"a real statement of intent for Medlock Square"

If you've not been down to the Etihad Campus area for a while, then you're in for quite a surprise the next time you do. The scale of development in the area is simply astonishing, with the flanks of the football stadium now boasting not only a concert venue and all manner of other sporting-related ventures, but a rather stellar hospitality offering too.

Medlock Square has launched its first tranche of operators, and one of them is a lovely restaurant named Little Beast, which is driven by MasterChef winner Dan Merriman, who's worked at some of the region's very best, including Cottage in the Wood and the Lancashire icon that is Northcote. We were fortunate to be invited to its press and influencer show-around event a few weeks ago and were blown away by the scale and sheer ambition of the wider project, not to mention the lovely lunch we had at Little Beast itself.

Now that they've been open for a few weeks, we were invited down to take a closer look at Little Beast during an actual service. As we like to do on such visits, we asked Chef to pick what we ate. It avoids any mickey-taking and also takes advantage of the fact that Chef knows what's best on that particular day. Little Beast's Head Chef is Iain Thomas, who has form running some of Manchester's very best dining rooms. We first spotted his skills way back in his Edinburgh Castle days, so we felt in safe hands.

Fortunately, we started off with the Cheese on Toast (£10), which was a massive hit at the press preview lunch. Two slices of toasted brioche came with a punchy red onion jam that delivered a burst of acidic sweetness, a generous piping of Mrs Kirkham's cheese custard, Microplaned Kirkham's and a pop of chive. Splendid work to start things off.

In tandem with our opening bites, we also enjoyed a display of wet-led prowess from Little Beast's bar offering, in the guise of our cocktails. The Fig Leaf Negroni (£12) was a strong version of what is arguably, the greatest aperitif cocktail on earth. Little Beast makes it with Carpano Antica Formula red vermouth, as per true tradition.

Next up was the Pink Moon (£14), which we also got wind of at the press launch. It stuck in my mind, as I'm not usually a whisk(e)y fan at all, but this impressed despite my personal preference, so I was happy to indulge once again. Fielden rye whisky, raspberry and nectarine nature liquor, topped with a solid sliver of jalapeño. Impressive. 

Chef then impressed us further, although probably not the accountant, by serving the Chicken Fat Hash Browns with Exmoor Caviar and lemon crème fraiche (£60). Sure, it's a splurgy price, but you don’t get luxury on the cheap, and Exmoor Caviar is a lovely bit of indulgence. Sometimes you need to treat yourself, right?

Little Beast's own-branded tins are a lovely touch that you generally only see at top venues. They were served with some excellent hash browns, which acted as blinis, along with a lovely citrus crème fraiche. It felt only apt to take some care when serving these and form a rocher of the good stuff, rather than just throwing such a quality product onto the hash brown, not only because it does the product justice, but because we are pros.

The next chapter of snacks and starters arrived with the Chicken Bonbons (£12), which, even at this fledgling stage, already feel destined to be a bestseller. Generously filled chicken croquettes had a lovely smooth texture on the inside, contrasted by a crunchy shell, and were garnished with Caesar dressing and English Pecorino. The perfect one-bite snack, or two bites if you have a small mouth just as I do.

Next over the pass were Little Beast's Roasted Carrots (£12), served with garlic yoghurt, spiced dukka and chervil. Cooked to a lovely char, they looked fantastic on the plate. These are ideal if you're in search of a lighter option and, whilst listed as a starter, they could equally well be served as a side dish.

The House-Cured Trout Pastrami (£13.50) was served across two plates: the fish itself was partnered with a piping of whipped crème fraiche and a tidy rocher of sea buckthorn and honey jam, while a separate plate held half a dozen crackers. The trout sang loudly, carrying an ideal firmness, with the accoutrements amplifying things well. The crackers were exceptionally well done.  The thinnest, snappiest crackers imaginable, all adding up to a simple yet delicious starter.

But the first main course of the evening was our Cornish Turbot (£38), which has been the understandable star of most of the media photos in the run-up to launch. It looked wonderful on the plate and showcased some precise, delicately handled cooking, along with wonderful produce. Sauced at the table for some drama, it was topped with even more caviar, just in case a full tin hadn’t been enough earlier in the meal. It's simply a great plate of food, and in our view, a visit to Little Beast is justified just to order it.

To accompany the superb flatfish, Chef sent out the Chicken Ballotine (£22): a rolled, filled, roasted and sliced chicken breast that, as a protein, will always be a crowd-pleaser. The chicken was super juicy and headlined an umami-laden plate that generally satisfied with bold flavours and more quality ingredients. We were a bit unsure about the texture of the filling, which we relayed to Chef on the evening, but it was still a hearty plate of food that matched the autumnal weather outside.

Some lightness was added to our meal with a bowl of Pickled Fennel Salad (£8.50), which I suppose is always a smart thing to add to any multi-plate dinner. This was pleasant and light, with a great variety of textures and some excellent crunch from the leaves and candied pecans, but it possibly lacked the promised pickled, acidic bite for us.

A more robust veggie side was the Miso-Glazed Hispi (£8.50), topped with salt and vinegar seeds, a swirl of onion mayo, and some lovely, ultra-dainty allium rings that would make anything taste and look better. The sauce was huge in flavour and, to be honest, would have worked well with most robust proteins, let alone the cabbage. We could have eaten this dish twice and, like the carrots, it could easily double as a veggie starter as well as the side dish it was pitched as here.

Moving on to the sugar-based dishes, the S'More (£13) is another dish that became a poster girl for the venue's media campaign, and rightly so. Dark chocolate namelaka and bergamot and white balsamic caramel came with some wonderfully oozy frozen marshmallow and a few flakes of Maldon salt. Since launch, some biscuit crumb has been added to complete the S'More flavour and texture profile, and it's an addition we approve of!

But since all good things must come to an end, our final plate was the Little Beast Cherry (£12): a vibrant red orb, sprayed red for that cherry tie-in, with a smooth, set mousse inside, topped with cherry sorbet and finished with a leaf-shaped tuile for that all-important textural facet. 

So Little Beast feels like a real statement of intent for Medlock Square; i.e., it's a place to head to even when there isn’t a gig or match on. It's clear that no corners are being cut in any department of the area's development, and the same goes for Little Beast itself. The staffing is top-class, the venue itself is lovely, and the product on the plate is streets ahead of what you'd usually associate with a venue connected to a sporting or leisure complex, easily holding its own against the city centre's Michelin Assiette-adorned big names. These are exciting times down at Eastlands, with plenty more to come in the months ahead, but for now, Little Beast alone warrants a trip down there to find out more for yourself.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **