The Avenue Courtyard, Spinningfields, Crown Square, Manchester
In the very heart of
Manchester’s Spinngfields, the city centre’s premiere dining and drinking
district, is an alpine lodge with a rustic, wintery ski-house feel. With wooden
beams adorning the ceilings, long, sprawling outdoor seating and a wood-fired
oven in an al fresco kitchen, The Oast House is a curiously unique venue which
plays host to weekly live music whilst serving international cuisine and an
extensive cocktail menu.
When we arrived at 1:30pm on a
mild but grey spring Saturday afternoon, the outdoor seating was only about
half-full, but we struggled to find a seat inside. There’s a few long
picnic-bench style seats and half a dozen bar-style tables. It’s designed for
social eating and drinking and if you’re a couple, you’ll have to be prepared
to share your personal space.
Bookings are only accepted for
parties of six or more. Two of the long benches were reserved from 2:15pm
onwards, which made trying to find a seat stressful. Luckily, we nabbed a table
next to the bar from a leaving party, and once sat down we were able to relax
and soak up the bustling vibe.
Food is ordered at the bar, so
it’s a good idea to make sure you all order at the same time, or you risk your
food arriving separately. There’s loads of choice, from international ‘house
classics’ such as burgers, steaks and fish and chips to rotisserie meats and
the hanging kebabs, for which The Oast House is most famous.
As we weren’t sure how long we
were going to have at our table when we ordered, we skipped starters, which was
a pity as they have a fine selection of delicious-sounding nibbles, including
scotch eggs, duck rillettes and Vietnamese vegetable rolls.
Hanging kebabs don’t generally
appeal to me, as I’m not mad about eating chunks of dry meat. I opted for the
tandoori cod and king prawn hanging kebab. There were alternating pieces of cod
and king prawn, layered on the skewer with red peppers and courgettes, with a
refreshing mango chutney dressing which was poured down the kebab from the top,
allowing it to trickle down the seafood and vegetables. It was supposed to be
served with pilau rice, but I asked to swap this for the ‘properly seasoned
chips’ which accompany all the other kebabs, as they sounded a little more
appealing and, let’s be honest, a little more naughty. I’m really glad I did,
as they were very flavoursome and tasted scrumptious with the drips of the
chutney sauce. Thankfully, the barman was very accommodating.
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| Tandoori Cod and King Prawn Hanging Kebab |
One of my companions had a
chicken mayonnaise club sandwich: your typical chicken, bacon, lettuce and
tomato triple decker, served with chips. It looked delicious and full of
filling, but she was understandably disappointed that it was served cold. Given
that the bread was toasted, it seems rather odd for the chicken and bacon to be
cold.
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| Chicken Mayonnaise Club Sandwich |
My other friend had ‘tribal
ale battered fish and chips’, with mushy peas and tartare sauce. There’s
nothing more enjoyable than a really good quality fish and chips, and I can
vouch for the fact that the mushy peas were delicious, with a perfect texture.
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| Tribal Ale Battered Fish and Chips |
There isn’t loads of choice
when it comes to desserts, but I think that’s the nature of The Oast House:
it’s all about supping drinks and nibbling casual food so people don’t tend to
bother. That said, the three choices that they have all sound equally
excellent.
Salted Caramel Cookie Dough:
four words on which I am immediately sold. I don’t need to consider anything
else. I did hesitate, though, because my friends didn’t want a dessert, so for
a few short seconds I questioned whether I should bother. Thankfully, my senses
drove me in the right direction, as I would have been foolish to miss this.
It was some of the best cookie
dough I’ve ever experienced. It was baked to perfection, without the hard,
crunchy edges sticking to the ceramic pan, perfectly soft all the way through
without the sticky, cloying texture. So soft it was almost like a cake, it
wasn’t overly sweet and sickly either. Served straight from the oven, a scoop
of salted caramel ice cream melted all over the piping hot dough and the
drizzle of toffee sauce finished it off ever so nicely.
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| Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough |
Considering it was so busy,
the service was fast and the staff were attentive. Even the queues at the bar
dissipated quickly. Sadly, I didn’t catch the name of the bar man with whom I
placed my order. Not only did he allow me to swap my rice for fries on my main
course, he swapped our orders over to another table when we decided to move and
hunted for a bottle of still mineral water when supplies behind the bar had run
out.
The Oast House is a venue
packed with character and full of ambience, although once the live music begins
in the afternoon, it gets a little loud. It’s the highest quality of hearty pub
grub with vegetarian, vegan and dairy free options. Roast dinners are plated up
every Sunday and there’s a brunch menu too, as well as an extensive beer and
cocktail menu.
The Oast House could be the
perfect place to spend your bank holiday weekend. On Sunday 26 May, the venue
plays host to Spin Fest: an outdoor music festival celebrating everything that
our glorious city has to offer. Acts playing include The Blooms, The Different
Lights and Charlie L. It all starts at 1:00pm and tickets are free.
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