Harvey Nichols, Manchester

[thom]

So we shook the kids off for the night (a Saturday no less!) and booked in at Harvey Nichols. I'd rated it highly under the last chef, Alison Seagrave, and indeed I was not alone as it was the second highest GFG rated restaurant in Manchester and the highest rated within the HN group (ie Edinburgh, Leeds and London too). When she left they promoted from within, Stuart Thomson, but an initial lunch was patchy. I had though heard some spanking reports lately and with judging season in full swing I thought it was about time I did the place the justice of a return visit.

So we got there, encountered a clipped efficient front-desk welcome and we were promptly seated in a nice spot by the window. Views of the Cathedral, Exchange Square and the wheel one way (apparently a main throughfare for a spectacular amount of hen dos) and on to St Annes Square the other - one of Manchester's more appealling vistas. The huge floor to ceiling windows which span the side of the room are a fantastic asset and make for compelling people-watching.

But I'm just not convinced about the decor... It's harsh, and shiny, and slightly dated. The gloss black and white surfaces I can cope with, but the electric blue accent lighting (which I think chaged to purple and back again during the evening) is too 1990's, ironic for a restaurant that only opened in 2003. Could HN head office be persuaded to invest in a refresh? Losing the awkward mesh and cushion chairs would help, and a restaurant like this deserves the right interior. Warmer colours echoing the views of brick and sandstone might be nice?

Once in the hands of the FOH we were well looked after (though a glass of house champagnge helped my perception), indeed the staff were towards the high end of service I've received in Manchester - efficient, warm, personable, but not too cloying (minimal checking if "everything is ok" which good!). Compare and contrast this with Abode which puts out wonderful food on it's day but is hamstrung but clunky, awkward and inconsistent service which seldom fails to jar.

Bread was offered - white, seed and focaccia - and it was wonderfully fresh but lacked depth of flavour and all came in thin slices with homogenous texture and no more of a crust than you'd find on a Warbutons loaf. Not that I'm against Warbies of course, but in a Michelin-aspiring restaurant I expect serious artisan bread and in my opinion it should have a decent crust and chew, and I would expect variation of crumb and dough across the three bread selection. We also got some "snacks", candied, smoky pecans, and some great fat green olives, both of which were delicious.

We quickly got to grips with the menu itself, and noted an interesting set up. No prices for individual dishes, but a key on the facing page outlining different structures of meals - "Main and dessert"; Starter or soup, main and dessert"; "Starter or soup, main, dessert and cheese" - which were all named after a letter of the alphabet and came at different prices (why give it a letter though, as no one will actually say "Menu A please" as they need to specific their dishes). From memory prices ranged from £35 up to about £60, with a three courser (with coffee and those "snacks" thrown in) at about £40. Not bad, if the food is up to scratch.

First course was sweetbreads for me with some sticky (chicken?) stock reduction, pea puree (puree according to the online menu I consulted as an aide memoire, but I seem to remember actual peas) and an anchovy beignet. Already, we hit a high. The sweetbreads were done to perfection, firm yet springy, and clustered together into a little block wich tumbled apart when attacked, and the anchovy fritter gave a wonderful umami hit. It was well balanced, technically bang-on, and with an eye for presentation. Good start!

Across the table a chicken and asparagus terrine was beautifully executed, and served with cubes of quince jelly (maybe a tad over-set), a slick of apple puree and two nicely toasted slices of brioche served under a napkin. Again the technique and presentation hinted at a skilled hand and a sharp mind in the kitchen, though most impressive in my eyes was the fact that a trio of sweet elements to the dish didn't wipe out the chicken flavours (which really came through - good quality chuck I reckon) or indeed just become cloying.

The key thing at this point is that the menu (see it online at http://www.harveynichols.com/files/pdf/Restaurant%20Menu%20june%2010.pdf) just doesn't do the quality of ambition of execution of the dishes justice. I feel a little strange saying this as I had flowery or flouncey menu-speak as much as anyone, but I think I just felt wrong-footed by the dishes that came out, in a good way, and almost wanted to chastise them for underselling themselves. Tricky balance though, no-one wants an overload of purple prose and pointless adjectives...

On to mains, and I went for turbot with white beans, chorizo and shellfish. This was a gorgeous hunk of fish, firm and with bounce but just about flaking under a fork, and of course a pairing with chorizo and white beans couldn't go wrong. The shellfish, mussels, squid and more came served in a tasty little broth and topped with a delicate but effective seafood foam, all served up in a razor clam shell. This was a seriously beautiful looking dish, and an unadvertised smear of red pepper puree really added to the visual flair and the tastes on the plate.

