Neil Sowerby
I met a woman called Enid the other day, but itâs been a long time since Iâve chanced upon an Ethel or a Mavis... or, among blokes, a Horace or a Maurice. They are just such old-fashioned names. Maybe one day Chantelle and Wayne will seem just as passe. I only mention this because the Manchester dining scene now boasts two Alberts. The original with attached Shed up on Deansgate Locks and its flashy new £3m offspring on Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury.
The regeneration of the Locks owes a vast amount to the nous of Jim Ramsbottom and his family. Dukes 92 is still a buzzing bar, especially of a summer evening, and Albertâs Shed is similarly jolly - what Iâd call a democratic eaterie. You are valued for occupying a table for a simple pizza and beer just as much if you were splashing out on a three-courser with wine. Similarly the clientele is a good mix of first dates and old friends.
Albert here is said to have been a workman who stashed his tools in an ancient shed on site prior to the restoration of the Collier Street address. Heâd be surprised to discover heâs become a brand. And, on the evidence of an admittedly sun-flooded Thursday evening, a very popular brand. Gleaming white outside, the same inside but with black pillars and lots of blue in a large open plan dining space, it seems a beautifully judged conversion. Good for dining or just dropping in for a drink at the bar.
Despite having booked and arriving not long after 6pm, we couldnât wangle an outside dining table. Not that it mattered. We sat just inside an open glass panel and watched the West Didsbury world flow by. Most of it seemed to be flowing into Alberts. A birthday party was gathering, all glad rags and buttonholes, and Jimâs daughter Lucy was festooning a long table with flowers and balloons. I canât recall this degree of customer solicitude during Albertsâ former incarnation as The Barleycorn, though it did have the only pool table for miles. Despite this, it was always the run-down poor relation of The Woodstock just across the road (which also appeared to be going strong on this first real evening of summer weâve had).
To get in the swing, my elder daughter and I â she a died-in-the-tie-dye Chorltonite â sipped champagne with a strawberry garnish and investigated a menu that closely follows the Shed formula. Off the specials list we chose our wine, a £22 Picpoul de Pinet, which our lovely waitress Sophie told us was sourced from Reserve just up Burton Road. If you demand citrussy and crisp uncomplicated, then this white from the Languedoc is just perfect. A refreshing glug, it coped admirably with our starters and mains.
The parmesan and herb crust on my scallop gratin (£7) looked daunting, like those solid ice rinks you sometimes find atop a creme brulee, but it cracked easily and the firm scallops and slim asparagus stalks came swathed in a tangy Lancashire cheese sauce. Asparagus, just in season locally (hooray), featured in the young Chorltoniteâs much-cherished first course of asparagus and baked egg (£5.50) with a herb crust cropping up again. And we thought Crusties were as dodolike as Enid and Ethel.
Being a bunny lover, I had been tempted by a rival starter of rabbit gnocchi, but âkept my powder dryâ for the £16 rabbit with cider and apples main. In truth, it was a mite hearty for such an evening, the size of Wallace and Gromitâs Were-Rabbit. Pan-fried, pale loin separate, dark leg stuffed with mushrooms and pancetta, it came with caramelised apple and a sweet/sour cider sauce. A choice of two sides was included. Mine was roasted veg ratatouille and fat chips. All very satisfying, perhaps a notch up on the Shed kitchen? Iâll have to go back and compare.
Monkfish and scallop green Thai curry (£14.50) pleased the Chorltonite, though she had the grace not to finish a dish that also encompassed skewered tempura king prawn, aromatic rice and lots of bak choi, red peppers and the like. A little under-spiced for me, but then I do have a high chilli tolerance.
Two glasses of the butterscotch sweet Torres Moscatel dessert wine, an old friend from the Shed, were ordered to accompany her chocolate volcano â an abundance of fondant that could have affected air traffic â and for me, summer pudding (what else?). We scarcely did them justice. Portion size had done for us. That Albert must have had a healthy appetite on him.
Itâs unlikely they are going to be wheeling a plethora of Alberts out across the globe, but this second venture is a terrific addition to an area that already has a glut of fine but casual dining spots As we left, the birthday party was kicking off. The babble of folk having a good time. Welcome to summer.
Alberts, 120-122, Barlow Moor Road, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 2PU
T: 0161 434 8289
W: www.albertsdidsbury.com