Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 27 November 2017

"Baking cookies is comforting, and cookies are the sweetest little bit of comfort food. They are bite-sized and personal."

Sandra Lee, American chef and TV presenter 

The Vine Brasserie

Bury New Road, Whitefield

Lo and behold, there’s another new addition to Whitefield’s already chock-full restaurant scene. Forget the curry mile, Whitefield is now the home of the culinary mile, with a handful of restaurants within throwing distance of each other along Bury New Road. The latest is a suave new French and Mediterranean fine dining restaurant called The Vine Brasserie.

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the launch of The Vine ever since the posters boasted ‘opening this summer’ much earlier in the year. The summer months came and passed and there was no sign of it getting off the ground, so talk of it disappeared and we’d pretty much forgotten about it. Then, a few weeks ago, thanks to a local magazine, we discovered that The Vine was still very much on the horizon. This week, it opened its doors to the first time.

And it was the worth the wait. It’s brand spanking new, with a stunning black and gold interior which brings a touch of continental sophistication to the local area. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming, although the arrival was a little awkward as there is no reception area or front desk. You walk through the porch and straight into the bar area, only to find yourself stood around looking for a member of staff. Oh, and some of the tables are a little too close together, That, however, is where my criticisms start and end.

Once we’d ordered, we were given a complimentary bread roll – the true mark of a fine restaurant. They were freshly baked, warm and crunchy on top, served with garlic oil for drizzling over them. It was a winning touch and immediately helped to set the standard of excellence.

The menu is full of the best in fine dining, some dishes quirky, others classics. There’s a selection of small plates, which can be enjoyed as starters or as tapas. You need to be careful with this though. Whilst some are the perfect size for a starter, others are larger and would probably need to be shared between two, although there is no indication of this on the menu. My starter was the beetroot risotto. Bright red in colour, it was packed with chunks of earthy beetroot and pumpkin seeds, which added an extra dimension of texture. Topped with creamy goats’ cheese curd and a hint of zesty orange, it was deliciously flavoursome. Top marks for presentation and unbeatable on taste. Priced at £7, it was very reasonable given the generous portion size.

Beetroot Risotto

My dining companions had cod and potato fishcakes, which were beautifully presented on a bed of tartar cream, and I’m informed that they were some of the best fishcakes they’ve had the pleasure of eating.

Cod and Potato Fishcakes

For main course, you are well and truly spoilt for choice. There’s a fine selection of meat and fish dishes, including steaks, beef, chicken, pork chops, monkfish and hake, as well as vegetarian options including squash orzotto, which I rather like the sound of. I had braised beef, served with creamy mash, kale and cep puree. The beef was braised to perfection, flaking onto the plate with just a slight hint of pink remaining. The mash was deliciously creamy and kale is always a winner. As for the cep puree, I had to do a bit of googling to find out exactly what it was. I knew it tasted fantastic, but I had no idea what I was actually eating. To my ignorance, it turns out that a cep is actually a small porcini mushroom, considered by many chefs to be the some of the finest mushrooms you can lay your hands on. 

Braised Beef

The difficulty with a high-end fine-dining menu is trying to determine whether or not you’ll need additional side dishes with your main course, especially when the menu doesn’t explicitly mention potatoes or vegetables. Luckily, my beef included creamy mash and kale, so it was fairly self-explanatory. One of my fellow diners had the pan roast hake, which was described as being served with samphire, capers and pomme puree. There was, however, a delicate bed of mashed potato, so bear in mind that it’s worth asking exactly what your main course is served with. 

Pan Roasted Hake

Whilst the main courses may seem expensive at first glance, having paid £15 for my superbly succulent beef and delicious accompaniments, I’d say it was well worth it. Some are significantly more - a fillet steak in this place will set you back £28, but, when you take into account that the fact that a béarnaise sauce, tomato, mushroom, salad and fries or potatoes are included, it’s not extortionate.   

