Iâm not much of a gambler. I put a couple of quid on the horse with the best name for the Grand National, but thatâs about it. So when I took a trip down to 110 Restaurant, at the Circus Casino, on the corner of Portland St and Oxford Rd, it was only my second time inside this type of gaming establishment.
My visit was primarily motivated by the recent partnership between Stanley Casinos and celebrity chef and egotist, Jean Christophe Novelli. Novelli has designed a signature menu and given academy training to staff at six of their casinos across the country, of which Circus in Manchester is one. Having already read one negative review, I was a little apprehensive about what to expect.
When going out for a meal, it is a little disconcerting to go through the rigmarole of giving your personal details and having a mug shot taken before you can be seated a table, but apparently this is the way all casinos work. Presumably this has a purpose, but as a casino novice this all felt a little bit weird to me.
With the signing up palaver out of the way, we were led, through the gaming room, to the restaurant. The dining area was tagged on to the far end of the room, separated from the casino floor by a couple of steps ensuring you donât forget where you are. I also felt a little imposed upon by the photograph of Novelliâs face, creepily smiling back at me from a banner promoting his involvement.
I was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed by the venue, but thankfully the friendly and welcoming front of house staff were on form putting me at ease. I could say that they came close to being overly attentive at times, but their charisma prevented them becoming an irritation. The ambience was created by the lounge pianist who, as far as I could tell, didnât break once throughout the entirety of our meal.
The restaurant décor was pleasant enough, the booth seating and curvy room design looked suave and stylish, the chain mail drapes not so much; the real highlight being the open kitchen, set behind glass panels displaying the chefs at work. This could be an utter disaster having seen the war-zones kitchen can be. However, not only did they keep an immaculate work space, but they also worked with the kind of precision youâd expect from artists. I sat there and watched, enthralled by their commitment to detail and presentation.
My friend and I decided to choose our dinner selection exclusively from the Novelli menu, since this was this that brought us to the restaurant. I started with rigatoni served with flaked salmon and a tomato, spinach and gorgonzola sauce, Nick with chicken croquettes. The salmon was chunky and plentiful and the pasta was served el dente, although the sauce tasted slightly clinical and very rich. The chicken croquettes had the right texture, crisp outer and soft inside, served with rocket and sweet chilli sauce.
For mains I opted for the slow braised pork belly, served on caramelised onion mash with a cider and honey reduction, which was cooked to perfection. Iâm sometimes doubtful about reduction sauces. Sometimes they are so heavily reduced youâre just left with a bitter, treacly mess on the plate, but this was just right, keeping its pleasant sweet flavour. Nick chose the fillet steak topped with vanilla provencale, garlic spinach and beaufort cheese. The topping tasted quite similar to the pasta sauce Iâd had for my starter, but the steak, served medium rare, was beautiful, with a char-grilled sapour and succulent texture.
Admittedly this had all been delicious, but by this stage we were both so well fed and watered (having quaffed our way through a bottle of shiraz) that there was really no need to start on desserts. However, we were determined to get the full Novelli experience, so returned to the menu to peruse the sweet selection.
I ended up picking a crème brulée served in a hollowed out orange with a piece of short bread. The orange peel seemed unnecessary and rather pretentious, adding little to the dish. Nickâs choice, however, was spot on. Rice pudding flavoured with kirtch, mango and seasonal berries. The berries had a slightly spicy, mulled wine flavour that lifted the entire dish. The rice pudding had bite to the grain; it was creamy and thick, yet fluffy and light. Even though we were both totally stuffed, we couldnât resist eating more and more and more.
If being honest, Iâm not sure that the Novelli menu is anything special. All the food we ate was nice, some of it brilliant, some just fine, but this seemed to be more a reflection on James the head chef and his team rather than the menu. The food was well presented, made with fresh, and apparently local sourced, ingredients and made the most of what was, at times, a rather heavy menu.
I think if I were to go again Iâd just pick from the house menu and avoid the novelties. My impression of 110 does however leave me questioning where the bad review came from. Maybe we ate at different restaurants or just experienced diametric extremes in culinary performance. Either way, Iâd recommend 110, and if I was a gambling man, Iâd bet youâd enjoy it too.
Novelli Signature Menu: Three courses for £25 in the 110 Restaurant
110 Portland Street
Manchester
M1 4RL
0161 228 0077
Matt Johnson