The Alan, Manchester’s newest creatively charged six-storey hotel, has not only been a hit with those lucky enough to snuggle up in its modern rooms, but also with foodies that have popped in to sample its well put together menu.
The hotel recently received rave reviews from none other than Guardian writer and food critic, Jay Rayner who referred to the dishes as ‘truly delightful’, and they’ve now introduced a lunchtime offer where you can get five of their highly acclaimed small plates, light bites or desserts for £25 per person.
We popped in to see what all of the fuss was about and the first dish to catch our eye was the Cauliflower Tikka, which was created to offer a vegan alternative to one of their most popular dishes.
It’s a reflection of the Head Chef Iain Mark Thomas’ time spent in Dundee, a city which was once the spice capital of the world. For a delicious vegetarian lunch, you can accompany the Tikka with Salt Baked Celariac and Polyspore Mushrooms that are smoked enough to make you think they’ve pulled straight from the barbecue, with yeast extract and black garlic.
The menu is hyper seasonal, constantly rotates every few months and uses locally-sourced, high-quality ingredients allowing all of the flavours speak for themselves.
The offer also includes the fresh flavours of the Halibut Ceviche with burnt orange and chicory, which is then topped with a Pea and Fettle Salsa. Two other stand-out dishes are the Potato & Ox Cheek, which comes with layers of potatoes brushed with butter that are then topped with 18-hour braised Ox Cheek, and a Beef Tartare, which is paired nicely with confit and dehydrated egg yolks and sourdough bread.
Both of these dishes let the beef do the talking, the flavours are rich and complex and match each other tenderly. They’re certainly some of the most extravagant dishes you’ll find at this price point anywhere in the city!
The Alan’s lunch offer is available from 12pm – 4pm, Monday – Friday, and you can book yourself a table now using the link below.
……………………….
