Michael
Caines at ABode Manchester - reader comments |
| "The
attention to detail puts this restaurant a cut above everyone
else and the food is to die for." -
mrs s gillie, newcastle-upon-tyne 20/9/08 (visited on a tuesday evening)
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"We visited on a Saturday. We were staying in the hotel and visited
the champagne bar in the late afternoon before getting changed and
returning for dinner in the adjoining restaurant. The receptionist
had confirmed our reservation again upon check in and must have
called down to the bar when she saw us walk past her as we were
greeted by name and treated to a complimentary glass of champagne
and tasting dish of fresh berries which was a lovely touch. The
mixologist attended our table himself and made suggestions to tailor
cocktails to suit our individual preferences.
Upon
returning for dinner we were again greeted by name and shown to
a reserved table in the bar area. As it was a special occasion we
decided to order a bottle of Rose champagne. The somalier
was extremely helpful recommending a medium priced bottle
that he considered represented best value for money. He was right,
it was superb.
The
menu was interesting. We were told that it changes
regularly to take advantage of local seasonal produce and that was
certainly reflected in the dishes on offer. There were 3 menus for
us to choose from. The Tasting Menu with specially selected dishes,
the full size A la Carte Menu or the Grazing Menu. Our friendly
front of house manager took time to explain the menu to us himself.
We were advised that if we wished we could mix and match from the
A la Carte & Grazing Menus. In the end we opted for the Grazing
Menu which is half size portions. We had 2 starters each; 2 main
courses & 1 dessert and were absolutely full at the end (we
both have healthy appetites!). We asked if the somalier could match
a glass of wine to each course and, whilst they apparently normally
only do that at lunch time, he was delighted to agree. And so began
our gastronomic feast.
We started
with Scallops for Mr B and Crab Mousse, delicately presented
inside a courgette flower, for me. Both looked fabulous
and tasted absolutely wonderful. We moved onto Wild Mushroom
Risotto (for both of us) and, having travelled extensively in Italy,
I have to say that this was exquisite - quite
the best we have ever tasted! Next came Bream for Mr B
and Lobster for me. Delicate, carefully balanced flavours
and wonderful. Then we moved onto Lamb for Mr B
and Steak for me. Cooked to perfection, melt
in the mouth and bursting with flavour.
Mr B is a true lamb conoisseur, generally choosing this at every
restaurant, and he can be quite critical. This time he sent his
compliments to the chef! The accompanying choices of wine were perfectly
matched and we were delighted with the somalier's choices.
After
a short break, during which we enjoyed a conversation with our neighbours
about the fabulous food and attentive but
discreet service, we moved onto dessert - Hot Raspberry
Souffle for me & Rice Pudding with Basil Coulis for Mr B. The
souffle was divine, tangy, light, fluffy
and flavoursome but the rice pudding was slightly disappointing
- as Mr B said, nice but nothing special. With dessert the somalier
recommended dessert wine which I accepted and he wasn't in the slightest
bit put out when Mr B asked for an Armagnac instead - immediately
offered a great suggestion.
Coffee
was accompanied by a Fruit Sorbet with Coulis (a dessert in itself)
and home made truffles. so, our verdict - superb and well
worth a visit. We shall be recommending to friends and
family. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable
and helpful. They don't try to steer you towards the most
expensive items and when our bill came we were very pleasantly
surprised. Around £80 for all that fabulous food
& £40 for the superb wines. Our bottle of champagne was
excellent quality and £59. Service was attentive,
friendly and discreet and we had no issue with paying the
reasonable 11% service charge - whilst it is automatically
added they do stress that it is optional - a nice touch. Would we
go again? Absolutely!" -
melanie bryan, wigan 21/8/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
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"If you like big square meals give this one a miss but if
you want a true culinary experience this is the best place in Manchester
in my experience. Terrific food, exceptionally well-presented,
in a really nice setting. Michael Caines has definitely
raised the bar considerably in the Manchester food scene
and at last we have a real competitor for those swanky London
eateries that will cost you probably three times as much
for a similar or lower quality meal. Criticisms? I'm struggling to
come up with one, but maybe the menu could be made a little easier
to follow, although the staff were really helpful with their
advice" -
ian, stockton heath 7/8/08 (visited on a tues evening) |
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"After months of intent, we finally paid a visit to Michael Caines'
at ABobe last week, following a booking a couple of weeks earlier.
