"I've long ranted that Manchester city centre's hefty rents are a major factor in discouraging independent restaurateurs, and hence draw large chains/well financed organisations, both of which tend to be a bad omen for true talent, which stifles quality and originality within the dining scene of our city. So, rather than relying on the financial cushion of operating in a city centre hotel, could opening out of town, down a quiet, unassuming residential side street, in two knocked through terrace houses, in the suburb of Prestwich, be the key? Somebody clearly thought so.
A couple of years ago, Aumbry popped up in Prestwich, with promises of food which was far away from its local peers in quality. Since then, its been building a very solid reputation as a star in the locality, run by staff boasting heavyweight CV's containing names such as The Fat Duck, Ramsons and Sharrow Bay, so we've been keeping a close eye on things, and just had to take a closer look.
We landed in the restaurant, and were greeting by very charming and polite staff, who ushered us upstairs, to a very snug lounge area, where we overlooked the menu and had a glass of bubbly as we settled in. Even before our arrival, our party of four had already decided that we would try the nine course tasting menu with matched wines. It is, in short, the only way to truly experience any fine dining restaurant's wares, and get an idea of the chef's pedigree. Aumbry’s terraced house roots do make it feel, very literally, homely and cozy. Still though, the dining room is pleasant, despite its size, and there is a full, unobstructed view of the pass into the kitchen, something which always makes me happy.
Onto the bit that matters, the food. We were surprised to find that there was no amuse bouche, although the bread was very nice indeed, but not warm or in individual rolls, just home-made slices of loaf, partnered with both salted and brown butter, along with my favourite, beef dripping/juices. The first course of Home Cured Ham was excellent, and came with an oatcake, mustard and cream cheese. All very pleasant. Second up was the Home Smoked Mackerel with Rhubarb, which came with toasted rye bread. It was perfectly smoked, very delicate, and the rhubarb balanced things out really well. Another success. The third course was the one which I'd been looking forward to the most. Bury Black Pudding Scotch Egg, made with perfectly soft boiled quail's egg. My only complaint was that it should have been made with an ostrich egg, not quail, which was way too small for something so tasty! A perfect marriage of retro Northern stodge, and very playful, elegant execution. Next was the fish course of Pike, which came with a frog’s leg lollipop, and smoked eel pudding. The pudding was arguably, the best single element of any of the nine dishes. Excellent stuff, with wonderful suet pastry. The pike, which should have been the star of the plate, was enjoyable, but a touch under seasoned, and one of our party found a small bone in her serving, something which you almost expect with pike, and yet strangely still moan about when it happens. The next course of Hogget was lovely all round. Perfectly cooked, great flavours, on a superb pearl barley ‘porridge’.
We suddenly, at midnight, four hours after being seated, found ourselves realising that we were possibly not making the last tram back to town, before moving onto the three dessert courses. These kicked off with a tasting of cheeses; six bite sized portions to be exact. These were accompanied by a dessert wine, to pair with the first three milder cheeses, and then a lovely 1978 Krohn Colheita port, for the latter bolder trio. All very good, although the rhubarb chutney on the side was a little sharp for me, and even the sweet wines didn’t quite balance it out. Grapefruit Posset with a celery granita followed, and it was a real success. Very clever interplay of flavours and textures, worked really well. The meal was rounded off with, sadly, quite a disappointing ending. Chocolate Brownie, with a selection of accompaniments, which never really gelled for me, or for any of my three companions. The brownie was very dry, and I’m tempted to say that this was intentional, as the texture was interestingly crumbly, although not what I'd relate a brownie to.
On the whole though, very solid and playful cooking. There were hardly any complaints about anything within our party, and we definitely thought that it lived up to all the attention surrounding Aumbry. What is clear, is that Chef’s signature ingredient is definitely beetroot. Even down to the after dinner petit fours, it features in many courses, for colour, texture and sweetness, so bear this in mind.
We ordered our post meal coffees, now fully accepting that at 1am, without ever feeling rushed by the guys, that the last tram had well and truly passed us by. The bill came to £106 each. It’s a lot of cash, but in truth, for nine starter size courses of this quality, nine decent sized quality glasses of wine each, a bottle of Champagne between four people, along with coffees, it’s very reasonable indeed.
Now on to notes which are unrelated to the food. Since the dining room is so small, the volume levels in Aumbry are very loud, and this only elevated as the evening and wine consumption progressed. I understand that Manchester doesn’t really do fine dining in terms of attitude, and that isn’t Aumbry’s fault in the slightest, but I find it a little irritating when a dining room is so loud that we could hardly hear our own conversations due to those of other table's, especially, and crucially, when those conversations are about everything other than what’s on the plate. Why eat at places like this when the food isn’t the primary subject or when you’re half/fully cut? For casual, rowdy, booze filled chats, go to the curry house around the corner!
Also, a lot of the decor has a slightly DIY feel to it, with many lopsided photos and pictures. The doorframe around the kitchen door had been nailed on, the stair carpet was coming loose in places. Also, we had nine courses sure, but our meal lasted 5 hours, which is a little overly spaced out really, and we should have been away for midnight, after arriving at 7:30pm. On a couple of occasions, our wine was topped up free of charge, due to the long waits, which was a nice gesture. Also, the wooden chairs, whilst very attractive and homely, were very uncomfortable after so many hours. The service, whilst being really efficient and very friendly, sometimes gave the impression, mainly talking you through the wine, didn’t really have a true understanding of what they were serving, and it felt quite ‘scripted’ at times. All in all though, a very nice bunch of guys, who did a good job, looking after us very well.
I have no idea how many bookings that Aumbry turn away, so this may just be opinionated rubbish, but perhaps long term, a slightly larger premises may be in order, with a few more covers and also breathing space. That’s just my view though, and how I prefer things. For now though, until they've been around for a while, have the coffers been bolstered, I hope that these guys just keep doing what they are doing, and continue to produce food of this standard. Also, I'm actually quite pleased that Aumbry isn't in the city centre and hope that, even if they expand, they don’t lose the homely, slightly kitsch charm of the dining room.
People will visit Aumbry despite that fact that it’s a little out of the way, down a quiet and modest side street, not because of the big Champagne list, not because it cost millions of quid to decorate, not because a footballer owns it, and not to people watch/be seen. Customers will visit for the only reason that you should visit a fine dining restaurant for. The food and wine. Bottom line. This is why many top end restaurants are out of the way, because true foodies will travel for it, without consideration. 20 mins out of town on the Metrolink is hardly a trek anyway, and well worth it too. Providing that you actually pay attention to the clock and catch the last tram back .
You know what? Finally, I think that we have a lasting gem right here in Manchester, well, almost in Manchester. The food is star, and maybe I’m being picky about the decor and ambiance, and admittedly, despite being a staunch and proud Bury lad, I cut my foodie teeth whilst living down South, so rowdy dining rooms and fine dining don’t sit well with each other for me. It’s all personal taste though. What I will say though is that Michelin state that stars are issued, purely based on food quality. They then also rate and reference the décor/ambiance as 'Comfort', on a scale of 1 to 5, with a side note that it has no relation to the award. Then why judge it? Because food tastes different depending on your environment/mindset, and the other factors are important! Tighten up the décor, give the service a more fluent feel, have a quiet word with outwardly lashed customers, and who knows what could come of Aumbry. Time will tell, but I have a warm feeling indeed about this one, and not just because Im a Bury lad, so very proud to see places like Aumbry putting themselves on the culinary map. It’s some of the best food in the region, and everybody who has an interest in food should check it out!" - chris handley, salford ~ TRUSTED REVIEWER (16/1/12 ~ visited on a Saturday evening)
food |
price |
service |
smartness |
overall |
|
|
|
|
|
