A double fronted unit, one side of which used to be a travel agent with its sidekick formerly being a greasy spoon.  The unit has been knocked through to now form a single venue, offering a bar to the left with the dining space itself to the right.  Our table as sat right next to the kitchen in a Chef's table type setup; a touch which we always appreciate. 

Our Grassl wine glasses were exceptional, and worthy of note since this is a wine driven venue.  Sporting stems as delicate as toothpicks, they initially made you drink faster to quell the nerves over dropping them!

The décor is a bit DIY in spots, but is that a bad thing? Some say that's the very essence of a good indie.  And the bar area lacks obvious separation from the main dining room, which may wrongly deter people popping in for just a drink and some nibbles.

The bill came to £433, which included over £230 on drinks and corkage, plus about £40 on optional service.  So the food side was actually very reasonable for 3 covers.

BYOB Corkage is a mere £25, which can save you money if you prefer drinking top end drops.  And markups on the wine are generally very good indeed, free from any liberty taking.

Wine driven venue or not, and as much as the margins are good, perhaps £38 for the entry bottle is getting up there.  This is Stockport, not Battersea after all.  £35 max for base level would be apt, but then the bills won't pay themselves and it's quality juice.

We ordered the whole menu because that's just how we do things, all in the line of duty and accurate fact finding.  Brace yourself….. 

Bread and Butter (£4), the obligatory start to any meal, was strong.  A proper sourdough with chewily robust crust.  The whipped butter which it came with was pleasant.  No fancy compounds here, just a great quality classic butter.  The portion size was sturdy too. 

Cured Mangalitza Belly (£12), as you can tell from the photo, had great fat content, which is an intentional playing down of things.  That fat is where the joy sits and this was immensely flavoursome.  Sensational quality charcuterie. 

Panelle, aka Sicilian chickpea fritters (£4) where a nice little snack and executed well.  After tasting, we popped a slice of Mangalitza on top, to let some of that fat melt into the fritter.  We felt proud of our cross-dish tinkering.

Scallops with Sofregit and Sweet Chorizo (£14 per unit) looked as pretty as a picture, and ate very well.   Soft/sweet mollusc, tempered with the smoke and texture of chorizo.  It's a classic combination and just works well. 

Sausage Paccheri (£18) was an outstanding plate from the array.  Perfectly cooked pasta which has retained its cylindrical shape, coated in a creamy sauce infused with fennel from its time spend alongside a lovely sausage meat.  You could whack this dish on the menu at any Italian restaurant in Manchester, and it would shine brightly. 

Now Cantaloupe is a wine driven venue, so it's only fair to spend a paragraph mentioning their wares.  The high-quality wine carte is natty driven and has reams of class about it with price points to suit most pockets.  We opted for a bottle of Maison En Belle Lies Blanc (£87), and also a stunning Sylvain Pataille Marsannay (£125).  We also arrived with our own bottle of Vina Tondonia; one of our fave mid rangers.  This was gladly opened for us, at a reasonable cost. 

Side dish wise; Celeriac, Kohlrabi, Hazelnut and Truffle (£9) was a pleasant side dish which tasted more expensive than it actually was, bringing layers of scent and crunch.  Little Gem with Mustard Vinaigrette (£3.50) added some freshness to our options.  Good quality greenery, dressed perfectly in terms of punch and also volume of dressing.  And finally, Jerusalem Artichokes (£6.50) with Petit Sale and Radicchio was another stellar side and completed our trip of virtuous, veggie driven accompaniments. 

Roast Cauli Borek (£15) felt somewhere between a side and a main course, and more importantly, reminded me of a recent trip to Greece where they love to wrap things in rolls of pastry. 

Our fish main course of Brill with Braised Leeks (£30) was cooked to perfection and came served on the bone as it should be, served atop the leeks which added some freshness and balance to the dish.  Simple, and delicious, embodying what Cantaloupe seems to be all about. 