Its been a while since I've looked forward to a restaurant visit in
Manchester quite this much, to what at first glance, seemingly
offers certain promise of becoming Manchester city centre's first
Michelin star in a very long time indeed, along with all the credentials
to back up this ambition.
The last time I paid a visit to the building which houses this hotel/restaurant,
was about 15 years ago, when it used to be a video game arcade upstairs,
in a room now occupied by Bar MC. The restaurant however, is situated
in the basement, so there is no natural light in
the dining room, which along with the presence of metal girders etc,
gives it an almost warehouse like feel. Despite good
use of mirrors, the decor is dark too, making the
vibe of the dining room a little sombre upon entry.
Despite being smart, modern, and undoubtedly handsome,
it wasnt completely to my taste. I just feel that a lighter dining
room would have made a world of difference in a restaurant without
windows. This is of course just preference, and I'm admittedly a magnolia
freak when it comes to decorating!
The food however, was certainly upto all the standards that
I'd hoped for, and without a doubt has the pedigree of a
man who has worked alongside some of the great chefs in Ramsay, Blanc
et al, and obviously Michael Caines of course. Everything from the
Rich Beef Carpaccio, the excellent Goats Cheese Ravioli, Guinea Fowl,
perfectly cooked Sea Bass, to the cheese board, parfait, and series
of matched wines, was lovely, and very well done. Ian Matfin, the
man running the kitchen, should indeed be proud of himself, as 1,
he's leapfrogged every other chef in the city in terms of
quality, and 2, the way that they have 'reintroduced'
fine dining to Manchester in a novel way is a great idea.
The fact is that Manchester simply 'doesnt do' fine dining, whether
people like to admit that or not. I was just thankful that Manchester
now finally has a restaurant which doesnt have chips anywhere on the
menu. The vast majority of Mancunians would turn their nose up at
real fine service, regardless of the food involved, so here, you have
the option of trying tasting menu sized portions, so that you can
see what suits your taste, before ordering something that you've barely
heard of before. The wine list, whilst undoubtedly containing some
lovely wines, is similar in theme. There's loads of quality on the
list, but you can still get a decent bottle for £15, and its
for the most part very accessible to all. There's
all the standard and trendy champagnes that you see at any decent
wine bar in the city, but there is a lack of any real prestige wines
etc, again, as again, I suspect that there is little demand for these
in Manchester, and people are much happier sticking to a decent £20
bottle, which for the vast majority of people, is just as good as
a £200 bottle of posh Bordeaux!
Some would argue that prices are high, but personally, I think
that they are reasonable considering the quality on offer.
Pretty much anywhere in town charges around £15 for a decent
main these days, so paying another 25% for something which has been
100% hand produced by chefs, not just cooks, is perfectly reasonable
in my eyes. The £10 for 3 mini courses lunch is especially a
bargain, or £16 including wine. Sure, the 3 courses equate to
one decent sized lunch portion, but when you consider that a coffee
and sarnie will cost £8 from Café Nero, or a 3 course
meal and half a bottle of wine will cost £40 on average, anywhere
else in town, the prices suddenly sound like a giveaway.
The service was good. Attentive, helpful,
friendly, and just what most people would want. The sommelier,
who also seemed to be the Maitre d', was very helpful when we had
a question about our unusual, but fantastic South African desert wine,
and really seemed to know his stuff. The waiting staff were
fast, unobtrusive, and polite, aswell as having a good knowledge of
the courses that they were serving. All in all, you couldnt
really ask for more in a fast, friendly, service.
