This month we tackled a Flintstone-like steak in Rammie, a G&T mess in Urmston, and a cracking new Italian in Salford...

 

STICKY TOFFEE PUD - Hawksmoor / SAUSAGE ROLL - Great North Pie Co. 

A standout dish was difficult this month for Gordo. It was a fight between two classics; Hawksmoor's sticky toffee pudding (pictured above) and a remarkable sausage roll from Great North Pie, devoured at the epicentre of the region's suburban middle classes, Altrincham Market. 

Both had something in common; faithful execution of the original recipes, both delivered unadorned with nonsense and not an obscure ingredient in site. On top of the pudding, a dollop of thick clotted cream. Alongside the sausage roll, a beautifully balanced piccalilli. 

The sausage roll wins after a steward's enquiry. Boom!

Gordo

Hawksmoor, 184 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB / Great North Pie, Altrincham Market House, Market Street, Altrincham WA14 1SA

 

SCIALATIELLI – Vero Moderno

Though everything about an Italian restaurant with a name which translates to 'True Modern' recently opened beneath a new apartment scheme (inspired by a soft drink) on a lonely stretch of Salford’s Chapel Street screams TURN AWAY, this is actually one of the big surprises of the year. This place is good, really, really good. The scialatielli carciofi, gamberi e pachino was a particular highlight, a light pasta dish stuffed with bursting Campanian tomatoes, artichoke and juicy prawns. Great stuff. Another winner was the calzoncini – a cute trio of fried, mini calzones. Well worth a visit and only five minutes walk from Spinningfields. David Blake

Unit 4 Vimto Gardens, Chapel street, Salford Greater Manchester M3 5JF

 

LAMB, CHILLI, QUINOA - Evelyn's

Our last Evelyn’s recommendation here was back in May when Ruth Allan, usually so red in tooth and claw, lauded the crisp tofu and lentils. That’s in tune with the wholesome ethos of Byron Moses’s exquisite cooking, but then so too is his major nod to carnivores. Late summer sun lit up my little lamb rump, martyred for me on a bed of quinoa and pomegranate arils, mint in the salsa verde but also draped over the perfect pink flesh. (Do I get entered for the ‘Food Porn Awards’, Ed?) Neil Sowerby

G18 Tib St, Manchester M4 1NB

 

TXULETON, GALICIAN BEEF RIB - Levanter

Apparently, this special treat (pronounced chew-leton) is only available on a Sunday, but it’s worth waiting all week for. In fact, it then takes 30 more minutes to prepare and cook, but that’s no time at all if you spend it grazing through the tapas menu.

This slab of delicious protein comes from twelve to fifteen year old Galician Blonde dairy cows and is served on a scalding hot plate with padron peppers and simple chopped tomatoes. Thanks to its age, it has had plenty of time for the flavour to mature and the meat is darker in colour than younger, more mass produced beef. The massive Flintstone-like steaks are brought to the table for guests to select the one that takes your fancy, then, if you like, you get a whole shpiel about where it comes from and how it’s prepared. They’re pretty confident that it should be cooked rare and we’re not arguing with them. The meat is tender and has an almost buttery quality with a deeper flavour that lingers long in the mouth after swallowing – much like good wine – which, by no coincidence whatsoever, you can also find at Levanter. Deanna Thomas

10 Square St, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9BE

 

POACHED EGGS & BLACK PUDDING - Trove

On the hunt for a chair to fit under an antique escritoire, we were in Levenshulme at the antique market in the old Town Hall. Over the road was Trove aka 'a bit of Chorlton'. Subtle decor, lots of clean living ingredients and so on. The muckiest food seemed to be the poached egg and black pudding for £5.75. Egg, when popped, bled over the black pudding like a sigh of relief. Good black pudding, thick sourdough toast, beans, peas, onions and oil all in perfect working order. Next time in Levenshulme we'll try Thairish which sports a menu featuring Thai green curry and 'Irish' dishes of sausages, mash and onion gravy. No, honestly. Jonathan Schofield

1032 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3WX

 

 

SEA TROUT - Grafene

I popped into the new Grafene to sample a few dishes and my favourite was a sea trout fillet with perfectly crispy skin. It was complemented by quite a few dramatic elements playing supporting roles: an intensely satiny black squid ink sauce and grains of black quinoa studded with potted shrimp adding a lovely chew. Shards of roasted baby fennel added texture with splashes of colour coming from vibrant broccoli purée, a roasted radish and a piquant lemon and saffron gel.

However, I can’t guarantee this dish will still be available on your visit. Owner Paul Roden is well aware of the calibre of chefs he employs, so is keen to keep them stimulated and creatively challenged by allowing them to change dishes and evolve menus regularly in line with the best available ingredients. If you order the fish here though, it’s more than likely to have been treated with great respect. Deanna Thomas

55 King St, Manchester M2 4LQ

 

GIN & TONIC ETON MESS - The Flixton

A riot of flavours and textures, this pud started to make much more sense once I approached it as two desserts rather than one. The first consisted of lime jelly, which came in gelatinous cubes of mouth-puckeringly delicious sourness, while the gin sorbet was refreshingly crisp with hints of botanicals. The second was dollops of cream topped with the crunchy-on-the-outside, caramel-on-the-inside meringue, which I felt didn’t go with the cubes one bit, but were mighty fine in their own right. Lucy Tomlinson

46 Flixton Rd, Urmston, Manchester M41 5AB

 

MOLLETES - Iberica

There are very few people or things in this world I’d rather spend an entire evening with than a glistening, ruby red leg of black-hoofed Iberian oinker. To my mind, those acorn-fed, wafer-thin slices are the greatest single piece of food stuff anywhere. Now, in his wisdom, Iberica Group Head Chef (and probably the nicest chef you’ll ever meet), César García, has slipped that fine ham between sweet, milky, steamed and ever so slightly toasted bread for his take on the molletes sarnie. A perfect lunch time bite. Order at least four. David Blake

14-15 The Avenue, Manchester M3 3HF

 

HAMACHI (AMBERJACK) CEVICHE - Umezushi 

The specials at Umezushi change daily, but if you’re lucky they might still be serving this sweet and strangely sexy hamachi ceviche. Fresh slivers of hamachi (also known as amberjack) are served in a light marinade under a sprinkling of white and black sesame seeds. It really is flawless, mirroring the attention to detail and focus on freshness that characterises Umezushi’s Japanese menu. The only sticking point is the price; this small platter will set you back around £15.50. Ruth Allan

4 Mirabel St, Manchester M3 1PJ

 

WING RIB - Smoak 

"If there's three of you that might not be enough," said the waitress about the £65 wing rib. "I eat a lot and that's really a dish for two." She must eat an awful lot this lady because the wing rib monster of meat easily filled us up, so much so we couldn't finish it. This cracking Aberdeen Angus flesh was cooked a glorious medium rare and looked, with the slow roasted onions, a proper carnivorous picture. The addition of bone marrow only improved matters. Jonathan Schofield

Malmaison Hotel, 1-3 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 3AQ

 
Hungry for more? Then why not work your way through our favourite dishes from August, July, June and May.