Rosylee - Manchester

I'd read a lot about the infamous Mark Addy, headed by Robert Owen Brown and his take on the 'nose to tail' concept heralded by St John. Unfortunately it closed early in 2014, shortly after I arrived in Manchester so I never had time to visit but it's always spoken of very highly (foodwise at least).

My expectations were understandably therefore high and foolishly on my part I didn't check the full menu that'd been posted online before heading in for dinner. Unfortunately, it really is the very definition of safe - burgers, steaks, pie, hot pot, chicken breast, a couple of salads, with only the rabbit offering anything vaguely out of the ordinary. Where is all this adventurous fare Rob is supposedly famous for? My browse of the printed menu was pleasantly serenaded by a workman started drilling into the ceiling in the back of the restaurant. Not even the sniff of an apology from the serving staff for this as he continued to go for it several times while we were in there. I wouldn't even invite you round for a brew and piece of cake in the flat if I had a workman in drilling into walls let alone expecting me not to mind while I pay for dinner in a restaurant filled with paying customers. Farcical really, just utterly amateurish and embarrassing. 

"Baked Whitby Crab"

Paprika spiced baked crab with double cream and leeks

I expected the topping here to be crisped up but it was breadcrumbs on top of a thick rich creamy mix of blitzed crab, double cream, leek and paprika. The warmth and flavour of the paprika took the lead and absolutely dominated the flavour which was initially unpleasant, I ordered crab expecting a light delicate dish and instead got a rich spicy sauce with a hint of crab flavour.

"Beetroot and Goat's Cheese"

This was on the early evening set menu as a starter but I'm calling bullshit on this being offered as a starter, I mean - look at the size of it. It was totally fine, it was a few wafer thin slices of beetroot on a bed of fennel and with a Subbuteo sized crispy goats cheese ball.

"Fish and Chips"

This was the best dish by some distance, the chips were exceptionally cooked and very crispy just as I prefer them, the haddock was soft and light with a perfect batter crust and the sides of peas and tartare sauce were chunky and satisfying. Once I'd lashed salt and vinegar all over the fish and chips things were going really well.

"Steak and Ale Pie"

The pie itself was very good, a substantial crust of salty flaky pastry on top of the pan very heavily loaded with juicy tender beef and a rich gravy sauce. The dish itself came accompanied with a dollop of mash which half sat on a napkin leaving me utterly confused about what the gravy jug was for, was I supposed to do try and pull the napkin out from under the potato or just lash the gravy over the napkin and hope not to end up with a mouthful of tissue paper? The mange tout served on top of the potato looked like something one of the contestants would do to improve their 'presentation' during the first round of Masterchef. The final insult was they use Dobber beer in the pie filling but couldn't make room between the Birra Moretti and Guinness for it behind the bar.

"Eccles Cakes"

I went with the 3 bite sized Eccles cakes with a slice of Lancashire Cheese for dessert. Pastry was spot on for an Eccles cake and they were sufficiently stuffed with fruit filling but they'd clearly been slid into the oven before serving (despite taking 20+ minutes to arrive) and so were slightly warm on the outside but with a stone cold centre. They should've just been served hot or cold, this weird mid-ground wasn't good at all.

Service was polite but not particularly effective, basics like the table not being cleaned down despite being visibly covered in crumbs weren't dealt with. As I mention above, the Eccles cakes went AWOL and had to be chased up after 20 minutes waiting. The final dose of comedy was the highly audible noise of the drains emptying directly above our table every time someone went to the loo.

You could argue it's early days with the new menu only being on a week but Rosylee has been there for years with presumably the same serving staff and if the kitchen staff aren't up to speed yet then deep discounts should still be being offered until they're at a decent level. 

There were stories about this 'concept' being rolled out to other cities after Manchester "Venues are currently being looked at in Leeds and York" apparently which is totally baffling to me, though if the concept they're going for is "good but not great" pub food then they've absolutely nailed it.  I honestly couldn't tell you what hole Rosylee fills or what really sets it apart from 100 pubs across the North of England serving very similar food.

Maybe I'd set my expectations a bit too high but honestly this was massively disappointing and I wouldn't bother going back unless some more interesting menu options appear in the future to tempt me back. 

Pie and Ale - Manchester

It was slightly surreal finding myself wandering round the Northern Quarter late May looking for meal inspiration and deciding that a pie would really hit the spot. God bless the summer in Manchester.

Pie and Ale is part of the Bakerie family - hidden away in The Hive mini-arcade like Narnia inside the cupboard behind the eponymously named main restaurant on Lever Street. Despite never really hearing anyone talk about the restaurant it's clearly got a decent following within Manchester, there were very few free tables at tea time on a Friday night. There is a large dining room on one half of the building with picnic table style seating, the other half features a typical bar area with a few smaller tables and some diner style booths.

As you'd expect from the name, they had a great range of Beers and Ales on cask as well as bottles - a fairly imaginative range as well - good to see Tiny Rebel, First Chop and Arbor options. I finally settled on an Arbor Breakfast IPA which a perfect accompaniment to a pie, hoppy fruity and nicely light.

There were loads of options to choose from including a wide range of meats (steak, lamb, rabbit, game, chicken) and some interesting sounding veggie options (three cheese, Moroccan root vegetable tagine and woodland mushroom).

I was having a tough time making a decision as most of the options sounded like they'd hit the spot but in the end I went with the BBQ Belly Pork and Three Cheese pie.

BBQ Belly Pork - this came with a little pastry pig sat on top which immediately raised a smile. When I think about what I want from a pie, it needs crusty pastry, deep filling and lashings of gravy. Pie and Ale delivered on all fronts. The mash comes sat on top of the pie and was rich and creamy, the crust was sufficiently thick and well cooked to be crisp and hold everything together. The filling was described as '6 hour roasted belly pork' but the pork was more well cooked than you'd expect tender belly pork from that description - quite chewy chunks. The gravy had jalapeño hidden away and was fairly subtle but by the time I'd gobbled the pie down the warmth really kicked in, a really solid winter warming pie.

Three Cheese and Creamed Leek - the cheeses in this one were a smoked cheddar, brie and Shropshire blue and padded out with leek and some diced potato. When I ordered the waitress offered vegetarian gravy which I thought was a great thing for them to have asked, I'm not veggie but I'd never have thought to ask. The pie this time came with a pastry number 3 stuck in the top, not as cool as the pig for me - I'd have preferred a mouse or a triangle of cheese. The pie itself was another really good one, the melted cheeses all worked together really well, it was creamy, rich and comforting. As is often the case, the blue won the battle of the flavours.

Portion of mushy peas was ok but they disappeared in a couple of spoonfuls, a larger portion wouldn't have gone amiss but it only cost a couple of quid.

If you head into a restaurant called Pie and Ale you'd be pretty confidant with what to expect and they absolutely nail the concept here. A wide range of pies and a cracking bar menu all for reasonable prices - £30 here for 2 pies, a side, a beer and a gin and tonic. Another place I'm certainly glad to have tried and whenever I'm in the mood for a pie in the future I'll definitely head back.