For sheer tehnical virtuosity and ridiculously good value, have a meal at the Creameries
The Creameries, 406 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0SD (0161 312 8328). Three-course lunch £18; five-course dinner £35; wines from £20
This one must start at the end: with a treacle tart that tastes of all the good things, including attention to detail and a determined eagerness to please. The tart case is thin and crisp and dark; just the right amounts of brown sugar, butter and flour have been introduced to each other and have then decided to shack up together. It’s a virtuous platform for the filling. Unlike some treacle tarts, which you know will sit so heavily in your stomach they appear to have claimed squatter’s rights, this one is light and almost fluffy. There is a burst of citrus in there, pointed up by a separate bowl of lemon jelly. Next to that is a jug of warm, frothy cream, flavoured with Earl Grey tea. Both of those, however crowd-pleasing, are here only to stand in the service of the tart. As I fork it away, I mutter sagely to my companion that it is a treacle tart made by someone who has made an awful lot of them.
There are only two choices at each course, so we have the entire menu
Continue reading...