Butter Bird Sunday Roast

Ancoats' newish rotisserie chicken hotspot, Butter Bird, quietly serve up a cracking Sunday roast featuring their now famous poultry!  So based on the fantastic time that we had at the below preview of their main menu, we jumped at the invite to said Sunday roast.

We arrived on a bright Spring afternoon and it was lovely to see a packed dining room inside, so the good word since launch has clearly travelled fast and the guys are well and truly spreading their wings and creating a bit of fuss over on that side of the city!  Pun absolutely intended.

On our last visit things were a bit busy over at the pass/kitchen area, so we missed the opportunity to get snaps of both.  That’s a nice way of saying that we got carried away eating and forgot, so at least the team members who called in this time remembered to be professional and snapped all the action for your enjoyment.

The plates flew out of the busy kitchen as the chickens rotated in the background, sizzling away as they cooked gently.  It's just a mesmerising sight to behold. We took our seats again after getting the work details ticked off and were ready to start!

We got the ball rolling and dipped our toes into Butter Bird's Cremant menu, which is a real USP in the city.  I can't think of anybody who puts such a focus on the hugely underrated fizz.  The drinks offering is generally superb with something for all tastes, including booze free options for the drivers, as was the case for half of our party on this visit.

Chicken Fat Popcorn (£2) was the perfect pre-lunch nibble as we overlooked the menu and worked out which proteins that we fancied, not to mention the sides!  The popcorn was seasoned better/more generously than on our last visit though.  Flatbread and Whipped Feta Dip (£8) was another repeat order from our last visit and once again hit the spot as a palate teaser ahead of the main courses hitting the table.

And fortunately, that didn’t take too long to happen!  We started with the obligatory Half Rotisserie Chicken (£23), which had been tea brinded and butter basted to turbo charge that rich roasted chicken flavour as created by the rotisserie.  Succulent, delicious, and exactly what you hope for.

For those wanting to rebel and go of piste in a rotisserie restaurant, Butter Bird also offer a traditional Roast Aged Sirloin of Beef (£24) on Sundays too.  Cooked to a blushing pink and served in a hefty portion, it was more than a rival to that signature chicken.  Both roasts come with a portion of lovely rotisserie potatoes, roasted carrots, buttered cabbage, carrot and swede mash, a top tier Yorkshire Pudding, and plenty of that all-important gravy!

A choice of sides is also on offer for those who fancy pushing the boat out a bit more than it already is.  Charred Hispi (£7) was stellar and added some vegetable based lightness to our massively indulgent feast.  And just in case you wanted to double carb, as we clearly did, Chicken Salt Chips (£5) were simple, generous and delicious.  Combined with that gravy these were truly splendid.

We did spot the Mac and Cheese floating around, but resisted ordering it on this occasion, even though it was one of the best thinks that we ate in the city during February, all in the name of trying different things to make the two write ups a bit more varied.  The lengths we go to for you people!

To finish we went for just a single Dark Chocolate Truffle Pot (£7), which was more than enough following the significant banquet which preceded it.  Super rich and silky smooth, topped with whipped cream and a scatter of honeycomb, adding a lovely bite and some varied textures.

So, Butter Bird's Sunday menu is as satisfying and crowd pleasing as their main menu, with enough twists on the regular menu to make it a valid reason to visit in its own right.  It's a new way to enjoy their signature poultry. Book your table today and see what all the fuss is about.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **

Butter Bird Launch

There’s been a bit of a rotisserie renaissance happening across Manchester for a while now.  The first that we can think of is the superb Tartuffe down on Quay Street.  Then a little further out of town you have The Trading Route, whose chickens have become a thing of local legend.  And heading right out of town over to the relative sticks out in Ramsbottom, you have Wunderbar whose Bavarian style rotisserie is super delicious.

But a couple of weeks ago saw this tasty trend continue to blossom down in arguably the city’s premier food focused postcode, and that is of course Ancoats.  Bang in the middle of Cutting Room Square to be exact.  We were invited down to take a look.

Butter Bird showcases their signature brand of rotisserie which is backed up with a strong Crémant menu to add a bit of a USP.  For those who don’t know much about Crémant, then it's a more affordable cousin of Champagne which is made across France using local grape varieties, only with the same production method as Champagne itself.

In short, it's a great way to get your lips around some top-quality juice without paying the largely marketing driven premiums which come along from the Champagne region.

But getting back to the food, Butter Bird offer rotisserie chickens, and aubergines for those who prefer it, along with a choice of flavoured butters including lemon, thyme & pepper, or tarragon, mustard & honey, or even a chermoula butter for those who prefer a spicier kick.   We kicked off with some chicken fat popcorn and a couple of glasses of wine whilst making our picks.

We eventually went for a half chicken each, one with the classic lemon/thyme flavour profile, and one with the slightly less traditional chermoula, just to explore a different theme for flavour.  And we were rewarded in both cases with superbly juicy chicken, and both butters were fantastic too.  We added some house made chicken fat hot sauce, which was the table's pick in terms of a pure flavour hit.

Sides included some stunning rotisserie potatoes, a traditional ratatouille made with exceptional tomatoes, and the table's favourite which was an outrageously decadent mac and cheese.  Oozy and rich with an outrageous amount of cheese.  It was as delicious as it was pretty as per the photo.

At this point we feel that Butter Bird's wine and of course Crémant list should be highlighted.  The trained eye quickly spots that Butter Bird's wine is provided by the stars over at Morgenrot, who've been serving Manchester's wine needs since 1970 so clearly know a thing or too about compiling a wine list.  That’s also the case here, with something for all tastes and price points.

As our mains and wines all sadly disappeared, we both agreed that the chicken fat hot sauce 100% needs bottling up for takeaway sales!  It's also great to see the guys making good use of a bi-product from the Rotisserie in creating something that's absolutely delicious. I'm a huge hot sauce fan and go through bottles a month, but Butter Bird's was still easily enough to impress me.

But before we headed of it seemed only right to try a dessert, to share based on how full we were following on from the rotisserie goodies!    The option we eventually went for was Butter Bird's Sticky Toffee Sundae with it's many layers of deliciousness.  Chunks of a lovely sticky pudding, with good quality ice cream, served in a a generous Kilner jar.  It was the perfect end.

So, it’s a super tasty and crowd-pleasing product at the correct price point for the current market.  And what's not to love about a well roasted chicken?  It's a bit of occasion with delcious food, for not a lot of money at all, so we left feeling like new found fans.  If Flat Iron did chickens, then it would be Butter Bird!

** Our experience was gratefully comped **