So, will they win a Michelin Star, which is what places like this
are all about in reality, and was the rumoured fate of this restaurant
from the day it was opened? I'm certainly no inspector, but as good
as this place is, my first impression is probably a 'No'. The thing
with Michelin Stars is that they are not solely an indication of how
good the food is. Whilst the food is superb and the wine list
is good, there isnt a whole lot on it which you could class as being
prestigious. The service, whilst being good, is still very
friendly and chatty. This is Manchester after all, and this is the
character of our city, and what people want. It's only a small point,
and sure it was nice outside, but the couple on the table next to
us, arrived in cropped trousers, flip flops and t-shirts, and wouldn't
have looked out of place in Pizza Hut. Eating out should be fun and
relaxed yes, no matter what the style food, but still, there's a time
and a place for certain things. Im a proud and staunch Northerner,
but believe that Manchester and Michelin criteria really don't
sit well together, as the culture of the city, and the requirements
are so very different. Manchester just doesnt do formal,
and turns its nose up at anything which tries to be, and thats the
problem. And the whole 'Grazing' system, whilst I've praised it for
being clever and novel, doesnt reflect a restaurant whose market is
already suited to its offerings. Personally, I really don't care whether
or not we have a Michelin starred restaurant in the city, as theres
plenty of good eateries without one, plus the line between having
a star or not, is very slim, and based on little things, such as a
wine list with a few fine/rare wines on it, and a more formal tableside
manner. All in all, theres a lot of snobbery associated with Michelin
Stars, rather than them just being a benchmark for food, drink and
service quality.
So, this is without a doubt, technically, the best restaurant
in city centre Manchester, by a country mile, and
puts all the current 'fine dining' places in town to shame.
Fine dining however, isn't an everyday thing, nor should it be, as
what do you do for special occasions if this were the case? The best
restaurant I've ever been to isn't my favourite, as hypocrital as
this may sound. But due to this mindset, I guess the only reason that
places like The Modern, and Chaophraya etc score highest on this website,
is because people are rating them based on how much they enjoyed their
meal, which is fine, but this is nowhere near the same as a rating
based on how accomplished the ingredients, service, and general quality
of the whole dining experience is. Basically, people don't yet fully
understand fine dining here in Manchester, and a casual, fun approach
is preferred. Who knows, maybe this place will educate a lot
of people in time, and show that fine dining doesn't equate to stuck
up?" -
chris handley, salford 30/7/08 (visited on a friday afternoon) |
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| "As
reviews have indicated, it was quite expensive and
food portions are quite small - but it was still
excellent. The food was presented like art.
The staff were very attentive and made it a great
night. Would definitely go again." -
tony price, manchester 20/7/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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| "Slow
service, extremely small portions with the
complimentary dish being larger than the main course; burnt bread
but tasty, beautifully presented dishes." -
paul ridehalgh, southport 11/6/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
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| "I
eat out a lot and didn't enjoy my experience much.
Greeted nicely, if a little impersonally, early on a Friday night.
Had to battle through a rowdy bar crowd to the restaurant
- nice but a little dark - not as busy as I would
have thought, maybe that's why the waiter wouldn't leave my
table alone! Was (trying) having a romantic meal with my
partner, not the waiter. If I'm to be honest, my major gripe. Am guessing
the food would've been nice, it was certainly very nicely
presented but it was cold and too be honest a little overdone.
At £20, was expecting much more. Maybe they
spend a little too long presenting it? Won't be going back - especially
as they charge 11% (11?) for service then
leave the credit card space free! Wonder where that money
goes?." -
christopher turner, manchester 14/4/08 (visited on a friday evening)
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"'One of the problems
with reviews of celebrity chef owned restaurants is they are often
written by journalists based on free meals at launch parties and
the like, where the star man dons his whites for the night, wins
rave reviews and then only ever returns to the same restaurant for
similar evenings. For that reason, we decided not to review the
out-of-this-world food at the opening night of Michael Caines new
restaurant in the basement of the Abode Hotel at Piccadilly. Instead,
we returned a few weeks later.
