Michael Caines, despite not working in the city, is a name at the forefront of Manchesterâs fine dining industry. He is in a way Raymond Blanc that could never have been; adopted and celebrated by a city desperate for a culinary hero they could call their own.
Voted the Best Restaurant in Manchester 2008 by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival and the Metro, Michael Caines @ Abodeâs entrance has sent waves of excitement out across Manchesterâs food and drink scene. Here was a Michelin starred chef wanting to put his mark on the city, to bring pride and prestige to a forgotten and under-rated metropolitan culture.
I met up with Michael last summer in MC Café for a coffee and to discuss his plans for Abode and his food philosophy. I sensed at the time that at the back of his mind lay doubts about the sustainability of a high end restaurant in Manchester. He was however in no doubt that if the punters came out, Abode could deliver with a high quality dining experience.
Michael describes his food as âmodern Europeanâ with a menu drawing influence from time spent in France and his years working under various masters of the culinary art. He places emphasis on the importance of the âBritish larder,â suggesting that whatever our nation may lack in the way of a classic national cuisine, is made up for by the wealth of quality to be found in our local produce. I found him fascinating, and vowed at that moment I would eat in Abode as soon as possible. Nine months later, I finally got round to booking a table.
The fine dining restaurant is located in the basement of the hotel making it something of a timeless space. Without natural light to guide me this lunch appointment could, for all intents and purposes, have been taking place in the middle of the day or the night. I feel it isnât really fair to judge a restaurantâs atmosphere based on a lunchtime sitting during a recession, I could hardly to expect it to be busy and bustling, but the creaky lounge music really wasnât helping matters. Thankfully the foodâs arrival succeeded in completely distracting my attention away from the total lack of ambience.
The duck and fennel risotto married the subtleties of its flavours perfectly. The dish had been allowed cooked out allowing the duck to breakdown to a stewed consistency, but against the bite of the rice, the pleasantries of texture remained intact. The faint waft of fennel and spice added a volume of complexity to titillate and tantalise the palate. The parsnip veloute too forged a happy mix of flavour and texture, as light and fluffy a soup as Iâve tasted, interspersed with flecks of parsnip crisp.
The mains also succeeded in seducing the taste sense receptors. The delicate piece of sea bream with its crispy skin and translucent, flaking flesh had needed nothing but carful cooking. The tomato fondue cut right through the fish with its sharp acidic tones, with the scattering of mussels and airy drizzle of foamy onion and white wine sauce adding the final touch. The shoulder of beef just fell apart it was so tender, maybe slightly overly so. The mash probably wouldnât impress Joël Robuchon, however, it was pleasantly seasoned and smooth and complimented by the red wine jus.
My only real qualm came with the dessert. I think prune and Armagnac is one of those flavour matches made in heaven; like pea and ham or chocolate and venison. Anywhere I see it I have to have it. The dessert combined a prune and Armagnac soufflé with prune and Armagnac ice cream; double whammy, brilliant? No. The problem was that rather than twice the flavour and double the fun, the two cancelled each other out. I was just left tasting the egginess of both and wondering why one of us didnât choose the cheese board. Thatâs not to say that either were unpleasant dishes, they just didnât unite in the way Ronaldo and Rooney do.
Overall, the food was good and the matched wines well selected, unfortunately both came in dinky servings that left me hungry for more. Maybe I should be grateful, even if I donât realise that itâs lunchtime, itâs probably best not to be intoxicated and bloated in the afternoon, and with three course priced at £12 in the restaurant of the year, this was to be expected.
Iâm glad Michael Caines has brought his brand to Manchester; I only hope he doesnât end up as embittered as Blanc about our culture. This was not a Michelin starred experience by any stretch of the imagination and if this is the best the city has to offer, then there is a problem. That said, the food is good making the Abode experience a worth while venture for locals with refined tastes.
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Amazing Graze Lunch Menu
3 courses for £12
3 courses matched with any 2 wines £18
or
with any 3 wines £21
Quality: 4/5
Quantity: 2/5
Price: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
Total: 16/25