Grenache

I love this place.
This is the second time we went in 6 months and the food is just amazingly good. Everything was spot on. The little amuse bouche to start with that you didn’t even know were coming, everyone enjoyed their starters (mackerel fillets, chicken liver parfait, mushroom soup) and their mains (pork belly and duck fillet).
I’m not gonna go into details about the actual dishes, this is a review, not a blog but it was very inventive, wery well prepared and cooked and presented.
The service is impeccable all the way through, and embrace the very familiar, but respectful, approach of Huss the owner. He is very forward but very good to look after you and make a fuss of your parents when they need it.
We seemed to have been a bit forgotten towards the end when it came to ordering desserts and paying but we were the last ones in, tucked around a corner… which we liked.
I just wish we didn’t have to drive so that my partner and I could try there wines a bit more. They house wine is decent enough and will pair well with your dishes but I want to find out what else he has going in the cellar.

Curious enough to take the train out of Manchester to visit, after much chatter on Twitter. It’s about 30 minutes train ride out plus 5 minutes or so walk. Of course, if you live nearer, even better :)
Think «decent neighbourhood restaurant» and you’re there. It’s a relatively small place, and perhaps a little bit cramped. The menu is essentially Modern British, at mid-​range prices. Although they did have a good value set menu, we ordered from the a la carte. There’s also a blind tasting menu, which sounded interesting.
There’s a little bit of frippery with amuse bouches and the like, which don’t really seem to fit the place. I think it’d do better to just not bother.
There’s a good wine list (as far as I’m able to judge such things), and the service is friendly — you can tell they care if you’re having a good time. They even offered to drive us back to the train station as it had started raining, which was a lovely personal touch.
If I lived more locally I suspect I’d be here an awful lot.