Tender at Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel has revealed its all-new dinner menu created by Michelin-starred chef Niall Keating. And as you’d expect, there’s a lot to love.
Niall, who is Britain’s youngest star-winning chef, brings with him all his cutting-edge culinary experience while weaving in a laid-back approach to dining.
Picture gourmet pub grub and familiar European flavours showcased in small plates and larger dishes designed to share.
Small plates
In terms of small plates offerings, diners can choose from dishes like padron peppers and Quaver-ish pork crackling. Then there is also one of my favourite dishes, duck liver parfait, served with brioche, which totally epitomises Keating’s elevated take on classics, as is the Galician-style octopus, enriched with smoked paprika on impossibly tender slivers of potato.
Drinks
The bar under Tender, aptly named Sterling, is run by the global award-winning team behind Schofield’s cocktail hotspot, famed for expertly-crafted Martinis and Manhattans. Upstairs in the restaurant, standards are equally high. We tried out the house Old Fashioned before exploring a perfectly curated wine list. The sommelier’s recommendation for a bright, powerful Bourgogne from Pierre Naigeon went perfectly with our meal.
The main event
Now, chef Niall’s favourite main is the whole seabass served with fennel, saffron and a white wine sauce alongside the root vegetable wellington and salt-aged tomahawk with all the trimmings.
We opted for the classics, arguing over buttery grilled lobster and pink chateaubriand with thin and fat chips. The onion rings served alongside the steak were emblematic of Niall's famed perfectionism. Crisp and wafer thin, they’re on a whole other planet to their freezer-section cousins.
While I wish we had got to try the glazed pork tomahawk, truffle duck egg, pink peppercorn roasted pineapple and pommes anna, we were beyond satisfied with our choices.
Dessert
And as for something sweet? Well, it had to be the rhubarb crème brulee, and the walnut cake served with light coffee ice cream and fancies of Valhrona dark chocolate.
In a recent interview, Niall said: "I have always believed that the best food should be uncomplicated without too much fuss, and so this menu is all about getting the very best ingredients and allowing them to shine by being meticulous about the quality and the technique."
My only minor criticism is with Tender's layout. The tables are quite big which makes it tricky to have an intimate natter with anyone other than the person you are cosied up with in the booth. With that said, however, it makes the eatery a cracking spot for group dining with friends too. It’s somewhere you need either a lot of people or just a couple to make the design feel right.
The food and drink, on the other hand? Totally flawless.
The new dinner menu is available from Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm onwards.
Find out more here