TWO delightfully rich parfaits bookended one of the best January/February bargain deals around – three courses for £15.95 in the Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant.
The starter parfait featured chicken liver blitzed into smoothness, the oblong serving glazed with a clementine jelly and accompanied by a kumquat chutney, sticky as marmalade; for pudding a teetering cylinder of banana parfait balanced a thick coin of glazed banana on a chocolate tuille along side a kind of peanut butter honeycomb. Or I may have got that all askew – whatever, it was delightful.
As was the other pudding off a limited set of choices (four for each course). The presence of Mejdool dates gave a triumphant unctuousness to a surprisingly light sticky toffee pudding.
These were our highlights, the only dud note, my companion’s beetroot buckwheat risotto to start which was unbalanced by the saltiness of the feta folded in.
We fared much better with the two mains – grilled chicken breast from the Josper in harmony with some sweet parsnip mash, leeks and a bitter cherry jus; and the spectacular looking squid ink spaghetti with vongole clams with fresh tomatoes and herbs. It was beautifully matched with a minerally, fresh Soellner Gruner Veltliner white from Austria’s Donauland. I still believe The Lowry needs and deserves a more adventurous wine list, but this was the affordable (£38) business.
And sitting at a window table watching snow tentatively swirling over the Irwell, it felt like a restorative treat the day after the dreaded Blue Monday
The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf, Salford, Manchester, M3 5LH. For the £15.95 offer to apply, bookings must be made in advance here. Alternatively mail [email protected] or call 0161 827 4000.
