19 July 2007

What does the word café mean to you? To me it conjures up slightly tacky seafront snack bars or the back street City centre greasy spoons of a generation ago. Why then do so many companies persist in using that word to describe their latest ventures?

City Café is a fine restaurant, with an equally fine Head Chef in the shape of David Gale. David “sufferedâ€? the café tag when he was head chef at what was another excellent eatery, Café Paradiso at the then Alias Hotel Rossetti. City Café is billed as a restaurant within a hotel, rather than a hotel restaurant; it is rather formal in appearance with lots of pastel shades and swathes of heavy drapes. On our latest visit my wife and I drank cocktails in the bar before dining. They were rather disappointing, beautifully made but ruined by poor quality, watery ice. However, there was a nervous atmosphere in the bar; could it have had anything to do with Heston Blumenthal’s presence on the table next to us?

To reach the restaurant you have to pass through reception, rather like a walk through a modern airport’s check-in area. Greetings and service were exemplary; experienced and well judged. Having checked the menu on-line I’d already decided on dressed crab to start, but the actual menus were totally different from the internet versions. After being seated we were presented with a small Amuse Bouche of Roasted Scallops, with a fruit Raita alongside. A note here for beer aficionados; there are some superb bottled beers available and one of my favourite cask ales, Deuchars IPA is also on draught. I drank Bitter & Twisted with these beauties, such a good match, and having thought long and hard since, I’ve decided that these diver caught delicacies were the best I have eaten to date. Intrigued by the Cumbrian Ham and Celeriac Crostini (£6.95), I chose it as my starter. A fabulous dish, served with a Chilled Watermelon and Lemon Grass shooter every tiny nuance of flavour worked together wonderfully.

There are three different menus at City Café, the A la Carte, the Garden menu and the Kitchen menu, all of them a credit to the chef. My wife had decided to go for the Kitchen Menu, at 3 courses for £16.50 it is excellent value. Her Cream of Celeriac Soup with Butler’s Blue Cheese was “smooth and silky with a good celeriac flavour, subtle garlic and the creaminess of the Butler’s Blue at the bottom of the bowl.â€?

Descriptions of perfect dishes can be a bit boring and both my main course of Rump of Welsh Lamb (£15.95) and my wife’s BBQ cured Pork Belly with Savoy Cabbage and Apple Sauce were just that; perfect dishes, totally faultless. For dessert we shared a selection of Artisan Cheeses, room temperature of course, butter you could actually spread, biscuits that were crisp; small details that are so often overlooked.

There’s no doubt in my mind that City Café is currently serving some of the finest food in the City, what could make the difference here is that David Gale is easily capable of keeping up this very high standard.

Russ Otterwell

City Café
City Inn Hotel
One Piccadilly Place
1 Auburn Street
Manchester
M1 3DG

0161 242 1000
[email protected]