John FRASER
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It could be that I've saved the best until last and it was closer to home than I realized. Having visited Moor Hall (3 Michelin stars; could have been much better), Heft (1 Michelin star; very generous portions), we reach Mana in central Manchester.
The restaurant itself is situated close to the old Express Newspaper building next to the Northern Quarter. Indeed, Mana sits directly opposite the Halle Orchestra rehearsal and recording space; an enclave of newly refurbished original brick buildings that have expanded the living area around the rapidly expanding city centre.
Many years ago, my wife, family and I were regular visitors to Juniper in Altrincham. That restaurant also held a Michelin star by the late Paul Kitching.
I recall a sense of fun about that restaurant with lollipops being served during some courses and dessert offered up in paper cups. To compliment the fun though, the food was outstanding and Paul perhaps never fully received the credit he deserved. His pea soup and Christmas pudding souffle were simply fantastic.
That sense of fun seems to have emerged again at Mana with some beautifully executed dishes rounded off with a memorable chilled stick of fudge.
Our amuse, as with the other Michelin restaurants we have dined at recently, was excellent. An earthy mouthful of celeriac and cep mushroom stew.
A common trend among the Michelin restaurants that we have tried of late has been custard! We had one custard dish with smoked enoki mushrooms at Heft, here is was barbeque broccoli as the accompaniment.
Other family family members had duck served two different ways over two courses, whereas, I stuck with vegetarian and roast cauliflower with a sweet truffle jus that was excellent.
A bowlful of mushroom ragu followed that was equally as impressive, before a quite tart chocolate mousse with a flamboyant wisp of woodruff crisp completed our experience.
It was left to the finger of chilled fudge and it's rich ganache core to send us off into the warm afternoon air with a definite skip in our collective steps.