Refuge Spring Preview

One of the city's most iconic dining rooms is unquestionably Refuge, located in the heart of the stunningly historic Kimpton Clocktower hotel.  Very few restaurants in Manchester are so instantly recognisable, and the huge wall mural declaring the glamour of Manchester reminds you of exactly where you are.

Refuge have just launched their new menu, curated by Exec Chef Paul Beckley and Head Chef Cameron Tetlow who've worked in some of the region's finest kitchens, so you can be promised something a bit special at Refuge.

We had a gaze over the new menu to make our decisions and were far from short on options.  We eventually decided to leave the ordering in Chef's hands to make sure that we didn’t miss any of the highlights, so could just sit back and enjoy he ride without any FOMO.

We took in the lovely surroundings whilst enjoying some always-excellent Holy Grain Sourdough (£6.7), which was served with a more than generous dab of superb wild garlic butter.  It's great to see such a locally made quality product featuring on more menus these days, offering something a bit different to the excellent yet predicable Pollen bread which dominated the city's mid and upper range menus for years.

The above carbs were also served with a couple of obligatory dips to complement the butter, the first being a Whipped Smoked Feta (£7), accented with honey and mint, served beautifully too.  This was an early indication of what we could expect.  Huge, layered, complex flavours set the tone of things to come.

Beetroot Borani (£7.5) followed, and the vibrant colour instantly told you what it was made of.  Massive depth of flavour, as smooth as silk and again looked fantastic on the plate.  Just don’t get any on your white top!  Two sublime wakener plates which well and truly started the experience with a bang.

Chef also picked our wine on this evening, and he's clearly also a bit of a wine buff too based on the excellent Icauna Chablis which was gratefully opened for us.  Made entirely from Chardonnay, carrying notes of butter, honey and tropical fruits, with superb minerality and well measured acidity.  In short, it was delicious.

The splendid juice paired well with our next course, Yellow Fin Tuna (£12).  The wine's acidity and the tuna's natural fattiness acted as best mates, along with the dish's own acidic yuzu element, and some blood orange segments for a blast of sweetness.  Classic pairings all round.

As the menu picked up to jogging pace, the hot goods started to land.  Braised Pork Cheek (£12) was cooked expertly well and served with a beautifully seasonal artichoke puree, artichoke chips for a bite of crunch.  The salsa verde adding some sing to the earthy plate.  It's a dish which could confidently be placed on the menu in any of the city's Michelin listed small plate driven venues.  Phenomenal work.

Spring Salad (£10) was worth a couple of quid more and would happily act as a vege main course.  An orchestra of super fresh greens, dressed confidently, with an oozy dried/crumbed hen's egg sitting in the middle.  Cutting into it sauced the plate with that running yolk, which is a very clever touch indeed.

Pommes Anna (£8) has had a bit of a resurgence in recent years, and it's easy to see why.  Their laminated texture always brings unrivalled crunch to the party, and they pair up with pretty much anything, which is a good job really since Chef seemingly served us the whole menu!

Cauliflower Bravas (£9) was pitched as a side dish but again would happily act as a starter or even a small appetite main course.  Few vege foodstuffs IMO act as well we cauli for a substantial mouthful, and this was every bit as satisfying as it's more traditional potato variant.

Moving swiftly onto our main courses started with the Roasted Organic Salmon (£24), served with a delicious corn bisque, and a tranche of braised fennel.  Classic flavours, solid cooking, and a dish which is sure to be an absolute crowd pleaser.

Spring Pea Risotto (£16) was a more robust experience than it sounded on paper.  Perfectly textured risotto, tempered with punchy goats cheese, topped with granola for some variety in mouth feel, aka texture.  Amazingly rich and hearty whilst still retaining all that seasonal freshness.  I guess that in Manchester, Spring still feels like Winter anyway right? One of the evening's stars.

One of the evening's top attractions was unquestionably Refuge's Lobster Mac & Cheese (£17).  This is also available as part of Refuge's Girl Dinner Tuesday.  Again as per Refuge's sharing plate ethos, you could mix things up and make this either a wonderful side dish or a main course in itself, depending on your appetite!

And to round off the savoury plates, we ended on a high note with Refuge's 12oz Duroc Pork Chop.  I'm pleased to report that this is as stunning in the mouth as it looks in print.  More solid protein cooking and great quality produce, finished with a glossy cider sauce and a dab of smooth rhubarb puree.   We loved the touch of leaving the bone on the plate, which of course we stripped of its meat.

And so we moved onto the final phase of dinner which is of course the puds.  Rhubarb and Custard Cheesecake (£9) was a well assembled slice topped with fluorescent jelly, paired up with a lovely rhubarb sorbet and some stewed rhubarb. 

Secondly, we enjoyed the Chocolate and Banana Pudding (£10), which was deliciously light, garnished with a ball of white ice cream, dehydrated banana and a superlative Bumbu rum caramel which tied in so well with those banana notes.  A great end to a hugely enjoyable meal!

So in summary, the new menu at Refuge is a winner which you simply have to check out first hand.  Great quality produce, cooking which is clearly driven by a team with experience in the upper echelons, in a stunning dining room.  And I have to say, the price points are great too.   We are sold!

**Our experience was gratefully comped **