Spring-boarding into an exceptional year...
April has arrived and the year is flying by. Finally Following our promotion to 3 AA Rosettes, I believe we have gone up a level and we have a great Mothers day and Easter period, serving so many portions of our 35 day aged beef. Equally, the news that the cold weather seems to have passed and Spring has arrived. I hope the warmer weather will convince you to leave the warmth of your fires and come and taste some of the great, new seasonal produce we have just got in. The new menu looks delicious.
In March, Tony Naylor, top journalist writing for Waitrose Kitchen, continued our great news by marking us out nationally as one of the five dishes you must eat in 2013. Making comparisons to the great Noma in Copenhagen, they picked our SALT-BAKED BEETROOT, BLUE CHEESE, ORANGE AND WALNUTS, describing it as one of the finest vegetarian dishes he has tasted. This was incredibly important to me, not only for us being noticed on a national level, but also because it shows the Freemason's commitment to serving great vegetarian food.
The North West now has a breadth and depth of good to great cooking that is close to blossoming into something very special and our beloved culinary scene has a new gem in Simon Rogan at the Midland in Manchester. My team and I traveled to the restaurant to congratulate Simon but also see his stunning new menu. The experience certainly didn't disappoint, as we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon. Standout dishes were the studded Cumbrian rose veal and Ox in coal oil, pumpkin seed, kohlrabi and sunflower shoots. I truly believe the more great restaurants that open in the North West, the more visitors we will attract to the area. Best of luck to Simon and his team and I am already looking forward to returning.
This month I am very much looking forward to teaming up with Exec Chef and friend Adul Yaseen at Cinnamon Kitchen in London's Square Mile. The evening at the end of the month will see us both fuse our culinary talents and styles together to produce an exquisite 5-course journey through the rich food history of both nations. Quite simply a night where East meets West. Should really tantalize the taste buds.
We are just firming up our diary of events for the next six months and its looking very exciting for me with a new evening called "War of the Roses dinner" where we will be teaming up with Chef Patron Tim Bilton of the Butchers Arms in Yorkshire. The evening promises to be a great fun evening, as we will both try and showcase the best of both counties! We will keep you updated.
Until then eat, sleep and drink well.
Steve & the team
17/04/2013 13:42:00 Filed under: General Comments: 0