Walking down the stairs I can still hear the bustling of Thursday evening post work chatter over a progressively growing set from the resident DJ, welcome to Brasserie Abode says the front of house.
Over the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to see some impressive refurbishments and re-imagining of venues, The Refuge at Principal springs to mind, what once was bland now is gone. Walking into the new Brasserie Abode I was seriously impressed, the space is fantastic. Inviting and considered fabrics mix with black and brass details, a clever use of glass creates statements and the lighting, the most important element of any environment, is perfect.
Dramatic entrance over we sit centre room and take in the details with a Smoked Old Fashioned and a Cosmopolitan, each served with a small tray of suitable nibbles. To start our dining we opt for the Brown Crab appetiser alongside the Smoked Haddock Scotch Egg which comes with a small helping of the Crab Bisque and Tuna Tartare starters. For me it was all about that Tartare.
Red wine arrives and we’ve gone for a couple of glasses of the Italian Primitivo ‘Il Pumo’ to sit nicely alongside our mains. Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic as recommended by our server and his second recommendation the Steak Frites. Both cooked pink, the steak was a great cut and the Lamp fell off the bone. I’m some what of a purist and rightly or wrongly usually avoid any sauce, however we added the red wine sauce and it was certainly worth a mention.
Dessert there seemed to be no competition, the signature dish it appears is the Chocolat liégeois – 1 is enough for 2 to share and I think I’m well within my right to use the term indulgent.
Brasserie Abode sits at the top of London Road and for all the footfall and it’s prime location when you step down those stairs and into the restaurant you’ll feel like you’ve hit on Manchester’s latest hidden gem, and to my mind, that’s because you have.
Brasserie Abode, 107a Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2DB
0161 200 5665
www.abodemanchester.co.uk/brasserie-abode/brasserie
