Dakota Hotel Preview

When you say the term 'boutique hotel', one of the first names which comes to mind personally is always Dakota.  With their sleek black exteriors and pristinely decorated interiors, it's a brand which screams luxury.  The city centre branch is one of our favourite locations for a premium overnight stay, so as regularly flyers we were delighted when word got around re. a new Manchester Airport location!

The Dakota brand is named after the Douglas DC-3 aircraft which was also known as the 'Dakota,' so it seems apt to now have a branch which services the Airport and its surroundings.  Whilst the airport has undergone tons of improvements as of late, there still wasn’t a hotel option which offered a truly 5 star experience, until now.

On arrival, the stunning drop off point and hotel entrance area suitably sets the scene, with huge kerb appeal and striking signage. Even the carpark is a stunner, with the hotel's fleet of BMW chauffeur cars sitting in wait for those VIP customers.  Our Uber didn’t quite cut it.

As for being stunning, it's a similar story once inside too with Dakota's signature moody décor, along with nods to the company's aviation accented background dotted around the foyer in the form of travel and aeroplane themed sculptures and wall art.  And of course, the rooms are sumptuously fitted out, with a little nods towards Manchester and predictably fitted with lavish bathrooms.  They are just lovely places and a true taste of luxury which will enhance any trip.

But our main reason for this visit, despite actually flying to Spain early the following morning hence needed that stunning room, was a visit to Dakota's Grill.  They are always a superb offering no matter which Dakota you're staying at, but there's no finer way to start your airport led holiday or business trip than with a visit to The Grill.

All guests are started off with Dakota's bread course, titled the Signature Venetian Dip.  Freshly baked cob style loaf served warm with a lovely rich tomato sauce; the ideal snack whilst you oversee the compact yet quality menu. 

Aussie Wagyu features on said menu for those in search of a premium cut, and even some Japanese A5 Wagyu makes an appearance which for those in the know is the very finest grade of beef which money can buy.  As with the whole Dakota experience, no corners are cut during any part of the operation.

For the proper starters we took flight with Dakota's Fritto Misto (£12), a lovely little menagerie of battered and deep fried seafood, served with Garlic Aioli plus a wedge of Lemon to balance off all those rich components.  These could also be the perfect snack whilst sat at The Grill's impressive bar, as well as being a solid starter in the main restaurant.

Secondly we went with the Steak Tartare (£17), which for us is one of the world's greatest starters.  Dakota's features superb beef fillet, skilfully diced with precision and then topped with an also raw egg yolk, tempered with punchy Dijon mustard.  It's admittedly a Marmite dish, but if you like tartare anywhere near as much as we do, then you'll adore this.

Our server for the evening was the lovely Kaira, who did an expert job in the rare art of properly opening and serving our wine, like a true professional.  She was also an absolute natural, effortlessly making us feel like extended family for the entire visit.

We just had to explore the grill section of the menu so treated ourselves to an 8oz Fillet Steak (£41), as much as steaks traditionally never look particularly great in these write ups, no matter how good their delivery actually was, as per on this occasion.  28 day dry aged UK beef, seasoned properly and cooked wonderfully over the grill, served rare as we'd requested.  The quality of the protein shone brightly here with very little else needed other than a good appetite, which we tend to have continually.

The obligatory bottle of Malbec, in this case a Zorzal Gran Terroir, accentuated the steak no end acting as the perfect dance partner.   Some wines are simply made for certain meats, and this is the ideal example of such harmony.  For those wishing to explore the juices a bit more, there's a stunning wine carte containing plenty of big and lesser known names, with a certain focus on quality throughout. It's clearly a Dakota theme.

As invitees we were privileged to be given free rein to order anything off the menu, but have a company policy not to take the mickey on invites, so shied away from the Wagyu cattle.  But when you consider the quality of that UK beef, the polite restraint wasn’t exactly a sacrifice.

We did however go to town on the sides and ordered three, starting with the French Fries (£6.50), served skin-on as any great bowl of fries should yet oddly usually isn't.  Perfectly crispy, yet soft within, pre seasoned which is another touch that's somehow neglected all too frequently in dining rooms these days.  It's a universally solid side, that would pair with anything.

It felt correctly virtuous to order some greenery with our double carb choices, so added the Tenderstem Broccoli (£8) to our order, and were well rewarded for the decision.  At The Grill it's served Eastern style, with garlic, chilli & soy.  Absolutely delicious.

But the centrepiece side was the Short Rib Mac & Cheese (£15).  A generous serve of al dente pasta, teams up with some delectable slowly braised beef, topped with a hearty handful of strong Cheddar.  You need to try this dish, regardless of which main course you go for.

Monkfish Kiev (£32) was an absolute stunner. In the biggest complement possible, it reminded me of a dish from one my favourite albeit now closed restaurants; Cornerstone in Hackney. Their Hake Kiev was a thing of legend down in London. Dakota's version instead uses Monkfish which is more than a match for hake in both flavour and also meatiness, bathed in a silky sauce, all amplified by the well tied-in garnish of crushed peas and lemon. First class, even if I was only flying extra leg room economy the next day.

As we reached the sweet stage of dinner, our first choice off the list was the Sticky Toffee Pudding (£7), which I fully expect will be a customer favourite and true crowd pleaser.  A rich toffee sauce with lovely sponge, packed full of flavour served simply and confidently with a ball of vanilla pod infused ice cream.

To end our experience, Basque Cheesecake (£7) was a welcome final flourish.  Super creamy, an uber generous portion, served with a ball of orange/Cointreau ice cream and some peach wedges. 

We spent a bit of time after the meal, chatting and processing and a very good point was made.  South Manchester is generally a pretty wealthy spot, yet oddly, quality dining options have long been very thin on the ground.  A real oddity since the two factors usually work directly hand in hand.  So even if you're not a hotel resident, The Grill is a welcome premium dining option in that part of Greater Manchester for those who don’t fancy the short trek into the city.

Following dinner we had a perfect night's sleep and woke up debating breakfast, which is again hosted in The Grill.  Looking at our flight time and that morning's work calendar, we decided to skip the indulgence in a begrudged favour of MS Outlook.  But based on past experiences at other branches, I can 100% vouch for the quality of breakfast at Dakota, and if unlike us you're not working whilst visiting, which is 100% the correct way to do it, then breakfast is a must order!

We checked out and headed for our prebooked shuttle bus transfer which takes you directly from outside the front door to your terminal, for that final bit of luxury.  It's fair to say that we felt like royalty, being dropped off in the Dakota branded car.  It was a huge improvement on that Uber which we first arrived at the hotel in!

So, we have a new overnight base when using the airport.  From the moment that you arrive at check in, right until you're dropped off at the terminal, it's a seamlessly brilliant experience from start to finish.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **