A few weeks ago I visited one of the most talked about restaurants in the North West, Manchester House. I have always wanted to visit since it opened in 2013 but never got round to it. When I was invited to try out the lunch menu I was very excited to discover this amazing place, ran by Aiden Byrne, the youngest chef to bag a Michelin star at the age of 22! The venue is located on The Avenue in Spinningfields next to Neighbourhood in the heart of Manchester and the food certainly lives up to its reputation. I was very impressed by the service received by all the staff, the attention to detail was second to none and it was clear that the staff has been well trained which you would expect in a fine dining place like this.

The lunch menu is priced at £27.50 per person for 3 courses making it affordable to enjoy fine dining at a good price. For the appetiser I went for the baked potato soup served with crispy chicken skin, the nori rice cracker with smoked red pepper jelly, goats cheese and basil and then a warm broad bean velouté with ricotta gnocchi. All the dishes were beautifully presented and looked too good to eat! The taste was nothing like I have ever experienced and the flavours were incredible. I have to admit there wasn’t much substance to the dishes but I have to give 10 out of 10 for presentation and creativity.

For the starter I tried the cured halibut was one of the best dishes of the day, both the presentation and the taste were excellent. It was the thinnest piece of fish I had ever seen, but packed full of flavour! This was served with a grilled nectarine and tomato salad, which tasted extremely fresh. For the main course I opted for the duck breast served with a kale crisp, pickled walnut, roasted beetroot, and a beetroot puree. The duck was very succulent and cooked to perfection and the puree with rich in flavour and complemented the rest of the food on the plate. My husband went for the turbot which was served with fois gras and truffle, it looked amazing! The portion sizes were perfect for lunchtime so I would definitely try this place out one weekend, however if you’re looking for something a bit more substantial then it is worth trying out the 10 or 12 course tasting menu.

I have a real sweet tooth so when it comes to dessert, I rarely turn it down! I tried the chocolate and hazelnut, coffee and liquor dessert which is a chocolate lovers heaven, packed full of chunky chocolate pieces both soft and crunchier textures. This was absolutely delicious! The pumpkin, praline and chocolate dessert sounded more adventurous than it tasted, I’d say it lacked in flavour a little but overall a good dessert. After this course we were then offered homemade chocolates, macaroons and madeleines which were delicious. I would definitely recommend the lunch menu at Manchester as it is good value and a great experience if you like fine dining!