Less successful was a teeny pepper stuffed with goats cheese which hung about on the edge of the plate looking embarrassed. It tasted delightful (pepper, goats cheese, winner!) but the dish didn't need it, and I don't think it worked in the slightest. I did get the feeling on a couple of occassions that a smidge of over-overcomplication was setting in, but there was such an impression of confidence and pleasure in all the dishes so it would be churlish to over-criticise the odd excess.

My better half went for pork fillet, anna potatoes and peas. The pork was a tasty set of fillet chunks served on end, a perfect pink in the middle and again "extras" were all over the dish - broad beans with the peas (all of which were lush, and seasonal) and also an extra faggoty sort of thing all of which got hoovered up in short order. The anna potatoes had the right ratio of crisp to yielding, and again it was a very accomplished and well plated dish.

Then we got a "pre-dessert". They said "ice creams", though apart from a creamy vanilla I would say the little boat-plate had two sorbets - strawberry and raspberry. They were all very good indeed, but a plate of three small but substantial scoops almost killed off ones craving for dessert. I know us Northerners like to leave feel well-fed but surely as a little palate-teaser one scoop would do it?

Desserts were as sure-footed as the rest of the meal. A prune and Armagnac souffle, taking the standard fifteen mins, was really as good as a souffle can be, delicately flavoured and treading a fine line of being under-done at the bottom whilst still lifting away from the ramekin cleanly - great. The mother of my children had a vanilla cheesecake, which tasted almost like a mild goats-cheese with minimal sweetness, and came as a log rolled in crushed hazelnuts atop a biscuit which I couldn't identify but which was a crunchier beast than a standard base. A fig on the side added a fruity tang and worked nicely with the overt cheesiness of the, uhm, cheesecake.

Oh, thoughout all this we nursed an Albarino, I forget the details of the maker but it was from Rias Baixas, and came in at about £36. A beautiful example with all the fruit and floral notes you'd expect and that wonderful salty sherry tang. Also a whiff of acorns, so Sophie said. Anyway we picked it as a hot day called for white, and with a fish/pig based menu we decided to trust in the Spanish who are pretty much masters at such things.

The wine list itself is pretty impressive (and doubtless on the HN website somewhere if you want to go and nosey), as you would expect at Harvey Nichols as the restaurant sits adjacent to the in-house wine store (which is well renowned in it's own right). There's plenty in the £20's and a great spread of countries and classics with some more unusual options in there which would surely reward a level of knowledge and appreciation that exceeds my own.

And oh, lest I forget, a cheeseboard, to share. The girl who served us was one of the highpoints of front of house - unaffected and chatty and displaying real knowledge and passion. She was happy to talk us around an interesting cheese trolly, and confidentally pointed out her own favourite, which turned out to be ours too. We got five decent slices - a hard cheddar, a goats, a VERY good brie, the Norfolk White Lady ewes cheese (the highpoint and a new one on me) and a suprisingly good blue made by that bloke out of Coronation St (and yay to no Bluesticks, Butlers, Kidderton ash etc - all great, but enough already!). Home made chutney was chunky, fruity and sweet, and the salt-sprinkled crackers were fantastic, though the chunky digestive things parched the mouth a little.

And that, after great coffee, with little madelines on the side (a tad dry and crumby, but I'm not mad on madelines) was that. A suprising, impressive, stimulating and delicious menu, served with personality and professionalism - £115 with the wine, and I thought that decent value for a Saturday night a la carte menu of this standard. The experience was not perfect, certainly, and the room still leaves me a tad cool, but this is a great restaurant that is back on song, and Manchester needs more like that. A pity then to see the place less than full on a weekend evening.

I've had many less good meals in Michelin starred restaurants and for me, based on a single recent visit, it edges Abode et al as the city's current leading fine dining experience. That said I'm hearing very good things about the River Rooms at The Lowry lately; better get another babysitter booked...

Cheers

Thom

Edited June 27, 2010 by thom (log)

[Harters]

Good to hear it's improved. We were there before Christmas and had a distinctly average experience (review on the main Manchester thread.

We're off to the River Room in a couple of weeks - although others are paying, so I may not be a free agent with comments.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Harters (log)