Yarlington Cheese, with Fennel Cracker and pickled grapes (£6) was a good transition between salty and sweety, headlined by lovely quality cheese and some house mate crackers. 

Bonet, an Italian Chocolate Crème Caramel (£8), was the main dessert. It's not something which you see on menus much in these parts, but was a nice change from the usual 'chocolate cremeux' which invariably pops up on pudding plates in such small plate style venues. 

And the final pudding was Ice Cream (£4), house made of course.  Brown sugar and Malaga (Rum & Raisin*) variants were both enjoyed, and both were executed with textbook accuracy. Super smooth, loaded with flavour, no ice crystals anywhere, and deeply flavoured.    I could have eaten a whole tub, and may well do next time.  More stellar simplicity. 

But; I'd prefer a single meaty scallop, rather than the two mini ones in a single shell, even if it costs a couple of quid more.  The texture of the Bonet was a tad grainy in mouthfeel, and the cheese course wasn't balanced in terms of cheese to cracker ratio.  

Front of house was handled largely by the fabulous Dylan, who also doubles up as Somm, and he handled our whole evening like a pro.  It doesn’t take long to feel at home, and things are akin to a proper burb dining room.  You as if somebody's invited you into their house, and the same can be said of all the other tables around us. 

No mention was made of the off-menu pork special until after our mains were done. Push the upselling and make more cash.  And some nerves were present at times when dishes were being served/announced.

Ever since Cantaloupe threw open their doors a few months ago there's been a reassuringly steady murmur about the place.  People whose opinions which I trust to be both 100% honest, impartial, and deeply educated have been almost unwaveringly positive.  And that's the noise which I focused on ahead of finally calling in to see for myself.  I just regret how long it's taken me to call in.  Not to worry.

Curated by Chefs Josh Reed-Cooper and Mike Thomas, formerly of local heavyweight WTLGI, the menu is compact and stripped back with enough confidence to let you know that these guys are fully focused on what they are out to achieve.  And the results, are strong.

Cantaloupe is another local chapter in the now long-standing industry trend of Chefs from high-level kitchens setting up something more humble/accessible, then transferring their experience to give said humbler venture an elevated standard of operation.  Part of this usually involves the FoH side being relaxed, décor being semi unfinished in vibe, top quality proteins being served albeit without fuss/elaborate garnish, and crockery costing about £2 a plate.  That’s all the case here.  It's basically reminiscent of what St John did a century ago.  In the broader market it can now sometimes be a bit predictable and faux-working class at times to be honest.  But still, exceptional delivery of what's on the plate is ultimately all that matters.  And Cantaloupe deliver it in spades.

I recently had a little rant on LinkedIn about Michelin's stubborn reluctance to shower venues with their 'Assiette' award, which secures a listing in their guidebook on top of the lucky restaurant being given the option to pay £300 for a red plaque to hang outside; albeit with a clear and backhanded statement that they are not regarded in the same esteem as those with a Star or even a Bib.  In short, Michelin hand them out to well-regarded good quality venues, without any obvious criteria as to why/not.  The gulf in standards is even more profound than with Starred venues IMO.   I ate at, paid the bill at, and reviewed 51 Assiette listed venues last year across 11 countries, and many of them for me were just OK/not worthy of any form of Michelin listing, whereas some were fit to bear a full fat Michelin Star.  

So there really is zero consistency in Assiette adornment whatsoever.  Anyway, reeling my mouthy rants in for a second; Cantaloupe is without question one of those local venues which for me should have an Assiette, alongside another handful.  It's terribly cool, the cooking is solid albeit simple and to the point, it would 100% have an Assiette if it lived in Shoreditch, plus the kitchen has lineage to esteemed kitchens.  For those who read our blurbs regularly, you'll already know that's a facet of the appraisal portfolio which Michelin love.

We say that you should add Cantaloupe to your Mcr food itinerary immediately, just as Michelin should do.  It really is rather good!