Damson is a little restaurant in a little place called Heaton Moor that has been causing a bit of a stir recently. Opened by Steve Pilling, a jovial well-known chap who used to run Sam and Tomâs Chophouses, heâs been responsible for many city centre types hopping on the train to the lovely Heaton Moor.
I used to live in this Stockport suburb so remember the restaurant/bar Room 311 that preceded the purple-loving Steve and it just never really took off. So for an area that is full of yummy mummies and media types it really needed somewhere decent to eat.
The Moor is on the train line to London, which means that the locally-stopping trains are frequently delayed - so lo and behold, as soon as I tried to go there the train was cancelled. So the staff at Damson already scored points for being understanding when we phoned to say we were delayed by half an hour.
The small restaurant, which has an outside terrace, is set in Heaton Moor village, near the fantastic Savoy Cinema, and as the name suggests is decked out in a shade of purple, although it isnât over-whelming. Steve was working front of house all night, and was clearly loving his new role.
For a wee restaurant, there was a pretty hefty menu with some fantastic combinations, as well as a set menu for £12. The set menu pulled us in, but the a la carte menu looked so good and didnât cost that much more, so it won.
We went straight for the house white, which was a very reasonable £11.95, and a Catarratto Caâdi Ponti from Sicily. Its fresh dry taste suited the warm summerâs evening that had appeared.
Opening the culinary treats, the Smoked haddock soup (£4.95) was a smooth and refreshing dish, served with a poached egg. Perfectly balanced, the smoky fish wasnât too heavy or rich, although the egg just wasnât necessary to my palate and complicated both the taste and texture too much. A Mackerel Escabeche (£4.95) was served chilled with Kalamata olive tapenade, with the oily fish holding up to the strong zingy vinegar flavours.
Belly pork shows no sign of going off menus at the moment, and its cheap cost can only mean itâs here to stay (see image). For £9.95 this was a perfect example of how it should be served with crispy crunchy crackling on top, and sweet moist meat underneath. Smooth mash and summer cabbage provided a top accompaniment, although more apple puree would have been good.
My vegetarian-turned-meat-lover friend had the chicken breast (£12.95) cooked with the bone to keep it moist. The handmade gnocchi was fried for a really different and crunchy experience, and the wild mushrooms, herbs and truffle veloute made this dish really stand out.
Wine and good conversation got in the way of dessert, and we moved to the less-classy establishment of The Elizabethan. I hope Damson continues to do well, for it was full on a Tuesday evening, and the city centre foodies do try to make the worthwhile trip out to the leafy Stockport suburbs.
Damson restaurant, 113 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport, SK4 4HY.
T: (0161) 432 4666.
W: www.damsonrestaurant.co.uk