Another Hand Spring Preview

Ever since the whole small plate and natural wine movement hit Manchester several years ago, one of the very best offerings in town has been Another Hand, located just up on Deansgate Mews.

It's been a while since we carried out the below full fat review of Another Hand, during which it scored a sturdy and hard to come by 4 out of 5 following an experience which easily placed them amongst some of the city's best.  We've meant to return since but things just never lined up in the calendar, until now that is!

We were excited to take a seat at Another Hand's 4 seater Chef's Table, one of only a very small number in the whole city yet is something that I actively seek out when given the option.   For me, there's no better way to feel immersed in a restaurant experience, and more people need to be told about Another Hand's own Chef's Table.

There's also no better way to get the taste buds online than with a glass of fizz and a couple of oysters, which is exactly how things played out here.  Another Hand's superb Yuzu Sake/Champagne aperitif paired wonderfully with Maldon oysters dressed with roasted rhubarb and a precisely acid balanced Champagne Minonette.  We were ready to get things moving! 

As our initial courses were being prepped we took in those Chef's table views, watching that binchotan charcoal tick over nicely amidst the gently energetic murmur of service.  It was quite a soothing feeling, and 100% pacified our proudly carried food-geekiness too.

Before we knew it, our first snack landed and things instantly started without any messing about at all.  Jerusalem Artichoke (£10) was an upscale play on a stuffed potato skin, topped with whipped curd and some toasted nuts on top, it was a single bite filled with earthy deliciousness.

Our second snack was a novel presentation spin on the now broadly overused croustade which predictably and routinely starts most swanky dining experiences.  I said last year that they now need to disappear after having their prolonged moment.  Sadly they've generally not departed, but at least Another Hand are doing their own unique/interesting riff on them.  Here you have a pair of savoury cannoli (£11), filled with tons of sharply seasoned beef tartare, plated alongside parmesan foam.  Superlative.

As we tucked away our second snack, we watched Chef prepare our first proper course, seamlessly dancing between the BBQ, plastic pots and squeezy bottles. Without labouring things too much, it's just a wonderful thing to watch no matter how many Chef's tables that you've sat at previously.

Amidst the array of splendid offerings during the course of the evening, we thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Chef Max Yorke about his approach to building new dishes as well as generally putting the world to rights.  It's just the type of interaction which for us make a Chef's Table so wonderful.  Another Hand need to promote theirs more as it's a real selling point which doesn't get enough public attention.

To interrupt our gossiping, the next course was plated.  Cornish Scallop (£17) showed off the depth of smoky flavour which those open flames add, and was evidence of the huge talent in the kitchen too.  Perfectly cooked mollusc finished with bergamot rather than the standard lemon to keep things interesting, whilst retaining proven flavour profiles.

The next dish to cross the pass was the BBQ Duck Heart Skewer (£11), which was new on the menu during this particular evening.  Tender hearts licked with those smoke imparting flames then topped with a showstopping burger cheese fondue, combed with some pickled shallot rings.  Close your eyes, and it tastes like a cheese burger.  Very clever work.  Chef keenly asked re. his brand new creation; so what do you think?  A pop of spice could maybe have boosting things further, we tentatively suggested?  That led to a brief chat about either diced guindilla or jalapeño, pickled or not, as to still highlight those shallots?  You could see the wheels turning in Chef's head.

From this, it was evident that Chef Max is keen to capture truly honest feedback, not just from us but in general rather than just expecting diners to sit like nodding dogs akin to invited content creators.  It's always refreshing when a Chef of this calibre truly listens to their customers even if they ultimately don’t agree with the feedback, in favour of the all too common 'I know more than you' mindset, which in fairness is unanimously true.  But that doesn’t change the fact that the customers' palate decides a dish's success on the menu.  It's an open-minded lack of ego which serves any Chef, or indeed any professional, very well.

The wine offering at Another Hand deserves special note as it's always been one of the city's top destinations for quality juice, with an emphasis on natural wine and that remains the same today.  We were lucky enough to sample several drops, but only snapped one bottle amidst a moment of unprofessionalism, in this case a Gismondi Pietre from the Campania region that's compiled with equal measures of Malvasia and Falanghina.  Dry and citrus heavy with mildly sandy tannins, but still light and zippy, the ideal pairing to the course which lay ahead.

A supremely umami laden bowl of mushrooms (£14) in several guises came topped with an indulgent miso cured yolk, sauced tableside with some well measured onion broth.  An acidic palate wakener was delivered with some pickled enoki which supercharged the whole dish.  Layers of clever textures and educated flavour balancing.

And the final course in the run up to our mains was Another Hand's Glazed Radichio (£14).  Texture was brought with rye crumb and the salty hit of crispy capers, topped with oxalis for both visual appeal and a burst of citrusy zing, all skirting a pool of aerated onion soubise.  Another complex and deeply comforting course.

As we enjoyed the radicchio Chef Max began prepping our main course, in this case the now locally iconic Littlewoods Dairy Sirloin (£30).  The aged meat made its way in and out of the oven a few times whilst its cuisson was being measured.  No thermometer, no cake tester, just fingers and talent acting as a manual gauge of the protein's doneness.  And as you can see, it was cooked splendidly.  Garnish was some Swiss chard enveloping a dome of classically-led gribiche, along with a grilled onion.  The whole thing was finished with a generous pour of glossy bone broth.  A plate of ultimately delicious, confidently restrained, produce-led cooking.

We ended with a refreshing plate of Poached Pear (£10), served with a smoked hay custard, tempered blue cheese mousse and a nod of hazelnut. Blue cheese can be a challenging sell with it being such a divisive product, but it's one that we love, along with salt nuanced desserts in general.  Paired with a sweet fruit, it's hard to beat.  A fitting way to end the meal.

And so Another Hand is just as solid as ever, and unlike on our last visit/below review, we actually got to sit inside the restaurant and capture the full picture of ambiance and service this time around too.  It's truly one of the city's very best dining experiences, and that seat at the Chef's Table awaits!

** Our experience was gratefully comped **

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.