The dessert menu is limited but interesting. There’s an apple crumble, a mango and passionfruit panna cotta and a Crème Brûlèe. I normally find an apple crumble hard to resist, however, having seen a photo of the chocolate fondue on the restaurant’s Facebook page, I already had my heart set on dessert long before I’d thought about the starter or main course. Perfectly set up to share for two people, there was a colourful array of fruit, a few marshmallows, pretzels and one extra indulgence in the shape of a macron. It was like a piece of art, with blackberries, raspberries, grapes, melon and strawberries all laid out beautifully on the plate, almost too stunning to tuck into. It came with melting dark chocolate, so it wasn’t sickly sweet. With so much fruit on the plate, it wasn’t even worth feeling guilty about.

Chocolate Fondue

The chocolate fondue was £14, which between two people is no more expensive than having your own dessert. It was the perfect way to round off a truly exciting dining experience. 

The Vine Brasserie is brand new. It had a low-key opening on Tuesday 14 November, and the owner was keen to stress to us that he favoured a soft opening as opposed to a grand reveal. He wants the restaurant to gain its reputation through word of mouth. Well, if they continue to maintain the impeccably high standards that we were lucky enough to experience on Friday night, it’s a sure-fire way of heading for the stars. That said, it was much quieter than I expected it to be, but perhaps that’s a good thing. It gives the place, and the staff, time to find their feet. It will, undoubtedly, provide some fierce competition for its neighbour, One88.

The prices are steep, but you feel like you’re in the centre of Manchester, and the quality is certainly on a par with restaurants in Spinningfields. Book yourself in for a pre-Christmas celebration. If you don’t fancy a slap-up meal, there’s an equally exciting lunch menu, and you can even pop in for coffee and cake – there’s a selection of homemade cakes available daily. 

Exceptional food, friendly staff and a sophisticated yet relaxing atmosphere. The Vine Brasserie is a very welcome addition to Whitefield.

The main menu and lunch menu can be seen on the Facebook page.

For more information, visit the website. 

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 20 November 2017

"Waffles are like pancakes with syrup traps."

Mitch Hedberg, American comedian

 

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 13 November 2017

"Never eat more than you can lift."

 Miss Piggy

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 6 November 2017

"You don't need a silver fork to eat good food."

 Paul Prudhomme, American chef

Quick Cake Stop - Olive and Rye, Leeds

Queens Arcade, Leeds

It’s time for another sugar-fuelled pit stop. This time, I’m branching out. Recently, I took a day trip to Leeds to visit some lifelong school friends, and taking tea was, of course, an obligatory part of the day. My friend took us to Olive and Rye, a quaint little tea shop, cafe and deli inside the very sophisticated Queens Arcade.

It’s a charming little place, with small wooden tables and the most stunning selection of towering cakes on display in the window. It was a crisp, cold and sunny Sunday afternoon and we were fortunate to get seated on the last table available. The four of us had to squeeze into the corner, but it was cosy. We knew we only wanted coffee and cake, so we didn’t bother looking at the main menu, although it would have been nice to have been offered one. The service was a little bit slow, they seemed understaffed and unable to cope with a full house. 

I had the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake – four layers of moist sponge containing juicy pieces of raspberry, layered up with white chocolate flavoured frosting. There wasn’t an excessive amount of frosting, so it wasn’t overly sickly. The slices were huge and very reasonably priced, at just £3.50.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cake

For research purposes (cough), I also sampled my friends’ choices. The red velvet was exactly as you’d expect it to be. I love red velvet, although I find the sponge can be dry and it has a tendency to harbour a powdery texture. 

Meanwhile, the Oreo cake was superb but you’d need an extra sweet tooth to get through it. I am a cake fiend and there is nothing too sweet for my palate, but a couple of my friends are more savoury people, so a gargantuan slab of gateaux is more of a marathon for them. Still, if it means I can inhale the leftovers, you won’t find me complaining.

When I got home, I had a peep at the main menu and it sounds delicious. Serving brunch, lunch and small plates, it’s all locally sourced produce put together by owner and chef Joe Hepworth. There are pancakes, waffles, smoked salmon and full breakfasts, healthy sandwiches on homemade breads and ‘small plates’, including combinations such as hazelnut hummus, roasted heritage carrots, herbs and curry. It’s got to be worth a try. 

If you’re ever in Leeds, go in and indulge. In the meantime, have a browse: 

http://www.oliverye.co.uk/