I PICTURE myself as the autumn chills set in and the sere brown leaves whirl down Burton Road. There I am at a pavement table outside Saison, swathed in a pashmina, swaddling a pint plus of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout from Fort Bragg, California. These are exotic times we live in.
I thought West Didsbury was blessed enough alewise to boast Justin Parkinson’s Wine and Wallop and a cluster of other craft and cask friendly bars plus one of the best beer shops in the region, Rob Loader and Simon Yarwood’s Epicurean, and now just yards up from that establishment arrives Saison, quirkier sibling of Chorlton’s Dulcimer folk bar.
Perhaps those pashminas draped invitingly across the chairs are merely woolly blankets to cheat the cold, but it is a thoughtful touch. Inside the same care has gone into transforming what was The Violet Hour. There’s lots of slightly sinister art work involving crows and giant black moths; the bar staff, notably Rosie, are far less threatening, giving the place a real neighbourhood vibe – children and dogs welcome. Despite the rank of 16 keg taps and row of four cask ale pumps plus a rare ale list (hence the Rasputin) it’s not one of those beer geek boltholes.
Neither yet is it a foodie mecca. Assistant manager Tom O’Toole (a trained chef) is doing the honours temporarily at the stove while they seek out a full time chef. Restricting himself to brunch staples and small plates, he’s not doing badly. We only tried a selection of small plates – they were surprisingly substantial and uniformly excellent within their degree of ambition. At a fiver a plate they were remarkable value, as was the beer. Ah, the beer: “We chose the name Saison not only because of its Belgian beer connotations but because its meaning – season – reflects our culinary ambitions,” says co-owner David Bell.
Seasonality wasn’t immediately obvious in the dishes we tried. Pick for me was pea, mint and blue cheese risotto balls, crisp outside, gooey inside. It was accompanied by a ‘salsa verde’, which felt like more peas – of the mushy kind – but went beautifully. Another veggie dish matched it close – wild mushrooms and garlic seeping butterily into toasted brioche.
Lamb and mint meatballs in a tomato and mint sauce was solid fare, a more satisfying use of ground meat than a burger (we noted the earlier risotto also cropped up in one of the (£10) burgers of the week – the cheeseburger also featured Blacksticks Blue, a theme developing here.
There was a £1.50 supplement for pan-seared tuna steak with teriyaki and oriental salad, which didn’t add a lot to the party, whereas slow roast pork belly lardons with chilli jam was beautiful accompaniment to our beer selection.
Most of the cask was off after a busy previous evening but we tried powerful American beers, including the sublime Devil’s Canyon California Sunshine Rye IPA, and Gueze Boon lambic beer from Belgium. The nearest thong to a Saison, though I’m sure a couple were lurking on the lists.
One curiosity – the 52-page colour booklet on each table, ‘The Beer Book’, which introduces beer styles and promotes what is a fine range. It’s very “New to hops and malt permutations? Start here,” but doesn’t patronise.
We didn’t try the cocktails, but noted that Happy Hour, Monday to Friday 4pm-7pm, has a two for £7 offer, which should prove popular. As should Saison itself, a lovely neighbourhood bar – I look forward to its menu blossoming. Look how Volta across the road has come on in that direction.
Saison, 236 Burton Road, West Didsbury M1 2FN. 0161 434 9521, www.saison-bar.co.uk
