If you've been hiding under a rock for the last year, then you may not be aware that the superstars behind Higher Ground only went and opened their own bar a while back, in the same adjoined unit to Higher Ground itself, and it quickly became one of our favourite spots in the city for a quality cocktail and some cracking seafood.

The other Saturday we found ourselves with a free couple of hours in the city centre.  But a few days earlier we saw a video of Chef Joe Otway online, in which he detailed the whole process of how Bar Shrimp's burger is made, and it looked glorious.

Apparantely it's been on offer since Bar Shrimp launched, but to be honest I've clearly not been paying proper attention and have only ever ordered the oysters and other bar snacks.  I knew as soon as the video ended that a visit to experience the burger had to be added to the team's hit list of reviews.  So here we are.

I was internally miffed when Grace Dent coincidentally beat us to the punch in getting a review of Bar Shrimp out, which took place the day before her Sunday write-up dropped.  But without suggesting that it's actually the case, her entertaining and expertly written articles, the linguistic heights of which I'll never reach, are increasingly sounding like invited-in write ups as opposed to actual reviews/critiques. 

When a review contains nothing but massive praise along with contradictorily poor technical detail it promptly raises eyebrows, whether you're critiquing a taco stand or a 3 Star.  Little in life is truly perfect and a proper critique of anything should include both sides of the coin.  As you know, after almost 3 decades in the Manchester food appraisal game, we prefer to give you the lot.  Anyway.

We arrived and ordered a couple of cocktails from what's quickly become one of the city's top tier venues for such wet led things.   As you'd expect from such high-end operators, standards are lofty across all facets, in line with the classy lineage which is carried across from the guys next door.  Anywhere selling Jacques Selosse's juice has my heart, although on this occasion, not my cash.

We gazed over the menu and clearly decided that simply ordering the burger would be plain stupid, so we popped a slightly chunky order in along with a request to serve the burger last as to deliver one last wave of anticipation.  I'm guessing that based on it being a main course and not a snack, that would have no doubt happened anyway.

We started with a few old friends and dived into the seafood offerings.  Oysters (£4.5 each) were as ever super fresh and outstanding quality, pre-released from their shell as should be the case.  These were backed up with some mignonette (not just vinegar, Grace), a wedge of lemon and a bottle of Tabasco, giving you plenty of serving options.  Paired with a cocktail and a quiet daily schedule, these are one of the city's biggest joys.

Sitting aside the oysters was a whole scallop, diced and served raw apart from its elderflower infused dressing.  It was another lesson in top class provenance, confident plating and letting that core produce speak for itself with minimal intervention; a term that's usually associated with wine but can also apply just as deftly to foodstuffs. 

For full disclosure as ever, the scallop appeared on our table free of charge courtesy of resident wine maestro, co-owner and general gentleman, Daniel Craig Martin.  As much as they don’t sway reviews one bit, such discreet and mutual hat-tips are always hugely respected.

Moving on from the freshness and lightness of the seafood, there's a section on the menu entitled 'snacks', which we took literally and ordered most of them.  Devilled Eggs (£4) are topped with earthy brown crab meat, plus a vibrant trout roe for some texture and a burst of salinity and buttery-ness.  A simple yet satisfying one-bite.

Smoked Mackerel Rillettes (£6.50) and house made crisps hit the tastebuds hard, delivering an uppercut of massive flavour, spotlighting more quality seafood with a generous scattering of brilliantly textured crisps, ideal for scooping up the main event.  It's just the perfect bar snack. 

Then came Bar Shrimp's Cured Pork Croquettes (£6 for 2), which give any nearby Spanish restaurant's jamon croqueta a run for their money.  A snappy case giving way to a perfectly soft interior, with a now-expected tidal wave of flavour.  Absolutely faultless, and that's coming from a Spanish food obsessive who eats more croquetas a year than my doctor approves of.

Arbroath Smokie Fritters (£6 for 2) were essentially more croquettes, only made with that iconic smoked haddock.  It's a product which has protected status and can only bear the name if produced within a stone's throw radius from Arbroath.  A novel preparation, and by this point Id run out of superlatives to be honest.  The only thing missing from the snacks was a table by the ocean, but sadly that's not really an option on the fringe of Manchester's Chinatown. 

But despite the above loveliness, the real reason for our attendance was the burger.  Here we have a house made brioche bun carrying textbook structure and density, expertly engineered to be a burger bun.  Soft and pillowy yet full of integrity.  Inside lay some crispy lettuce for virtuosity and freshness, a stunning onion jam, silky mayo, and of course the beef patty.  And what a patty.  Dexter beef sourced from Jane's Farm in Cheshire, as per most of Higher Ground's animal protein; this was stellar.  Barely cooked to the point that the BK crowd would claim that it wasn’t.

But for those with appreciation of a well-constructed, gastronomic burger, this was peak cuisson for a patty of such quality, with every other component only existing simply to complement that patty's greatness.   We had a minor in-team debate over whether there was too much lettuce, but that was promptly dismissed following another bite.  I'll say it straight, the city has a lot of good burgers, Hawksmoor being a notable one, but this is Greater Manchester's premier burger, and you should visit Bar Shrimp just to experience it!

We left feeling more than happy and despite the above micro rant about nothing ever being perfect, on a bar metric, this wasn’t too far from it in truth.  Occasionally you come across a place which punches above its weight and when a bar, which unsurprisingly Bar Shrimp is, does such a great job of the whole package, you know that they mean business. 

We've reviewed/scored things based on our restaurant scoresheet, but this is a bar and hence doesn’t tick some of the more restauranty boxes.   It does however still offer food and service which surpasses the level of most very decent restaurants in the city. 

The produce used, the preparation of that produce, the vibe, service and even drinks offering are all exceptional at Bar Shrimp.  You should visit for the cocktails and wine, plus no doubt a few oysters and nibbles, but mark my words; you'll return for that burger just as we did!