Just over two years ago Robert Owen-Brownâs The Bridge closed its doors leaving a huge gap in the City centreâs food offering; a gap that, to date, no one else has been able to fill.
There is no doubt that R.O.B has been missed. I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed his fabulous food early last year when he popped up at The Lord Nelson at Stoneclough for a short spell, but sitting down at his new venture, The Angel, I felt all the old anticipation return. Due to short term problems with a severed gas main the menu is a simple one, more dishes from his repertoire are to be gradually phased in, but followers will, no doubt, recognise many signature pieces. Sadly, on this my second visit, the legendary Spam fritters (£4.50) had long since sold out.
To start I chose pan fried mackerel with horseradish cream (£5.50) and my wife a steaming bowl of Conwy mussels (£6.50). Meaty for the size of shell and in a delicious white wine sauce, these beauties were meltingly tender. My fish too was astonishingly good; line caught by the chef himself; mackerel just doesnât come any better than this. On to the Plaice (£12.50), my main course, and again the intensity of the flavours in the dish took me back to a time when I used to catch this particular species myself: here the fillets were presented atop a bulging brown-shrimp potato cake with more of those Morecambe Bay delicacies scattered around the plate.
Iâd recognised our waiter from the start; it transpired that his working association with R.O.B dated back to the chefâs days at Lounge 10 and given that level of experience it was no surprise that the service was spot on. We had selected a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay (£10.50) from a shortish, reasonably priced list, but those wishing to splash out a little more dosh should consult the blackboard behind the bar displaying a number of Bin-Ends. Mark, Robertâs business partner in this venture, takes on the Front of House role and is keen to develop a beer offering that will fully complement the outstanding food. Dunham Massey ales and selections from the celebrated Phoenix beer portfolio are already proving to be popular choices.
My wifeâs dish of wild rabbit (£10.50), cooked with so much butter it was virtually a confit, had arrived in a large flared white pot; wild mushrooms and wilted spinach also played their part. Apparently, it is the most popular item on the currently truncated menu, word-of-mouth having propelled this totally divine dish to the top of the culinary charts. The sudden re-emergence of rabbit on British menus meant we had enjoyed several variations of this under valued meat in recent weeks but this example was far and away the best.
Robert Owen-Brownâs Eccles cakes (£5), on this occasion served with a double shot-glass of ginger butterscotch sauce, are almost as famous as those Spam fritters, so for dessert we shared a plate of these perfectly proportioned pastries together with a chocolate mousse (£5) that arrived in a large white cup embellished with a cinder toffee garnish. Both puddings, as usual, impressed.
Itâs a couple of weeks since the visit detailed here took place and, despite the opening of the upstairs dining space a few days ago, some would-be diners, minus bookings, are still reluctantly being turned away; others, hopeful, form a small gathering around the threshold.
Outside, The Angel awaits the arrival of its final signage to replace the old Beer House logo; on the inside however, the signs are all good.
The Angel,
6, Angel Street,
Manchester.
M4 4BR
Tel 0161 833 4786