One Eighty Eight

Bury New Road, Whitefield

Whitefield’s latest new eating establishment, One Eighty Eight, is a modern, stylish bistro that brings Manchester city centre to the suburbs. A restaurant which focuses entirely on British cuisine is a rarity in the modern world, with Italian, Chinese and Indian now generally more popular when it comes to dining out, so I’m absolutely delighted to have delicious home cuisine so close to my very own home.

Co-owner David Gale is an acclaimed chef, having previously been the head honcho in the kitchen at the city centre’s Hilton Hotel, as well as spending time at London’s Soho House. He’s even had dalliances across the pond, in both New York and Las Vegas. Now, he’s well and truly come home, having recently moved to the local area, creating One Eighty Eight with friend and business partner Lee Richardson. 

Gale’s mission was simple: to bring fine-dining to the local area, encouraging hungry city centre dwellers to venture out into the suburbs to enjoy quality food. He wanted to serve simple, accessible food at the right price, creating a restaurant that diners would be able to return to, month after month, without breaking the bank.

His mission is well and truly accomplished. One Eighty Eight is a refreshingly different local restaurant. Comfortable yet classy, with a varied and carefully selected menu, it’s a welcome addition to the area’s ever-expanding restaurant scene, making for a thoroughly enjoyable meal at any time of the day. 

Gale’s menu claims to work in partnership with local and regional suppliers, as was proven by my starter of choice. I had pan roast scallops with peas and Bury black pudding. This famous local delicacy is not something I’d ever considered myself to be a fan of, but the roasted black pudding had a delicious texture and has gone a long way to changing my opinion. It’s an unorthodox accompaniment to the deliciously juicy scallops, which were nestled delicately on a bed of peas. £8.50 may seem a little steep for a starter, but scallops are expensive, and in this case you are, most certainly, paying for quality.

Pan roast scallops with peas and Bury black pudding

For main course, I had roast chicken, stacked on a bed of cubed sweet potato and creamed mushrooms, with spinach puree. It sounds like a mish mash of flavours, but it really was inspired. Every mouthful made my taste buds zing, the rich flavours complementing each other perfectly. The chicken was succulent and juicy, the sweet potato was cooked so that it was soft and tender but not quite mashed, and the Portobello mushrooms were drizzled with truffle oil. The dish was topped with crispy kale, one of the super foods of the moment.  The portions are not huge, so side dishes are necessary. I ordered roasted broccoli with hazelnuts; so simple, yet so tasty. It added yet another dimension of flavour to my plate, and actually went very well with the spinach puree. Most of the side dishes are £3.50 each, so if you’re tempted to order more than one, it quickly adds a significant chunk to your bill.

Roast chicken with creamed mushrooms, sweet potato and spinach puree

A selection of the traditional British desserts available includes seasonal fruit crumble, apple tart and the lesser spotted Eccles cake. I opted for the lemon cheesecake, my all-time favourite, however I was disappointed to find that it was, in fact, a deconstructed version. I wouldn’t have had a problem with this if it had been advertised as such, rather than being promoted as a traditional cheesecake. The biscuit was more like a crumble, which would make a gorgeous base, but the cheesecake filling, scooped on top, had a texture resembling yoghurt, and almost reminded me of a cheesecake that hadn’t quite been left to set for long enough. The balls of limoncello sorbet were tangy and flavoursome, but the lemon would have been much better on top of the cheesecake, rather than in the hardened, frozen form. I wasn’t at one with the concept and the dessert wasn’t my favourite. 

'Deconstructed' lemon cheesecake

Overall, One Eighty Eight offers top quality food at a reasonable price, with everything you would expect of a city centre restaurant a lot closer to home. The staff were friendly and welcoming, the service was quick and attentive and the food was exemplary.  

Gale came out into the restaurant to talk to us as we were eating our main courses. He asked for our opinion on the food, whether or not we were local to the area and told us how he, himself, has just recently moved to Whitefield. It’s this kind of personal touch that places One Eighty Eight a cut above the rest. I appreciate his passion for food; his skill and creative flair is apparent in his tasty dishes, all of which were beautifully presented. 

Now into its third week, One Eighty Eight appears to be proving very popular. They open for breakfast every day from 10.00 am, and offer a range of mouth-wateringly scrumptious sounding sandwiches for lunch. They also boast a suave bar space for customers who just want to enjoy a drink, with a range of sophisticated ‘small plates’ available as bar snacks, including fish goujons and honey and mustard glazed chipolatas.

One Eight Eight’s fine cuisine caters for all times of the day, and I’m thrilled to welcome this exciting new restaurant to my local area.