CRIKEY that was quick.
In a matter of months Thomas Worthington’s fabulous Memorial Hall from 1866 in Albert Square, has been completely rebuilt internally to create the Albert Square Chop House.
There was also a delicious parkin that we all got so excited about, our guest photography, food obssessive Deanna Thomas, forgot to photograph.
This is the latest dining pub from the British food restaurant group behind Sam’s and Mr Thomas’s Chop Houses.
The work brings to life a redundant beauty, animates Albert Square, and provides all the comfort and charms of a classic pub with good food too. The project will complete in early 2013 when six bedrooms are added on the top floors to create a bijou boutique hotel.
The lower ground floor is the main restaurant area, the upper ground floor the pub, with above the wonderfully light and airy function rooms. Worthington's delighful Venetian Gothic design has been fully exploited.
We like a lovely entrance
Here's a gallery of pictures including the food lovelies on offer.
Chef Paul Faulkner, and group executive chef Ian Leadbetter, have come up with some superb dishes.
The pick on our sampling was the steak tartare (complete with an egg yolk smoked using hay ash - yep, we have no idea why hay ash either), the scallops and belly pork, the venison with its charming faggot, the lamb, the souffle and a delicious parkin that we all got so excited about, our guest photography, food obssessive Deanna Thomas, forgot to photograph.
There'll be a full, scored review in a couple of weeks.
Albert Square Chop House is open now.
Follow Jonathan Schofield here @JonathSchofield
Opening hours: Bar; Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11-Midnight, Sun noon-10.30pm. Restaurant; Mon-Sat noon-9.45pm, Sun noon– 8.30pm.
The Albert Square Chop House, The Memorial Hall, Albert Square, City. M2 5PF. www.albertsquarechophouse.com
See the articles below if you’d like to read reviews of The Albert Square Chop House
The function room
Media folk
Deanna Thomas looks nervous as she's about to take over the Confidential photography, because she 'likes to get involved'. She loves food - as this site shows. Brian Cox has a massive face.
Preserving the union
Scallops and belly pork
For starters
Curd and beetroot salad
Oxtail broth
Terrine of game
Potted mackerel
Veal tongue tower
The main restaurant area
Main events
Loin of venison
Chop and shoulder of mutton
Chop and shoulder of mutton
Homity pie
Roast Loch Fyne salmon
Grilled halibut
Steak tartare
Poached Goosnargh chicken
Pud puds
Orange and marmalade sponge
Chocolate soup
Grill menu
Ian Leadbetter, Chop Houses exec chef, who created the menu wiith Paul Faulkner, chef at Albert Square Chop House
The boss, Roger Ward, on the right, and the foreman, Terry Anderson, for the building works on the left
Raspberry souffle
Main restaurant area
Memorial Hall, during this summer's building work
Hey presto. A restaurant and function rooms in record time
