Sat on the banks of the River Irwell, the Lowry hotel has long been a haunt of the stars.
One of the city centre’s only 5-star hotels, it is home to the most exclusive (and expensive) penthouse suite in the city. But today, we’re here to talk about its restaurant offering.
Headed up by chef Dave Ashton, who has worked alongside Aiden Bryne and other prominent chefs in two- and three- rosette restaurants, the 2 AA rosette River restaurant has long held a stellar reputation in the city as a go-to place for special occasion dining.
Following a revamp of its dining space in the autumn of 2019, it’s even more swanky. Gone is the all-white look of days prior, in its place a new design inspired by the hotel’s riverside setting.
Image: The Manc Group
Burnt orange, dusky pink and terracotta tones mix with hues of blue and green, whilst big squishy seats and deep booths provide the ultimate comfort for a long, luxurious lunch or dinner.
When we visit, it’s a chilly November evening and the daylight is already long gone – meaning that whilst we can’t fully appreciate the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across the water, we still manage to drink in the twinkling lights of the city as we enter through the bar.
After leaving our heavy coats with the host, we sit down to browse Ashton’s newest offering: The River Restaurant’s autumn menu.
It’s always a great sign when you look down at a menu and feel overwhelmed by choice – or at least, I think so. And that’s what happens here. There are almost too many tempting-sounding dishes to choose from, leaving me to think that I could quite happily return and polish off the rest of the menu another time.
After deliberating with my dining partner, who agrees we’re spoilt for choice, we settle on starters of miso crab and squab pigeon followed by cured sea trout and an indulgent-sounding ‘surf and turf’ combination.
The agreement we make between us is this: we will share it all, save missing out.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
The starters come out swiftly and do not disappoint. My miso crab is served as a terrine, topped with a sort-of red, edible doily. Sandwiched between the two are pieces of pickled lemon, samphire and a lump of slowly-melting lemon sorbet – adding a gorgeous citrus tang that cuts right through the fishiness of the fresh crab.
The squab pigeon, meanwhile, arrives with a hearty helping of truffled foam and screams game season. Rich flavours of pear, hazelnut and artichoke complement the equally-rich pink breast meat and confit leg. A triumph.
Onto the mains, and the star of the show has to be the 6oz fillet steak and Gambaro Rosso prawn dish. Its arrival gives me instant food envy and makes me very glad I’ve already brokered a deal to share.
The steak, cooked as the chef recommends it, comes out pinker-than-pink and soft as butter. Sat on a bed of greens and topped with tiny slivers of crunchy, tangy pickled onion, on the side sits a giant helping of truffle mash and a swirl of red wine garlic puree.
If you’re going for a special occasion, order this. The Sicilian red prawn itself was a bit scrawny, but in every other way, the whole plate is an absolute delight and well worth the £40 price tag.
My cured sea trout is also a hit. The crab sauce works beautifully with the fillet itself, whilst a healthy dose of sea veg heaped on top adds texture and depth to the plate as a whole.
The only fault I can make here is the crushed squash, which jars texturally – possibly a little undercooked, it is a bit too al dente for me in some places.
Image: The Manc Group
Finishing off with something sweet, I opt for the sticky date cake with caramelised banana, rum and clotted cream ice cream. This proves to be the best part of the meal, the crunchy-sweet topping of the banana together with the soft and sticky fruit sponge proves a heavenly combination.
My partner, meanwhile, chooses the Manjari milk chocolate dessert. Served with malted milk and espresso ice, it comes out in jagged slithers and is equally delightful.
Our charming server confides that we’ve made an excellent decision – as it turns out, we picked her two favourite desserts.
All in all, there’s very little to fault and much to praise at the new and improved 2 AA Rosette River restaurant.
When I last spoke to chef Ashton he told us that he was gunning for 3 AA Rosettes- and, although he may have missed out on that particular gong this year, it seems like that goal is still very much in sight.
Feature image – The Manc Group.
To view the full autumnal menu, click here.. To make a reservation at the River restaurant at The Lowry, click here.
Food & Drink
Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen open second city centre site
Danny Jones
Affordable Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen has just finished launching its second site in town, doubling its city centre presence with the official opening on Thursday, 4 September.
Maricarmen launched on Great Ancoats Street back in June 2023 and quickly became a firm Manc favourite, famous for their £3.50 dishes
When it comes to their small plate approach, they serve up some of the best tapas in Manchester, and even the shopfront seats at their popular roadside location are regularly full regardless of passing traffic.
