours from Bournemouth who were nurturing their own very good chef. Mightily impressed too we were.
His history to this stage was excellent having worked for David Everit Mathias at LCS and senior sous chef at Cliveden under Ron Maxfield
Lords of the Manor was next, gaining and holding a Michelin star for three? years. Then moving on to Hunstrete House again with a Michelin star.
We never made Hunstrete House but Lords of the Manor was a bit of a favorite.
Well by all accounts he became fed up with the country house scene and after a stint in a city centre place ended up here. So we had much to look forward to.
Last Saturday was perhaps the best weather so far this year reaching 18 degrees in these parts. I must admit to never seeing more convertibles anywhere even in ultra flash Miami Beach or indeed The South of France, we really are starved of sunshine.
Our table was fantastic, sun streaming through the windows, people outside in shorts, a wedding party arriving with pretty frocks galore, people posing for photos outside The Fat Duck,really top notch animation.
The bar was busy but civilized, so we started in true spirit of the place with some ale, Rebellion, not had it before, it did go down well but sadly had to be a bit careful because I was driving.
The menu pays homage to Great British food with Balmoral Venison Cheese Burger, Shepherds Pie with Lamb shoulder, Breast and Sweetbreads(which really took my fancy), Aberdeenshire Beef with Bone Marrow sauce with Triple cooked chips. Rump Steak, T Bone, or Fillet Steak on the Bone, etc, etc, etc.
It does have an Autumn, Winter feel to it but I suppose British food is like that really, besides being a "salads are for wimps" type of guy it suits me down to the ground. I am fortunate in one way not to dine with a stick thin model who has to watch what she eats, Mrs G (like me) eats for England.
I had the Pea and Ham soup (£6.35) with a side order of perfectly cooked Scotch Egg,(£2.95) runny yolk, crunchy outside. The soup was very light and tasty, tiny cubed ham in the base and a baby's handful of fresh peas.
Roast Onion tart with Goats cheese and Walnuts (£8.95) was the other starter, which was pretty standard stuff except that the pastry base was overcooked (and looked it) but by good fortune did not impart any "burnt" taste
We had one of the "Specials" Skate Wing Scampi with Tartare Sauce,(£8.50) which arrived on a wooden board. About nine or ten pieces of crispy balls, and they really needed the tartare sauce to wash them down.
Thats not to say we don't like skate, we love it as Wings with black butter sauce, perhaps I was expecting too much.
I nearly forgot the bread which was excellent. Its not made on site but nearby to their own recipe by Boulangerie de Paris, I loved the crunch from the crust as it gave way to the firm but soft flesh within.
Oxtail and Kidney Pudding (£16.95) was really a must try for me, and it arrived on its own in the classic white dish surrounded by a really rich and thick sauce which was sticky to the point I had to keep licking my lips to clean them. No bad thing at all in fact the opposite. The Pudding itself was about as good as it gets, how anybody could get any more flavour into it, well I don't think its possible.
We had the famed Triple cooked chips(£4.50) which sadly were over crisped and had far too little soft potato inner.
Another side was Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovies and Almonds,(£3.50) which was pretty darn good.
The other main was Chicken, Ham, and Leek Pie with Mustard sauce,(£15.50) which again was perhaps as good as your going to get in every way. I was very happy with mine but could easily have swapped plates.
The meal really flowed helped along by the excellent service from our French waiter Romain? who told me he previously worked three years at a Michelin three star place, and it showed, he was a class act. He even persuaded us to try a dessert which we both adamantly vowed not too as we were stuffed.
"You must try the Chocolate Wine "Slush" with Millionaire Shortbread,(£6.95) its was on the Fat Duck menu until recently"
Now we went to the Duck last year and for the life of me I could not remember this dessert, so, well you guessed.
As we were sharing, the tiny pot of " Slush" arrived with two straws, to its side was the rectangle of shortbread looking slightly Mr Kiplingish.
We are sad to report that although its a bit of a fun dish we were not really impressed. We should have stuck to our guns.
Reading through the menu again it really is chock a block with comfort food, we would happily munch our way through it. Clearly its not cheap, not pub prices at all, but you know what they say "you gets what you pay for". Well mostly of course.
All in all a lot more hits than misses and indeed a thoroughly enjoyable outing. Anyone who lives within a decent radius of Bray who has not yet been should most certainly make the effort to get there soon as Clive Dixon is leaving in June to set up his own place with his wife.If you live in Bray deem yourselves very lucky indeed to have this place as your local.
I can't help but ponder over the rise of "Gastropubs" to Michelin star status, The Star, Pipe and Glass, etc, plus of course this year near neighbour The Royal Oak with former chef from here winning it. Another excellent newcomer Harwood Arms.
I can,t help but wonder if HB despairs as to being overlooked by the guide especially given his status and the quality of this kitchen. I am looking forward to hearing who the next chef is going to be to take this place forward they are advertising now btw.
As an aside Clive Dixon was not in the kitchen on Saturday it was a rare (I assume ) day off, not that it should make a difference of course.
Just looking through the bill again I notice the Chocolate "Slush" has been charged at £7.75 (plus service) instead of £6.95 as stated on the dessert menu. Well its obviously an oversight so I will let them off this time
All the above including five halves of Rebellion and a jug of some perfectly drinkable Thames tap water was,
£92.42 inc the dreaded 12.5% service charge.
The Aumbry, Prestwich, Manchester
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted
Almost forgot this one. Good to see chefs beavering away, doing what they are best at doing.