A modern, minimalist, homely unit sat up on Deansgate Mews. It’s a lovely little enclave which somehow always makes you feel a million miles away from the hustle of Deansgate itself.

We sat outside on this occasion since it was 28c, and felt at least double that inside the dining room.  The temporary aircon unit was struggling to keep things in check sadly, so we chose comfort over aesthetics/ambiance, as did all of the other 19 covers in attendance.  Plus the outside area isn’t exactly scruffy to be fair.

As nice as it was to sit outside to enjoy some unexpected heat, you get the impression that inside is truly where it’s at to sample the full Another Hand ambience hit.  But then the unseasonably & very un-Manchester like weather isn’t really something that the team can control so we can’t blame them here.

We spent £168 plus a well-earned 10% optional tip for 8 small plates and 7 medium glasses, so just under 2 bottles of quality wine between us.

Wine mark ups run around the 2.6x RRP level, which makes it devoid of any money grabbing, and food is also priced in line with standards, location and all-round package.

Very little to moan about but the entry level wine is £38, which whilst being good quality value based on RRPs is probably a tad spenny for their cheapest bottle.  I’m a strong believer that unless you’re truly high end, then you should have a bottle somewhere in the 20s even if it’s the high ones.

The Michelin listing which Another Hand carries can often set OTT expectations, and commonly, an Assiette is awarded for merely being a popular local venue with decent standards which likely won’t mind paying Michelin £250 for a red plaque to hang outside and draw passing punters in.  So it was reassuring here that no red plaque, or even red window sticker, were on show, despite being the award behind them being in place.  It was a quiet display of confidence which we liked on arrival.

We began with the House Flatbread with Mushrooms and truffled egg yolk (£8.50), which was enjoyable.  Spreading the yolk whilst savouring the unrivalled notes of truffle, woke the senses up with a bang.  Some tell-tale robata grill marks had charred the base, giving a great smoky quality.

Next was Martin Gott’s Cumbrian ‘Halloumi’, with some fantastic fermented honey and crackers (£8).  The reassuring snap of house made crackers, and that salty, slightly squeaky Cypriot-inspired cheese was a good start to the evening.

Snacks now behind us, the first proper course was BBQ squid (£17) which sported some striking plating, making a real impact on arrival.  Super soft and scored with surgical precision, cooked with some nice char then sat on a simply brilliant sauce.  Very solid.

As a dish which was about to come off the menu, yet felt absolutely in keeping with the freak weather on the night, the Isle of Wight tomatoes with melon and whipped Ricotta (£14) was a must order dish. Sweet, savoury, creamy, fresh, with fantastic texture and visual drama from some ingenious fennel crisps... which we will 100% rip off at home.  All round deliciousness.

Now we needed a proper protein hit, so my go to is always lamb, in this case, lamb rump with anchovy sauce vierge (£26), and a lovely courgette fritter. Great quality lamb, cooked really well carrying perfect pinkness within the dark, properly seasoned crust.  We were happy.

Wine deserves a mention too, whilst being conscious of ballooning word count.  The stunning Zegwur Gewurtz (£12) stole the show.  Lemon, lychee, elderflower, rose water, with bags of complexity and a nicely textured mouth feel.  Delicious.  And whilst we usually draw the line at natties containing floaties, we felt brave so dived into what was stated as the ‘Funky’ section, via the excellent Haru Provence rose.  It was a wise gamble which defied the usual restrained pink hues of a typical rose from said region.  Bright, juicy, strawberry laden and indeed funky. Which was good in this case.  And no floaties either.

Hay roasted hassleback potato, with black garlic, buttermilk and pickled onion (£8) has become somewhat of staple dish at Another Hand, and always gets the clicks on Insta.  Ridged and then grilled for a crispy, uber textured delight, with black garlic puree to add that super umami punch to the lips, plus buttermilk to just tie everything together.

The star of the show was saved for last, and it was totally unexpected to be honest.  Grilled Lion’s Mane mushroom, with chocolate mole, burnt tomato and pickled onion (£14) was stunning. Meaty, rich mushroom, sat atop a wickedly complex, rich, thought-provoking mole sauce, that set the dinner alight.  It also paired stunningly albeit accidentally with the Rose.  I’d go as far as to say that this is probably the best plate of food that we’ve eaten in Manchester all year.

We probably didn’t need pudding and hadn’t planned on ordering one, but we’d already missed the last bus out to the sticks due to said service pace, so unanimously decided to change the plan since a taxi was needed anyway;

Our choice of pud was warm rye chocolate and speculoos (£10), topped with a very clever frozen clementine, grated tableside to create a snowy granita.  Rich and indulgent yet fresh, with the chocolate scored from Dormouse Chocolates just down the road.  We were almost glad about missing that last bus home.

We didn’t get the synergy between the Halloumi and the crackers, as much as they were both delicious.

The flatbread lacked the open, light structure that youd expected from a topped flatbread, rather feeling a bit heavy.

The trademark potato left us wanting more. More flavour, more punch, more generally.  Sure, it was good, but we expected extra.  Maybe brine it or do something else to lift it beyond an XL hasselback that’s been roasted and dressed.

And the front of house gent’s grater looked really naff with its cheap plastic handle and cable ties attached to it.  We jovially suggested that he ask Chef to invest £30 in a posh wooden handled front of house led Microplane, which would also make smoother clementine granita.  He agreed, genuinely, it felt.

All in all, a really pleasant experience.  Everyone carried out with roles with a slick demeanour, mixing friendly and well versed to a tee.

Little details were nailed, such as blown out candles on the various tables being noted and then quickly re-lit.  We were offered more honey to accompany one dish since ours had ran out, without being prompted, so checks were happening.  And our understandably irritating requests to see the bottles of said wines which we’d order by the glass, were granted with humour and charm.

No dedicated sommelier was visibly evident despite Another Hand having a very clear focus on wine, but everyone who served us was clearly well versed in the juice option.

Service was more than an iota slow, although that was no doubt kitchen driven.  We were there for 3 hours, and only ordered 8 small plates and had 3.5 drinks each.  The last bus home was replaced with a taxi, which wasn’t a massive issue as it’s rare that you get to dine al fresco in Manchester during a September evening, but still.

Following a sudden and concentrated barrage of award removals a few months ago, Manchester city centre now only has 7 Michelin listed venues.  That’s whittled down to a mere 4 if you discount Redbank and Ancoats, which are technically adjoining suburbs. 

So Another Hand being one of said 4 immediate city centre venues speaks volumes for how strong the offering is here. And unlike many ‘Assiette’ awarded venues which were clearly only given the accolade as a result of just being popular, Another Hand is genuinely on the level which you’d expect from a Michelin listed venue.

When the small plate and natty wine movement kicked off, Manchester went all in.  Some places didn’t really get it right, but others did. Another Hand has always fallen into the latter bracket.  The food is very solid, as is the wine offering.  It also has a certain personality which in many ways reminded me of the now sadly closed Moorcock Inn.  Service was fluent and above all genuine.  We left feeling like a million dollars, which is ultimately what it’s all about.

But, the slow service and not being able to sit inside were both minor groans.  At least it’s an excuse to go back and sit at the Chef’s Table once the heatwave dies down.