The Good Food Guide has revealed its list of must-try new restaurants, and two local spots have soared above the rest to make it into the esteemed list.
The guide has recently released its Platinum List for the best newcomers – all of whom opened pre- or mid-pandemic – and there are two brilliant local eateries featured.
Erst in Ancoats and Hyssop in Glossop both appeared on this year’s Platinum List, alongside 16 other restaurants from up and down the UK.
Only three restaurants in the northwest appear in all, the third being Henrock, Linthwaite House in Cumbria.
“All have been chosen for their remarkable resilience, thriving in the face of the shifting realities of dining out during the pandemic,” says the Guide.
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“They are all are notable newcomers and were earmarked for entry in The Good Food Guide 2021-2022.”
It’s not the first impressive accolade Erst has earned this year, either. The restaurant’s focus on natural wine and seasonal small plates also caught the attention of judges for the National Restaurant Awards, leading it to make number 47 in this year’s prestigious list of the top 100 restaurants.
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It also featured in the 2021 Michelin Guide, with inspectors saying it offered “something refreshingly different in the city.”
Hyssop, meanwhile, operates slightly more under the radar – or at least, it did before making it into the Good Food Guide. Initially launched as a pop-up in and around Manchester by owners Paul and Jess Sykes, it’s now based at The Bulls Head pub in Old Glossop.
Before opening Hyssop, chef Paul Sykes trained under the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines and Simon Rogan and is now serving up some serious grub – also in the form of small plates, split into sections like ‘Sea’, ‘Land’ and ‘Earth’.
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DIsh-wise, think Onglet steak with herb butter; beetroot cured salmon, walnut and granny smith; lemon sole with brown shrimp, buttermilk and chive; plus puddings, steak nights, and plenty more besides.
First published in 1951, the guide is considered one of the most trustworthy publications when it comes to eating-out guides in the UK.
A Which? guide that was purchased by Waitrose in 2013, the Guide ceased publication during the pandemic – but has now been given a new lease of life, after being bought by hospitality community CODE.
It keeps as its editor Elizabeth Carter, who has worked with the Guide since the 1980s and held the position of editor since 2007.
“Every one of the restaurants on this list is a shining example of the resilience and sheer talent to be found in the UK,” said Carter.
“It may have been a tough 18 months for the hospitality industry but these restaurants were undaunted.
“They continued to do the two things we ask of a good restaurant – serve fabulous food, that stayed in the mind during multiple closures, and offer great hospitality.”
Feature image – Erst / Hyssop
Eats
Manchester’s viral sandwich shop Ad Maiora is selling HUGE butties for only 9p through Deliveroo
Daisy Jackson
Ad Maiora, the Italian sandwich shop that’s loved by Manchester City stars (and everyone else who’s sunk their teeth into one), is selling butties for only 9p this week.
The local business is famed for its authentic sandwiches filled with quality imported Italian ingredients, and for its super-sized versions of its delicious lunches.
And this week only, you’ll be able to pick up a hefty sandwich, called the Scran-wich, for only 9 English pence.
The limited-edition Schiacciata will have nine different components and weighs in at a whopping 500g (though it’s nothing on their 1kg beast we’ve tried before…)
Owners and couple Enrico and Daniela have spent weeks developing the perfect balance of flavours.
Each ingredient is sourced in Italy but inspired by places and sayings from Manchester.
So you’ll find spicy ‘supersonic’ salami, nowt better N’duja, mozzarella ‘footballs’, sliced Haçienda heritage tomatoes, ‘r kid Italian wild rocket, 0161 olives, lashings of mad fer it mayonnaise, ‘buzzing bee’ basil leaves and ‘let’s ave it’ red onions – all sandwiched between fresh homemade Scran-worthy Schiacciata bread.
The Scran-wich and its 9p sale have been created to celebrate Deliveroo’s ninth birthday, and there’ll be 300 available to order through Deliveroo.
Enrico and Daniela, owners of Ad Maiora, said: “We’ve had so much support from the local community since we launched, so we were very excited when Deliveroo asked us to create a special Ad Maiora sandwich dedicated to the city of Manchester in celebration of their 9th birthday.
“We hope our customers love the limited-edition ‘Scran-wich’ – we’ve really enjoyed creating a sandwich that celebrates our city which makes this SUPER limited edition and special!”
Steffi Morel, Deliveroo city manager for Manchester, said: “It has been an absolute honour connecting Manc foodies to the best local restaurants at the click of a button for the last nine years.
“To celebrate, we’ve partnered with one of Manchester’s new local favourites, Ad Maiora, who’ve created the ultimate birthday ‘Scran-wich’, which pays homage to the city with every delicious bite! Deliveroo customers will need to be quick, as there are only 300 available!”
Ad Maiora’s Scran-wich is available for just 9p from Tuesday 30 April until Thursday 2 May through Deliveroo.
Medlock Canteen receives rave Guardian review from Jay Rayner just one month after opening
Daisy Jackson
Medlock Canteen, a new Manchester restaurant, has received a rave review in the Guardian just weeks after it opened.
National critic Jay Rayner has heaped praise upon the restaurant at Deansgate Square, describing it as ‘so special’.
The restaurant only opened its doors at the end of March, taking its inspiration from opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.
Rayner said it’s ‘a welcome haven for all’ and applauded its menu packed with ‘appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves’.
Medlock Canteen comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).
But unlike those two restaurants, things are much simpler at their newest venture – this is a restaurant where you can order a fried egg with any meal, drink bottomless coffee, and even order the day’s ‘staff dinner’ for just a tenner.
Rayner dedicated almost an entire paragraph of his review to Medlock Canteen’s gravy (‘dark and sticky and deeply savoury’), which he said is so good you should just ‘order that and pour it over everything. Pour it over a friend’.
He also waxed lyrical about their rotisserie chicken (there are rows of the things rotating in the city’s first in-restaurant rotisserie chicken oven), of which he said: “It is everything those words promise and don’t always deliver. No special rubs or sauces. Just roast chicken, rested long enough for the meat to start shrugging itself off the bones. The skin is crisp and salty.”
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian. Credit: The Manc Group
Other dishes that were celebrated in the Guardian’s review of Medlock Canteen included a rhubarb pie, charcoal-grilled fish of the day, duck rillettes and pistachio frangipane tart.
The restaurant itself said there were ‘happy faces’ after the review was published over the weekend.
Medlock Canteen wrote on Instagram: “Manchester may be grey this Sunday, but let us tell you, there are a few happy faces both on and behind the scenes as we enjoy our morning brew, reading through the kind words of @jayrayner1 in the @guardian.
“Thanks go to our team and our guests for all the hard work, dedication, and pure passion that has made Medlock Canteen ‘a welcome haven for one and all.’
“Anyway, enough of that. Just another day. Just another ‘set of appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves.’
“Caution: gravy jus may be thrown. Let Sunday service commence.”