PROMOTION
CHORLTON is full of laid-back bars and places to eat but Oddest really stands out. It’s idiosyncratic and it doesn’t take itself too seriously but you can tell they have thought carefully about their new menu.
The gravy had been painstakingly made too. No Bisto here
The selection of small plates makes an ideal light lunch or even a starter. The informality of sharing a few nibbles makes them ideal for a catch-up with friends. That’s the beauty of Oddest; you can have what you want, when you want. They’re open all day, every day so whether you fancy a full English at 4pm or some night-time small plates to soak up the drinks, that’s just dandy with them.
There’s plenty on offer to keep vegetarians and vegans happy here. In fact, we decided to go all-out vegetarian with our small plates before the meat feast of our Sunday roasts although the carnivorous options looked pretty tempting too.
Small plates cost between £4 and £4.50 each but you can enjoy three for £13 or five for £20. With an inducement like that, it’s impossible to enjoy these pleasures singly. We didn’t. We opted for the creamy feta, spinach and pine nut parcels, the sweet potato and polenta koftas with sour cream and the trio of hummus and flatbread.
Everything was presented beautifully and the feta parcels were to die for – creamy cheese was a lovely contrast with the crisp exterior and the mint gave added lift.
The koftas were sweet and moist and the hummus was a revelation. The coriander flavour was a well-made classic whilst the pomegranate kept offering up bursts of sweetness with each ruby jewel. As for the soy and wasabi, how they managed to create such a complex flavour without overpowering the natural taste of the hummus, I’ll never know.
The small plates were a great appetiser but if you’re tucking into them before your Sunday lunch then boy, you had better be hungry because these portions were MASSIVE.
The Sunday Roasts are served from midday until 8pm every Sunday and I’m already a convert. Sorry, Mum.
You can choose from slow-roast rosemary & lemon thyme studded grass-fed lamb shoulder, eight-hour stout-braised 28 day-aged beef brisket, cider-braised rare breed pork belly with crackling, roast corn-fed chicken with spring onion and roast garlic stuffing or a vegetarian option which changes every week.
We went for the unctuous lamb (£13.50) beef (£13) which had been slow-cooking in stout since Wednesday and you could tell – it was bursting with flavour and simply fell apart at the touch of a fork. The gravy had been painstakingly made too. No Bisto here.
Whatever you choose, everything is served with Yorkshire pudding because that’s something no-one wants to miss out on. You also get roast potatoes and vegetables but the veg aren’t the usual suspects; they’re stars in their own right.
There was kale, courgette, mage tout, super cheesy broccoli and, my favourite, coriander seed carrots.
Oddest specialise in cheesecakes but after all that, there was no way I could face one. I guess I’ll just have to go back.
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