GORDO has been four times to Michael Caines Restaurant at Abode this year.
Rob, the Chef, and his brigade are capable of much better. Maybe as stated above the accountants are interfering too much
The first time with James and Karina Hitchen, owners of the lively Neighbourhood restaurant in Spinningfields. The second as the guest of James Cunningham, the handsome and urbane events manager at the Abode Hotel, when Dianne Bourne, Diary editor of The MEN, shared the table with us - she's great company. The third time with a pal to do a serious check out.
Gordo was impressed with both the service and the food on these first occasions and couldn't help thinking that the restaurant has been lost in the noise of the openings across the city, particularly with The French at The Midland and Aiden Byrnes's Manchester House. (By the way Gordo has also appreciated Bryn Evans excellent work in the MC Cafe Bar and Grill upstairs from the restaurant - click here for a review.)
Unfortunately, the Fat One's writing output has been diminished this last year due to being poorly, but the big girl is back near to full form. So he decided to go a fourth time to finally give chef Robert Cox and his brigade the praise they deserve without a fog of painkillers.
But first of all, let's talk decor. Gordo, unlike Schofield, tends to shy away from comment. To Gordo, the important things are about comfort and general mood. If it works, it works, bugger the Doric columns.
But, in the case of this, now settled, Mancunian stalwart, the Fat One needs to speak his mind. Because the place is overly brown and downright gloomy. Worse, it's uncomfortable.
The chairs have settled down. Too much. The stuffing has unstuffed to the point where Gordo's ample arse is being assaulted by the wooden stay lying across the frame. It's like sitting on a wooden fence. Not good in high end dining.
The brown tables blend in to all the brownness. The dull carpets hug the brown tables and the brown curtains wrap it all up.
It's very brown
Walking into the brownness, the punters used to be welcomed at the door, normally with a nice person who would say hello and take coats. In this visit there was no one on the station.
Fortunately Gordo isn’t a shrinking violet, and he knew his way to the bar, which is, these days, empty. The web site says this: 'Our sophisticated Champagne and Cocktail Bar, located on the lower level adjacent to the Michael Caines Restaurant, is destined to become one of Manchester's coolest meeting venues, a destination bar for any time of day or night.'
It appears that its destiny is yet to be fulfilled. As no one was there. However, to the right there is a small lounge, where there are comfortable settees. The brownness in this area is broken up a little.
With greyness.
Service now appears as Gordo takes a seat and he orders a cocktail, which, when it arrives, is very good. Berry Winter Sling (£8.95). It didn’t last long, which tends to be the problem with most tall cocktails in Gordo’s hands.
Bisque
The service on our visit was patchy. Gordo was getting the feeling they were suffering from a couple of leaders missing due to winter ills. Let’s hope this is the case and not that the management of this hotel chain are cutting down on staff. To start competing with the new boys on the block, they need to be on form.
The trick this time was to eat off the a la carte menu. The meals across the year were off the menus and from memory, very good. Indeed, a duck dish was a 10/10. Looking at the menu this time, the a la carte looked a bit thin and out of balance. The starter selection was fine, just the mains being the problem. Cheap cuts, including pork fillet weren’t inspiring Gordo’s pallet.
Crab ravioli, shellfish bisque, pink grapefruit, ginger (£12.50) was a great dish, ravioli like small plumped-up silk cushions along with a great filling of white crab meat mousse, the flavour standing up for itself. The shellfish bisque was liquid from heaven, holding everything together.
Ravioli
Roasted scallops, crisp pork belly, leeks, parmesan, bitter leaves (£15) couldn’t really go wrong, although Gordo is getting a bit bored to be honest with the belly pork marriage. Scallops excellent, the belly pork lush, apart from the crackling, which was just off the point where it cracks, still being ever so slightly chewy. The bitter leaves were too bitter whilst the tiny cylinders of leeks were again a little acidic and bitter. Too much bitterness all round.
Then a disaster. An unforgiveable one with a restaurant aspiring for greatness in the city.
My friend Lottie was peering at the bisque left in the bowl. “I could do with a spoon for this bisque. Or, bread, it's fab.”
Gordo suddenly remembered that no bread had been offered; and on all four occasions previously, it was one of the best bits of the meal. He called the waiter.
“Can we have some bread please?”
“Sorry, we’ve run out,” replies the waiter, who spins on his heels and walks off.
This was the first time in thirty-odd years eating out it had happened. Run out of bread? Eh?
We had ordered an extra starter, warm salad of mallard duck, celeriac, glazed onions, game hollandaise (£14). This turned out bloody near perfect, the breast rare, gamey. Every addition here was working as part of the team whilst the glazed onions were simply angel food.
Duck
A main of roasted hake, chicken skin, parsnip, chicken broth (£21) was a complete flop, over salted. The latter boosted the chicken flavours to the point of overwhelming the fish completely. Gordo would have sent it back, but Lottie was being polite and ate most of it before letting Gordo have a go.
Hake
Then flat iron of Cumbrian beef, beef cheek ravioli, roasted onions, red wine sauce (£23). Gordo has never heard of this cut, so while writing the review he called Lee Frost, aka Frosty, of Frosts Butchers; there was no reply.
Then he looked at his watch. 2.30 pm. Frosty, having been up since 4.30 pm, would have been on the piss, so all Gordo can tell you is that the steak was a good one, albeit a cheap cut, dealt with cleverly across the grain. Big flavour. The cheek was another ravioli success whilst the red wine gravy was suffering very slightly from a chef who was probably thinking about breasts rather than ensuring the sauce wasn’t too sticky.
Steak
Puddings included prune soufflé (£8.95). Too obvious this one, overdone with the Armagnac. Crème brulee (£8.95) was the difference between the Duchess of York and Sweet Kate. This was a good ‘un, with sexy raisons, plumped up with a different alcohol, the crème with a consistency of clotted cream…The pictures do it justice.
The wine list appears to have been interfered with by the accountants since his last visits. Somewhat restricted. A half bottle of Louis Roderer champagne (£35) was perfect and had the feeling of being a vintage, when it wasn’t. The Pommard 2010 (£70), French Burgundy, was a bit brittle. Gordo isn’t sure if further age will improve it.
Creme brulee
It gives Gordo no pleasure in reporting such a mixed review for this, one of the better restaurants in the city.
Such slips reported and some not, isn’t great when serving a meal where the food alone is well over £100 plus 12% service. It doesn't help either when the door to the kitchen has fallen off its hinges and is just propped up nonchalantly against the frame, worse when it looks like it's been there for some time.
Rob, the Chef, and his brigade are capable of much better. Maybe as stated above the accountants are interfering too much, but in the meantime, like United, the team need to quickly look at what they have been past masters at and get back to consistently great performances. Two of the previous meals this last year could have stood up to the new kids on the block.
Not this one, relegation is on the cards.
Wake up and smell the truffles guys.
You can follow Gordo on Twitter here @gordomanchester
ALL SCORED CONFIDENTIAL REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL AND PAID FOR BY THE MAGAZINE.
Michael Caines Restaurant, Abode Hotel, 107 Piccadilly, City centre. M1 2DB. 0161 247 7744.
Rating: 13.5/20 (please read the scoring system in the box below, venues are rated against the best examples of their kind)
Food: 7.5/10 (scallops 7.5, crab 8.5, mallard 9, beef 7, hake 5, prunes 6, creme brulee 9)
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
