Ten new menus have been created by Lee Ferguson, executive chef of The Albert Square, Mr Thomas’s, and Sam’s Chophouses, to celebrate the essence of British culture. 

Boasting a number of bar snacks, fixed-price lunch specials and a seasonal a la carte ready for the summer months ahead, Lee’s passion for the finest food is enough to encourage anyone to take a trip to food heaven in the Mancunian chophouses.

Owner Roger Ward said: “The significance here is that this is Lee’s first menu where everything is his so it really matters to him.”

Menus across the three sites are referred to as ‘A Gastronomic Voyage Around The British Isles’, which is well represented by the masterfully-executed dishes that Viva had the pleasure of sampling at a preview taster session for the brand-new menus launching next week.

Gone are the days of snacking on peanuts and crisps with a pint. Scotch eggs, bone marrow on toast, cod cheeks, and cauliflower fritters are the way forward.

The Manchester Egg from the bar menu is a valuable component of the restaurants famous ‘Manchester Plate’ which the chain have worked hard to perfect.

“It needs to be good enough for Tony Walsh to write a poem ‘This is the plate’,” Roger jokes.

The Mancunian take on a traditionally Scotch classic uses their own black pudding to surround the oozing runny yolk. Naturally, the egg is served with brown sauce (a classic.)

A lost-in-time and (VERY) mouth-watering delicacy- bone marrow, is a key part of the bar menu. Served on charred sourdough toast, it is prepared with sweet confit shallots which cuts through the rich roasted bone marrow and tarragon breadcrumbs. Innovatively served in what Roger describes as “a dinosaur bone.”

The most surprising addition to the menu is cauliflower fritters. The usually dull and forgotten ingredient is given a new lease of life in a crispy deep-fried batter using gluten-free flour served with a home-made curry mayonnaise. The dish is not only gluten-free, but also vegetarian yet remains so comforting even for the avid meat-lover.

We sampled two items from the Fixed Price ‘Lunchtime Special’ Menu, priced at £16 for two courses and £19 for three. Curried lamb sweetbreads are one of three starters on the menu, delicately rolled in a curry and gluten-free flour, pan-fried, and finished with butter and zesty lemon on top of a hearty lentil dahl.

For the main course, “how can British people steal a risotto?” Chef Lee considered. His colourful combination of brocoli and Stilton in his ‘SPEL-totto’ is exactly how. The vibrant brocoli puree and pretty florets are a match made in heaven with the flavours of the sharp melted British cheese.

From the Spring/Summer a la carte menus, the crispy Pigs Head starter stole the show as the Viva favourite alongside the Spring Vegetable Pie from the main courses. The menu also consists of handpicked Devon Crab on Toast combined with creamy mayo, nutmeg, and chives, Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton croquette, and Rump of Lamb, all of which reign in the Northern soul of the establishments.

Crispy Pigs Head is currently only on the menu at Mr Thomas’s Chop House. According to Roger, it was a pinnacle part of the menu for executive chef Lee.

“He was very specific about the apple he was using. He wanted Granny Smith because it was so sharp to cut through the pigs head because it has a lot of fat in it.”

The Pigs Head is brined, boiled and deep-fried before being served with English Mustard mayo, a sharp Granny Smith apple puree and finished with a delicate pickled quails egg. It is not one to miss!

The Spring Vegetable Pie is unlike any other. The all-butter puff pastry hides a mountain of broccoli, spinach peas and beans (and asparagus in season) bound with light mascarpone and seasoned with lemon zest, chives, tarragon and parsley.

Chicken on Toast was another highlight of the menus. Lee explained his cooking methods to us. Using half of a corn-fed Goosnargh chicken, he confits the leg and  steams the breast to keep it moist.

It is presented on a slice of sourdough dressed with  mustard and pan-fried in the cooking juices and served with peppery watercress and a jug of creamy chicken gravy. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE?

Each Chophouse has a Specials Board which allows chef Lee to use his culinary flare to update the menu, working with flavours new and old.

We were lucky to sample two of them including The Pork Tomohawk, Manchester’s own ‘Tomohawk chop’. The meat special is simply cooked with sage and garlic served with roast gem lettuce. Our second serving was the Whole Brill- made for two. The fish was beautifully presented and topped with zingy brown shrimp and samphire. It was de-boned in front of us by Lee himself which was an experience on its own! The dish is served with tender stem brocoli, new potatoes and a sharp hollandaise sauce.

As if we hadn’t already eaten enough, to finish off the tasting we were invited to share the dessert of all desserts- Rhubarb Trifle.

 

The magical combination of the sour forced rhubarb and fiery stem ginger complimented the layer of smooth whipped double cream, to reduce the intensity of the two powerful flavours. The ginger beer jelly was the icing on the cake and added an extra dimension to the culinary masterpiece.

From kitchen to table, every step of the way is done so with so much attention to detail and with a pinch of British charm to provide a dining experience worth remembering.