However, if there’s ever been one gripe we’ve had with the place, it’s that the outdoor area isn’t the most peaceful, even if it is a stunning suntrap on a warm day – that’s where the new restaurant comes in.
Ancoats…… vs NQNew but familiar (Credit: Supplied/The Manc Eats)
We’ve been semi-regular visitors of Maricarmen ever since it started out life as a pop-up just around from Cutting Room Square, and they’ve gained speed and reputation ever since.
Known not only for authentic, value-for-money tapas, but welcoming plenty of punters for a simple drink as one of the best places for a sangria in central Manchester, they’ve managed to stay relatively just not just when the weather is bright but throughout most seasons.
While the Ancoats restaurant is known for the aforementioned roving ‘El Tableo’ style of service inspired by southern Spain, the newest location will be slightly different, revealing not only lighter colours and Alicante beach influences with a focus on alfresco eating, but lots of new specials.
Created by Marian Diaz and Jose Nunez, who previously owned a tapas restaurant in Madrid, La Porcineria, which was sadly curtailed by Covid.
On the bright side, Manchester has been the greatest beneficiary of their fresh start, and we can’t wait to see what venue number two delivers.
Co-founder, Diaz, said of the new opening: “Maricarmen is about compassion, hard work, strength, reinvention, opening our minds & hearts and connecting with people. It’s more than just food, for us, it is the beautiful moment when we see our customers and our coworkers smile because they are here.”
She went on to add, “To us, Manchester signifies the ability to reinvent and grow. The people here support you without expecting anything in return. It’s really beautiful. I have never felt this before in my life. […] We’ve built up such a loyal customer base of locals – many have become dear friends.
“And to be in a position to open a second site within two years and share our love of good food and great times with Manchester’s Northern Quarter is quite unbelievable.”
There really is a Costa Blanca beach house vibe to this bright, new yellow-accented corner of NQ and having tried some of their dishes, we can’t wait to get stuck in.
Be sure to follow them on socials too, not only for more announcements and updates but because it’ll give you an even better flavour of the vibes over there.
Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to ‘2/10’ TikTok review
Daisy Jackson
Gooey, easily one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries and brunch spots, has clapped back at a negative review on TikTok with a refreshingly honest statement.
The local business shot to fame initially with its chunky, gooey cookies, but has since expanded from its hatch to have its very own cafe, famed for its enormous French toasts and its sandwiches made with baked-in-house Shokupan bread.
Generally, Gooey gets an incredibly good rap, with queues that speak for themselves stretching from its doors down High Street.
But one TikToker has shared a less favourable video review of the business, slamming it as ‘one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve ever had in my life’.
The reviewer in question specialises in finding places you could eat comfortably as a solo diner, and ranked Gooey an overall 8/10 – but slated the food at a 2/10.
And now Gooey has shared their side of things, defending themselves against the reviewer’s claims that the food is ‘expensive’ and ‘tastes like it could have been made at Greggs’.
“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough,” they wrote in a statement.
Gooey continued: “We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews.
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were ‘too expensive’
“What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours targeted on costs.”
The cafe then justified the £10.90 cost for a bacon and egg sandwich, pointing out the bacon is cured in-house and cut thick every day by hand; the bread is also baked in-house daily; even the ketchup and brown sauce are made from scratch.
“With all that said, yes, we do have to charge more than you would pay for a bacon butty at Greggs.
“Listen, I understand this criticism. I used to get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 from my local butty shop.
“We cannot do that here. We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.
“And we are trying to make the best version of a bacon sandwich that we could.”
Chunky cookies at GooeyThe Gooey French toast that the review claimed was ‘too sweet’
As for the complaints that the French toast is ‘too sweet’, Gooey clapped back: “Yes, our French Toast is sweet. It’s filled with dulce de leche and topped with maple syrup.
“We personally love it and it’s our most popular item but if you don’t like sweet things, you might not like it!”
Finally, in defence of rising prices across the hospitality industry, they signed off with this brilliant piece of insight.
“Every single independent cafe, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.
“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only way to survive with the costs we are facing.
“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”
Anyone fancy meeting at Gooey for a bacon sandwich later then?
Georgina Pellant -
19th November 2021 
