GRILL on the Alley (GOTA) is one of Manchester’s original steak houses. It’s the one that got me thinking steak and fine wine is what a fancy meal out is all about – and the place is always rammed. I’ve recommended it without reservation about a hundred times, but a lot’s changed since Tim Bacon opened the doors of his first Blackhouse Grill in 2006.
My dry-aged fillet has that high quality, dry-seared, upmarket finish. The kind of meat that makes you go ‘wow’.
Manchester’s has about 1000 more restaurants for a start – and the latest challenge is the potentially the greatest, in the shape of rival bar and grill, Hawksmoor, which opened last week and will be reviewed by Jonathan Schofield next week.
Whatever else happened during the course of our meal, the steak remains very good. My dry-aged fillet (£35 plus extra for spinach and triple cooked chips) has that high quality, dry-seared, upmarket finish. The kind of meat that makes you go ‘wow’. Solo cuts include rib eye, sirloin, rump and Waygu, and there’s Chateaubriand (£52) or Porterhouse (£75) to share if you’re feeling flush.
Having visited the opposition a few days earlier, I’ve got to say Hawksmoor doesn't have things all its own way in the Manchester meat market. The Grill isn’t out of the game yet.
While sourcing is a foodie buzzword, it’s been part of their GOTA’s offering since day one. In fact all eight Grills, located in and around the North West, Glasgow and London, have a named supplier and breed of the month. March is Galloway beef from Curwen Hill Farm in Lancaster, which sets you back about £10 more per portion than the regular menu steak. But whichever you go for, the meat is British and ‘dry-aged’ for a minimum of 28 days - just like Hawksmoor’s.
Other dishes on this visit failed to live up to the meat. Asian-style duck (£16), for example, is served so rare that we dare each other to take the first bite. Good flavour. Terrifying on the colour front. The ginger scented rhubarb mush on the side is too jammy, the Madeira ‘jus’ overly sweet. Even the pak choi looks tired.
Jumbo buttered asparagus (£7.50) is well presented and cooked (if not very seasonal) but foie gras with rhubarb and ginger bread (£8.50) is poor. I get the feeling that head chef, Craig Kirk, is going for a spiced toast with pate vibe here, but the texture is out there. The reason melba toast is a traditional partner for pate, is because the crisp finish offers contrast; Kirk wins points for imagination and presentation, but needs to look again at the soggy result.
Asparagus 
Foie gras and rhubarbA bottle of Californian Delicato Zinfandel (£27) was a smash too. I’d go for the Charles Smith Shiraz (£42.50) next time – or, returning to Europe, the full-bodied Catalan Priorat red (Acustic Cellars, £38).
The oysters are a favourite of the Confidential office, (six for £12.50) and thanks to suppliers like Fleetwood’s Neve, the fish is a good reason to go to GOTA. Perhaps we should have taken this advice. I do love the Grill but it needs to really pay attention at present although, as we all know, there’s nothing like a bit of competition to raise the stakes.
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Grill on the Alley, 5 Ridgefield, M2 6 EG. 0161 833 3465,
Rating 13.5/20
Food: 6.5/10 (foie gras 4, asparagus 7, fillet 9, duck 4, trifle 6, dessert drink 8)
Service: 4/5.
Ambience: 4/5
