If you can’t stay in bed eating mash potato, then Grill on the Alley is the second-best thing to it

SAM | 19th December 2017

 

It’s the season where all you want to do is stay in bed, eating comfort food and watching Netflix whilst occasionally being enticed out by the promise of fun and drinks and before you know it you’re paying over the odds on Amazon as you can’t bother to shop and there’s gifts to buy too (FFS).

 

Well, strip off that onesie, chug a lemsip and get yourself down to Grill on the Alley which has launched a fabulous menu of comfort food for the season and is well worth the effort.

 

 

What could be more cosy and lovely than this eatery, from its charming glittery setting that would make Scrooge ‘Christmassy’ to the convivial staff and superb food.

 

We went and dined on oysters (not particularly comfort food but lovely and salty, with a burst of protein that makes you think you can soldier on) before hitting the hard stuff. I loved my haddock and runny poach egg starter in a lobster broth that skipped and slid gaily down my throat warming me up and giving my immune system a hot awakening.

 

 

Mussels were fragrant and plump in wonderful but slightly salty sauce and bang bang chicken with peanut satay made the world go away. A goat’s cheese salad lacked goat’s cheese but that was soon rectified by the ever-attentive staff who also went out of their way for our gluten intolerant companion by making dishes on request (starters from £5.50).

 

 

There’s a host of comforting mains from just £12.50 (wines start from a very reasonable £19 a bottle btw), including chicken pot pie and bangers & mash.

 

 

But being us, our mains were a variation on steak and lobster or lobster and steak, bringing surf and turf to a whole other level. In fact, GOA is renowned for its steak which ranges from £17 to Flinstonesque tomahawks.  They were all so gorgeous, juicy and cooked to perfection that even our table was momentarily quiet.

 

 

Puddings (yes, we even had puddings) were a revelation. A shared chocolate and salted caramel concoction was the stuff of dreams and demolished within seconds.

 

Blackhouse Grill on the Alley and Blackhouse Grill on New York Street are renowned for premium quality steak, and the new menu includes Irish fillet at 227g or 280g, while the flattened 6oz sirloin and chips makes a lighter, but just as delicious alternative.  There are vegetarian options too, with the halloumi and mixed vegetable kebab served on a bed of mixed pulses with tortillas, sour cream & Cholula Hot Sauce, an enticing new choice.

 

The tempting lunchtime menu, available Monday to Friday from 12-5pm, includes a main course, a glass of wine or beer and a coffee and a muffin to take away, for £12.95 and diners will be spoilt for choice by a selection of creative recipes and classics.

 

The Grill on the Alley opened in July 2006 and quickly became a stalwart of Manchester’s cutting edge culinary scene, thanks to varied menus and a vibrant bar area which serves imaginative cocktails executed with flair and panache by debonair bartenders, as well as an extensive wine list.

 

Viva verdict: GOA is the perfect cosy corner to feed yourself through winter. Visit http://blackhouse.uk.com for more info and bookings.