Inside One 88 Kitchen & Bar – Whitefield’s casual fine-dining restaurant with a difference
| 16th June 2019
Whitefield’s hidden gem
Every town has a restaurant that when you speak to the locals, comes with recommendations in the boat load, the place you simply MUST visit when you’re in the area.
When it comes to Whitefield, that place is One 88 Kitchen & Bar. Despite growing up around Greater Manchester, Whitefield hasn’t been a place that I’ve visited all too often. I know that the town has its fair share of foodie offerings and quirky, chic and stylish bars – but for me, One 88 has something that the others don’t.
The restaurants interior is charming, intimate and modern. The decor is ellegant and yet relaxed, with a very airy and welcoming atmosphere – promoting casual fine-dining vibes in the boat load.
We opted to sit next to the window as it was a particularly sunny day, giving us a full view of the downstairs area – unfortunately I didn’t pop my head upstairs to check out the second floor! Perhaps an excuse to go back for a second visit?!
And now for the important bit – the food.
To start we ordered pan roasted scallops, served with squash purée, pickled roast squash and parmesan (£8.50) – and grilled king prawn served with a marie rose sauce and melba toast (£7.95) – I struggle to decide which one I preferred, they were both equally amazing morsels of food, adding a new level of flavour and excitement to some classic seafood dining. Ok, the scallops might have just been that little bit better, but they were both great dishes.
For our main meal I opted for a classic steak. 8oz locally reared fillet steak (£28.50) with peppercorn sauce (£2.50), hand cut chips (3.95) and steamed greens (£3.95). The steak was cooked to perfection, succulent and juicy – and to my personal choice of medium. It was perfectly pink and quite literally melted in my mouth. In fact, My mouth is watering just thinking about it. TMI?
The steak was great quality, tender and I’ve had several steaks meals since which were nothing in comparison.
To end what had so far been a wonderful afternoon of mouth-water food, accompanied with cocktails that rival Manchester’s finest, I went for the strawberry and white chocolate shortcake served with strawberry ice cream (£6.50) – anything with white chocolate is a winner in my eyes, but my tastebuds weren’t quite ready for what I was about to experience.
The white chocolate and strawberry combination was stunning and the strawberry ice cream gave a refreshing after taste. I’d happily eat that dessert over and over again – in fact, I wonder if I can order it to the office on Deliveroo?
I’ve said it already but the cocktails really did rival some of Manchester city centre’s finest bars, with the cocktail menu comprised of both classic & innovative creations.
Now, the icing on top of the metaphorical cake – I need to give some love to the staff who looked after us during our visit. It really is true that great service makes a meal – and the team went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time with them.
We had a lovely afternoon of beautiful food, great service and a warm welcoming atmosphere.
One 88 are doing Whitefield proud.