I’ve only ever been to The Lowry Hotel once and that was several years ago, for a work’s Christmas ‘do. The drinks were flowing fairly freely that evening, meaning that I actually don’t remember much of the meal or atmosphere, although I do remember a distinct sense of having thoroughly enjoyed myself.
So when I was asked to go down and take a look at the new menu at The River Restaurant, the 2 AA rosette-award jewel in the hotel’s crown, I was more than happy to see what I’d been missing – or forgetting – all these years.
My first thought upon being seated was that I should definitely start eating in more hotel restaurants. What I mean by that is that there is a certain ambience in a hotel restaurant – particularly one that is attached to the hotel bar – that just cannot be recreated in a standalone eatery. The smooth sounds of the piano and the bar singer wafted in as we ate and there was a general sense of excitement, perhaps buoyed by some of the hotel guests that were dining there, too.
It made me feel as though I was on holiday and that is a feeling that I will pay good money to experience when I am in the middle of my bustling home city.
Obviously, we were off to a good start.
My second thought, after perusing the menu, was how much I miss the sight of classic dishes on restaurant menus. I’ve become a bit jaded by the constant Americanisation of every eating place in recent years, as well as the current obsession for ‘sharing plates’ – which is essentially code for: “we want you to order more food and therefore pay more money, but we’re going to serve you smaller portions and expect you to share in return.”
Sorry, I’m forever a cynic.
The River Restaurant has eschewed all of this and includes dishes like beef wellington, fish pie and potted shrimps on its a la carte menu.
I started with the crab macaroni cheese, which was stuffed with crab morsels in every bite and featured a garlic and lemon crumb.
It was creamy and decadent without being overly heavy.
Scott opted for the crispy duck roll.
Having only very recently been introduced to the marvel that is crispy duck, this was only his second time ever eating it and it’s safe to say that this dish concreted it as one of his new favourites.
It featured a punchy plum sauce and all the elements of your favourite takeaway, but was stuffed with juicy, tender meat and none of the grease that your local Chinese is usually offering.
For main course, I went with the roast breast of chicken with truffled puree potato and charcoal cooked leeks.
There is one standout element of this dish that deserves praise where praise is due: the pureed potato. That stuff was like eating cream. In fact, if you’d just given me a bowl of it and a spoon, I could easily have eaten only that and left satisfied. As it was, the chicken was also beautifully tender (and generous in portion size) and the bouillon sauce was meaty.
The only regret I had was that I’d allowed the server to pour the sauce over the whole dish for me when it was presented, which I regretted, as I’d rather have been able to pour small amounts on the plate as I ate.
Scott picked the Scottish halibut fillet with lobster sauce and spinach.
The fish was flaky and moist and the sauce was what you would ideally want every piece of fish ever to be served with. In fact, if they could produce huge quantities and sell it in jars, I would gladly hand over my cold hard cash.
On the waiter’s guidance, we ordered a couple of side dishes of creamed spinach and a heritage tomato salad.
Both were tasty accompaniments, but were perhaps not needed for me as my plate was fairly filling in itself.
When we had first been seated, the waiter had told us about the restaurant’s treacle pudding dessert and advised us that, as it takes one hour to cook, if we felt we might want to indulge in it for dessert, we’d need to order it at the start of the meal.
That’s like a red flag to a bull when it comes to me and steamed desserts. I’m the queen of sticky toffee pudding, remember? So of course I had to order it, my now-straining waistband be damned.
At the risk of sounding seasonally inappropriate, this dessert was like a taste of Christmas. It was light and fluffy and punctuated with flavours of cinnamon and nutmeg. It was also pleasantly zesty. It came with a homemade custard that I was too full to eat the whole jug of, but which was light as air.
Scott’s dessert was the milk chocolate tart.
If I hadn’t been so easily tempted by the lure of the treacle pudding, this would definitely have been my sweet treat of choice. It was a thick, chocolate ganache with a thin pastry case and a tangy creme fraiche. Next time, this meritable offering will definitely be mine.
The verdict? If you’re staying at the hotel, then it’s a no-brainer that you should eat here at least once. If you’re not, then you should definitely still make the effort to head to the Salford border and enjoy a meal. The food is classy and yet comforting, the staff are attentive and you really can’t beat the atmosphere that comes from overlooking the river and having a live crooner play the piano for you next door.
- The River Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf, Manchester M3 5LH
- Open for breakfast 7am – 10.30am, lunch 12pm – 3pm and dinner 6pm – 10pm
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