Since opening in January, One88 has already secured a local cult of admirers – and a spot in the Good Food Guide – on the back of a commitment to sourcing and showcasing the best available ingredients. Their new Autumn Winter menu is a savoury haven of traditional seasonal flavours to warm your belly and your spirits!
The new menu has a few holdovers, so don’t worry if you’ve become addicted to One88’s mind-blowing scallops with aubergine, but welcomes a host of new plates and a whole new dimensionality of heartiness and warmth to the roster of British fine-dining classics.
For starters, the Warm Confit Duck Salad is a textural delight with plump French beans snapping and crispy shallots dissolving with a crystalline sparkle on the tongue, leaving behind a fine acidity to balance against the rich chew of the duck.
The Homemade Scotch Egg is another starter with a keen sense of balance, the silken richness of the egg and the mouthwatering sausage both set off excitingly by a daub of hot mustard and a spearing of pickled slaw on the fork.
Personally, I couldn’t get enough of the Maple Roast Fig, which to my displaced Canadian self seemed to burst with classic winter flavour, with their decadent syrupy sweetness of the fruit elevated by the maple and satisfying mouth-filling creaminess from some fresh-tasting goat’s cheese. With faint toasted pepperiness and seasonal credibility from hazelnuts, the little morsels are made absolutely irresistible by the salt and mouth-watering succulence of finely-sliced air-dried ham.
There’s more of that gorgeously grassy goat’s cheese in the Roast Beetroot Risotto, a vibrant-pink dish of earthy aromas, satisfying chew and a body-warming heartiness. Scattered with toasted pine nuts and studded with glossy dark beets, just the sight of this dish could warm you up on a nippy fall night.
And for sheer visual appeal, the Honey Roast Duck Breast stole the show, arriving artfully with artfully-scored and arrestingly-seared skin and a glistening pink grain to the breast. Served with a dark golden fondant sweet potato that is amazingly fluffy and flavourful under it’s expertly crispy exterior, and a whimsical little scoop of crushed carrot.
The deliciousness of the dish delivers on the good looks, as a bit of honied drizzle unifies the natural sweetness of the main ingredients while a foundation of firm spinach works with the plump, juicy breast to establish the plate’s satisfying, sustaining weight.
At dessert, technique gets cranked up to 11 on several new offerings, including a White Chocolate Mousse that is unbelievably airy and served with a scattering of boozy soaked cherries and a glossy sweet toffee honeycomb for a masterful balance of sugar and tartness against the ephemeral chocolate.
Meanwhile, the Toffee Cheesecake is like no cheesecake you’ve had before, an imaginative deconstruction with caramelised banana, salt brittle and maple syrup drizzle served alongside an oversized quenelle of sweet cream cheese that produces bites of fascinating and ever-varied texture with every spoonful.
Whether you’re an existing devotee or have yet to discover One88 for yourself, the Autumn Winter menu is your perfect excuse to visit and your ticket to a festival of familiar seasonal sensations. Book your table today!
One88 Bar and Kitchen, 188 Bury New Rd, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6QF
0161 280 0524
one88whitefield.co.uk/
