I’VE just about made my mind up about the Corn Exchange. Yes it’s a warm refuge from the persistent precipitation, there’s a democratic buzz about it, but there’s little to excite in the food and drink offering. A wasted opportunity.
In this judgement Salvi’s and Tampopo don’t figure – the ramped-up reincarnations haven’t altered my admiration for both these pre-£3m revamp stalwarts, who do what they do well. The jury’s out on the two new Italians, shiny Vapiano – which looks promising – and the shrine to St Gino d’Acampo called My Restaurant. I just haven’t been to either yet.
As for the other new incumbents under the cupola, competing for the casual diner, I’ve only really taken to two – Mowgli and Pho (above), neighbours with a rustic/ethnic vibe to setting and food. Both were created by northerners with a passion for a particular cuisine. In Liverpudlian Nisha Katona’s case Mowgli came from a desire to recreate the street food of her family’s Calcutta heritage, while Pho was the result of a love affair with Vietnamese food kindled when Astley-raised Stephen Wall and Geordie wife Juliet went travelling there.
Authentic? Mowgli tinkers a bit. Alongside the likes of Aunt Geeta’s Prawn Curry you also get Bombay Chip Butty, Himalayan Cheese Toast, Mowgli Sticky Wings and, one of the ‘pot luck’ selections, Roadside Slider Roulette, described as 'Indian trucker tucker'.
Pho doesn’t tinker with a formula fixated on Vietnam’s national dish, Pho, a vibrant noodle soup based on rich stock (made daily on site). Like Tampopo or Wahaca there’s a deliberate toning down of chilli heat, so my Spicy Green Pho (£9.50) was hardly a tongue-tingler. It was very satisfying with lots of chicken breast swimming among a dense tangle of noodles and beans, morning glory and pak choi in a rich broth spiked with, I’m reckoning, star anise, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel and ginger plus more chilli than the standard ‘Pho Ga’.
This is the chicken-led alternative to the classic beef-based Pho – pronounced "fuh" to rhyme with “duh" – but similarly benefits from a 12-hour simmered bone broth. My lunch companion had the other special, the Super Green Pho (£8.25), made from a veggie broth with extra garlic and lacking the oomph of mine. Both came with a bowl of coriander, mint and lime to add, as you wish, offering the kind of herby overload I love.
Both were outshone by the salad to share we slipped in after starters of fried squid, summer rolls, prawn and pork crispy spring rolls (the latter the pick). Goi du Du with king prawns (£8.75) was juicily just right, all musky papaya with lots of crunch from peanuts and prawn crackers.
A large (£7.50) glass of Gavi battled gamefully with this, but for the Pho I switched to one of the fragrant house cocktails, a Vietnamese Bloody Mary (£7.25), Sricracha sauce giving the spice kick, Ha Noi vodka the booze. A couple more of these and you’d be floating on your own personal Mekong Delta.
Your skipper would be Pho’s manager, Annie Smyth, who runs a tight ship (sic) with the jolliest serving crew in the Corn Exchange. They have 240 covers over three floors to take care of. This is the largest of the 17-strong Pho chain, but a harmonious mix of distressed brick, blackened timber, and exposed pipework, it feels surprisingly intimate.
Check it out by taking advantage of Pho’s special January lunch deal (pictured below) — two courses for £9.95, Monday-Friday, 12-5pm.
Pho Manchester, Unit 15, The Corn Exchange, 37 Hanging Ditch, Manchester, M4 3TR. 0161 464 9779.
