‘Ahead of the pack’: Winsome, Princess Street, reviewed

The chef patron at Winsome in Manchester is Shaun Moffatt, an extremely good cook. In his previous kitchens, recently a couple of years at the much-loved Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats and a short-lived tenure at The Lamb of Tartary, a late victim of the pandemic.  I had three meals there that I loved, meeting Shaun for the first time.

I liked him as a chef and human. The two don’t go together very often. His cooking is honest and unfussy but brilliantly conceived, taking old-fashioned dishes and giving them a good shake, stripping back to classicism and throwing ‘modern twists’ in the bin.

Shaun is now part-owner of Winsome, alongside a couple of heavyweights: Tom Fastiggi, ex-Schofield’s bar and Owain Williams, one of the founders of Belzan in Liverpool and the much-loved but badly advised Medlock Canteen, which signed its own death warrant, taking a unit in the windswept Deansgate Square.

As soon as I walked in and looked down the oblong room, with stripped back walls, whitewashed, comfy chairs around well-spaced tables with white table cloths, I knew I had come home. 

I half expected to see a ‘shaved cabbage salad’ dressed with a perfect Dijon mustard vinaigrette, cracked black pepper, on the menu.

It’s clear that the team have been heavily influenced by Fergus Henderson’s St John restaurant and cooking; a timeless masterpiece in Smithfield, down in London.

The music sounded a bit loud for me as I walked through, but the lovely Lauren, who was serving me, walked me down the room and sat me in the alcove table, a great spot, and I wasn't troubled in there. I wasn’t troubled by the menu either, although whoever is printing it needs to go up three points with the typeface. I had to blow it up using my phone.

It was worth it. I had the grandson Harry and his delightful girlfriend Livi with me, both good judges of food and booze. We shared half a dozen oysters, spanking-fresh British beauties, with chopped shallots and vinegar. (£4 each). Spoilt slightly by careless shucking, which left shards of shell. More care here please, kitchen, but keep the suppliers on, they are fantastic.

The Scottish Sea Trout (£12) would have pleased any Sushi Master in Tokyo. During a later conversation with Shaun, he explained that he sourced these from the firms that specialise in raising the trout in huge pens in the Scottish lochs, in near-wild conditions. The fish are lean and muscular, with a subtle, nearly sweet flavour. Served sashimi style with pickled cucumber and ‘clotted cream’ on the side, this was a flawless food experience. Not ‘nearly flawless’, but flawless.

Then three plates of meat: Creedy Carver Duck (£34), a saddleback Pork Chop with Rosette apple (£26) and Knutsford Lamb & Sturon Onion (£28)

Creedy Carver Ducks are reared at Creedy Carver Farm in Devon. The family-run farm now has a reputation for breeding ducks that are slow growers, but great tasters. They aren’t crammed into barns but given space, woodland, great feed and even duck ponds. It shows in the finished product on the plate. And this was a gorgeous plate of thinly sliced breast in the French tradition, pink with a big, strong duck and dark fruit flavour. The leg was brought a little later, crisped up on top of a lightly dressed green salad. You’d pay £150 for this at La Tour d’Argent in Paris. Mind you, those birds get strangled. Allegedly at Creedy Carver farm, they get loved to death.

The porker that made the ultimate sacrifice to supply the table with the chop was gorgeous. I love my well-sourced pork, which is slightly pink these days. This girl was medium, but very juicy with a covering of creamy white fat.

A plate of chips (£6) was bang on the nail, and the greens (£6) were gorgeous. Really, greens. Gorgeous. And good for your bowels.

I chose a bottle of Austrian Riesling, Weingut Josef Donabaum, a ’23 at £60; bone dry minerality with stone fruit, it sang with the oysters and the steelhead trout. Then, a glass of Pinot Noir, Black Book from Clayhill Vineyard finished at the Battersea winery. It stood up to the various gravies, maybe a bit too much. £12 for 125 mm.

Service is expert, friendly and self-deprecating, and you can burn off a few calories looking for the loos.

This is a step change from the places where the evolution of North West restaurants over the past 25 years has arrived, seemingly stuck on a plateau. A number of our chefs have started to get over themselves and mature; in my opinion, Shaun is ahead of the pack. You'll love this gaff.

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Winsome is on Confidential Guides