Having seen the friendly
double Michelin starred chef working earlier that morning in the
MC Cafe upstairs, we returned at 9:30pm with the expectation that
the evening menu would be the work of Ian Matfin, the restaurant's
normal Executive Chef, who has worked alongside Gordon Ramsay, Raymond
Blanc and Terry Laybourne, as well as the previous six years with
Michael in Devon.
On venturing down
the stairs to the basement restaurant of Michael Caines at Abode
Manchester, you're instantly greeted with four colourful photographs
of Debbie Harry. Other photographs from Brian Aris adorn the walls,
including many of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Who. The
decor is impressive, dim lighting complements the beautiful dark
wood and brown colours with a fitting soundtrack of lo-fi music
that the likes of Lamb and Mr Scruff would be proud of. Come to
think of it, we could have actually asked Mr Scruff (real name Andy
Carthy) his opinion, as he was dining on the table opposite.
The service throughout
was friendly and faultless - the staff certainly earned the 11%
'discretionary' service charge - and took time out to chat to each
customer, either on a personal level or to help with the menu, which
offers a superb concept similar to that on offer at the likes of
the Novotel's inferior Elements restaurant. Together with the normal
Starters, A La Carte and £55 Tasting menu's, there's a 'Grazing
Menu' which offers a delicious mouthful of each dish for less than
half the price (a minimum order of 2 dishes is required) and this
is also available at the stunning marbled Champagne bar, which sits
comfortably next to the restaurant, and from which we opted for
a bottle of the surprisingly good Michael Caines branded house champagne
- great value at £34.95.
Unlike the excellent
MC Cafe upstairs, prices are on the high side (the five main courses
ranging from £18-£22), however for food this divine
even the tightest of Yorkshiremen wouldn't raise a grumble (although
many cynical Lancastrians may question that statement). And it really
was divine - our meal was the best we'd ever experienced in Manchester
city centre - the impressive Ravioli of Spinach and Parmesan (£5),
served as a single raviolo with herb and garlic purée and
a tiny poached quail egg in rosemary cream, was fantastic and was
also the highlight of our previous visits. The frothy Jerusalem
Artichoke Soup, with its white truffle oil, was also worthy of mention
(£4.50).
The Best-End of Herdwick
Lamb (£20) was fantastic, served with an onion and thyme purée,
fondant potato and a tapenade jus that also won praise from the
couple on the table next to us. The Honey Roast Goosnargh Duckling
(£18) was beautifully cooked and presented with apple galette,
baby turnips, garlic confit and a Chinese five spice sauce. The
small village outside of Preston seem to produce every single duck,
chicken and goose being served in Manchester's restaurants, but
there can't be many served better than this!
We ordered the desserts
from the Grazing Menu (£5) instead of the larger a la carte
option (£8.50), together with a highly recommended Blazer
(£6.60), the signature dessert cocktail, rich in cognac. These
were delivered by the chef himself, which sadly, from a review point
of view, turned out to be Monsieur Caines once again. It was now
11pm, confirming our perception that he's the hardest working man
in Manchester, determined to bring the first Michelin star in over
a decade to the city. The desserts alone would go someway to winning
that accolade - he explained the Chocolate Orange Confit Mousse
was his signature dish, one he'd learnt as a youngster working in
France from his mentor Bernard Loiseau, a winner of the coveted
Michelin 3 stars. Hopefully Michael can be a good enough mentor
to Ian Matfin for him to be able to produce dishes this good when
he's not around. In saying that, it wouldn't surprise us if he'll
still be there every time we happen to visit - after all, this is
the man who was back in the kitchen a fortnight after losing an
arm in a car accident in 1994. He'll probably split his days up
working in Exeter in the morning, Manchester at lunchtime and Glasgow
in the evening!"
- restaurants of manchester 1/4/08 (visited on a monday evening)
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