ESTABLISHED restaurants with a good reputation and a steady following need to create regular opportunities to keep themselves in people’s consciousness – especially among Manchester’s plethora of recent openings.
I started to get pleasantly warm deep into my chest and throat which tapered out towards my face
Many successful independent venues put on regular themed evenings, wine matching events and ‘gourmet nights’ giving chefs and sommeliers the chance to go ‘off menu’ and show off a little.
We got lucky this week in the form of an invitation to a seasonal taster menu from Chilli Banana in Wilmslow which has been going twenty years. They’ve since opened branches in Liverpool, Macclesfield and a Thai street food place in Bramhall. Owner Steve and his wife/co-owner/chef May host special gourmet nights once a quarter and this one had been inspired by recent trips researching Thai street food for May’s upcoming second recipe book.
The eight course extravaganza was accompanied by wines specially chosen by sommelier Craig Sutheran from wine suppliers Boutinot, who was on hand throughout the evening to talk about each wine in more detail and why he’d chosen them to accompany each dish.
Whistles were wet with a chilled glass of la Vida al Camp, Cava Reserva Rosado while we had a nosy around the relatively new all-weather terrace. The first course was delivered with a touch of seasonal drama under a smoking glass; May’s clever nod towards bonfire night, Thai beef tartare with smoked egg yolk and crispy spring onion.
Thai beef tartare with smoked egg yolk and crispy spring onionBoth this and the next course were accompanied by Cave de Turckheim, Reisling Vieilles Vignes. Reisling is the perfect fallback option if you are looking for a good wine to drink with spicy food, as it’s light and sweet enough to ride alongside punchy flavours like chilli, ginger, garlic and lemongrass.
A trio of multi-flavoured delights followed; ‘Jay Fii’ hand picked Cornish crab egg roll, coriander gel chilli Gazpacho with Laab Moo and aerated pork crackling, and a seared scallop with crispy Betel leaves, illustrating May’s high level of culinary skill. Thanks to bi-weekly deliveries of specialist herbs and spices, imported from market gardeners in the Chaophraya basin, May has access to the incredible palette of ingredients and flavour combinations available in her native Thailand.
Scallop, Gazpacho and crab egg roll‘Pa Joy’ (a starter suggestion for Father’s Day?) was a fat crispy prawn fritter served with pickled cucumber and a chilli lime emulsion (main image). This proved little challenge to sommelier Craig who paired it perfectly with a floral Sileni Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which complimented the aromatic base notes in the dish.
‘Chaloen Seang’ slow cooked pork knuckle with pickled mustard leaves, a quail’s egg and sour chilli jus was paired with the only red of the evening, an Italian Rive Barberra from Piemonte which tasted completely different before and after tasting the rich, star anise flavoured dish and had enough length to work well with the deep Thai flavours.
Slow cooked pork knuckleThe Barberra also complimented the next course, an autumnal vegetarian dish of burnt leeks (charring them brings out their natural sugars), lightly spiced roast squash, raw Shiitake mushroom, mushroom ketchup and toasted pumpkin seeds. A light, palate cleansing course stuffed with more vitamins and minerals than your local pharmacy.
‘Prajak’ honey roast duck with duck confit, egg noodles and steamed greens was a dish so wholesome, it’s a wonder how Thailand could truly appreciate it thanks to their boring old scorchingly hot and glorious weather. To fully experience the absolute comfort this dish, surely you need to have experienced bone chilling cold and lashing rain of the North West first?
Honey roast duckDessert came in two parts accompanied by a delicious sweet dessert wine from South West France, Domaine de Grange Neuve Monbazillac. Part one was set ginger cream with aerated lime and mint espuma, which became contender for my best dish of the night (a hotly contested position). The lime and mint foam was pleasant enough, but hidden underneath was a rich cream, so fully infused with fresh root ginger that I started to get pleasantly warm deep into my chest and throat which tapered out towards my face, giving me a rosy flush WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY, NOT FROM THE WINE.
Poached pineappleDessert part two was anise poached pineapple with white chocolate ganache and crystallised rose petals. Each mouthful of every course brought another wave of flavours, lingering long after being swallowed; dishes that kept on giving.
The next seasonal Gourmet Night isn’t scheduled until next March as Chilli Banana is expecting another hugely busy pre-Christmas season. We might all be preparing ourselves for another grim Manchester winter, but there’s no reason why our taste buds can’t be fooled into having an exotic mini-break over the next few weeks.
Chilli Banana, 71 Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5BQ. 01625 539 100
