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"Le
Quartier Nord" |
Since it opened on Church Street, below The Light
Aparthotel in 2011, we have been regular visitors to the
Moreau family's French restaurant. This was our first
visit, however, since they had moved a few rues along
The Northern Quarter to the former Market Restaurant on
High Street.
Less intimate than their previous incarnation,
the restaurant is now split over two floors with the tables
better spaced and a large bar counter the centre piece
of the room. Chilled out jazz and lo-fi tracks add a nice
soundtrack whilst the simple yet beautiful lights create
the perfect ambience in which to enjoy some of the very
best cooking to be found in Manchester.
Unlike other restaurants
in The Northern Quarter, prices are high. In fact, only
Simon Rogan at The French and Aiden Byrne's Manchester
House are more expensive in the whole of the city centre.
The menu is small, with only 3 vegetarian options, and
offers a collection of classic French dishes, alongside
an extensive 52 bin wine card (from £22 a bottle)
that takes in all of the French regions, with 13 available
by the glass (from £4). A good cocktail list (£8.50
each) offers a touch of Parisian flair.
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Sadly, Head Chef Eric Moreau, and his son, Alexandre,
who oversees front of house, were both enjoying the evening
off work on the Sunday which we visited, a busy night
in town following the Manchester Derby. This, however,
seemingly did not affect the quality of the food that
was being crafted by their kitchen team.
The meal started
on a high with an amouse bouche of a delicious Pea Consommé.
Sadly the waiter didn't describe what the kitchen had
welcomed us with, however it seemed to resemble one of
the dishes described on the menu, served as a starter
with the addition of an organic poached quail egg (for £8).
On further enquires, this was the case and the amouse
is apparently changed for another offering if you happen
to order the same dish as a starter.
The Maquereaux en
Escabèche (£8.50), served up delicious cold
chunks of marinated mackerel, with fennel and carrots
in an orange jus. An excellent autumnal dish that was
just as impressive as the Tartare de Dorade (£12.50),
a lime drizzled Sea Bream tartare. Simply beautiful.
The highlight of the starters, though, Millefeuille de
Saumon Gravlax (£11), three juicy cuts of fresh
salmon gravlax presented as millefeuille layers with fingerling
potatoes, asparagus, and radish, was easily one of the
best starters we have enjoyed in Manchester this year.
Highly recommended and you can see why it is a signature.
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The main courses were equally beautiful, but expensive.
The Filet de Bar Poêléthe (£19.80)
was roughly the same size as the salmon starter. The sea
bass cooked to perfection and matched wonderfully with
mashed potatoes. A side dish was certainly recommend,
especially if you have a large appetite. I chose the Baby
Leaf Salad (£3.80), which was almost as big as the
main dish.
The Carré d’Agneau (£26)
was more filling, however still very expensive when compared
to similar restaurants in town. Served as two perfectly
pink racks of lamb, accompanied by a tasty aubergine caviar
and tapenade - a Provençal dish made from puréed
olives, capers and anchovies.
The top baristas will probably tell you that the perfect
temperature at which to serve coffee is 63°C, but
Eric Moreau, after many years of experimentation, will
tell you that it's also the temperature at which to cook
the perfect chicken. Cooked long and low, the signature
Volaille 63 Degrés (£16.80), was indeed very
nice, if not overly impressive considering its big build
up. The tenderness of the chicken showed in the three
cylinders, in which it was served, although the stuffing,
whilst nice, slightly distracted from the main event.
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Desserts were spot on. The Fondant au Chocolat (£7.50)
was delightfully moist and oozed chocolate. Served with
a sweet strawberry parfait ice cream in a jar, it was
one of the highlights of the meal.
The same can be said
of the Fraisier (£7.50), a small cake filled with
strawberries and crème pâtissière
and accompanied by a strawberry sauce and a thinly sliced
strawberry. It was an excellent way to end the meal.
All
in all, our Sunday night visit to 63 Degrees was pleasant.
It's a pity we didn't get to see the famile Moreau, as
that is a real selling point of the restaurant - one of
only a very small handful of family-ran independents in
Manchester. Perhaps if Alex had been overseeing the restaurant,
service would have been better. It was certainly friendly
but too laid back and slow to complement the kitchen's
fine work. From the start, we were left for too long before
even being given menus or offered drinks, other diners
were left waiting for attention in the doorway on arrival
without even being acknowledged, the amouse bouche was
given with no explanation, as were other dishes, if we're
being truly picky from a fine dining point of view, and
empty glasses seemed to sit on most tables. The two waiters
working at two different speeds, in a room that wasn't
overly busy or complicated. Without wanting to sound too
much of a stereotype of dining in France, you could argue
that it was all romantically "very French",
except the staff on this evening were English.
And whilst
the food is excellent, it comes at a price. The only two
restaurants more expensive, The French and Manchester
House, are both multi-million pound affairs pushing for
Michelin accreditation. 63 Degrees is not, and is also
based in the cheap and cheerful hipster playground of
the Northern Quarter. Not that you can tell from the smart
clientelle who seem to be made up of older guests, suited
30 somethings and proper foodies. It's testament to Eric
Moreau's cooking that people will travel in to try his
food - a true destination restaurant in a destination
in which you wouldn't expect it.
We grow tired of the
number of dirty burger bars and same-old same-old theme
restaurants that keep opening up in this part of town.
It is refreshing to know that 63 Degrees continues to
turn the heat up on the scene, despite its relocation."
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