RESTAURANTS OF MANCHESTER
Restaurants Of Manchester
Podium Manchester
 
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Podium Manchester
AddressHilton Manchester, 303 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4LQ
 Phone0161 870 1600
Directionsmap Barsbars    Nearby Hotels hotels

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Podium Menu Launch
Restaurants Of Manchester (Wednesday 29th November 2023)

Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Outside Podium - Best Of Podium Menu
If you’ve been watching over Manchester’s hospitality scene for as long as me, then one, you’re getting on a bit, and two, you’ll remember the days when the Podium Restaurant in the Hilton Deansgate was lauded as being one of the best places to eat in town. 

But over time, despite holding a coveted 2 AA Rosettes, it’s probably fair to say their reputation slowly became overshadowed as Manchester’s dining options began to blossom during the last decade or so.  Talking to colleagues and associates, Podium was largely seen as just a ‘decent restaurant hotel’, and unlikely to be the kind of place that you’d head to for an evening of great food.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Aperitifs Podium - Holy Grain Sourdough & Cheese Custard
So when we heard that Exec Chef Dave Ashton, one of Manchester’s most respected Chefs, had moved to Podium over a year ago, our ears perked up and we’ve paid close attention since.  Dave has since assembled a strong kitchen team, containing superstars from various high-end kitchens across Manchester, from The Lowry Hotel to The French.

We were invited in to take a closer look at the new Autumn menu, which also showcases the new Podium ethos.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium -Mackerel Tartare Podium - Tapioca Crisps
Holy Grain sourdough, made a literal stone’s throw from the restaurant, was fantastic.  You could smell it coming to the table and the crust was absolute perfection.  This was served with a superb salted/whipped butter as you’d expect, but also some cheese ‘custard’; a light, espuma’ed cheese sauce, full of aerated goodness and heaps of flavour.  As if that’s not enough for a bread course, there was also a stunning onion broth which added a third dunking option for that bread.  The perfect start.

Mackerel Tartare, served with striking tapioca crisps, grabbed the attention of the wider dining room as it was served.  A ring of delicious chopped mackerel, laced with punchy gooseberry, all bathed in a rich sauce to pull everything together.  Using the crackers to scoop this up, was a total pleasure.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Herdwick Lamb Ragu Podium - BBQ Monkfish
Our second starter, Herdwick Lamb Ragu, was a seasonal delight.  Shredded lamb, with a lamb fan muffin to soak up all that delicious gravy. Rich and indulgent, warm, and comforting; just what you need when its minus 2 outside.  By this point, we had all the confirmation needed that things had indeed moved on at Podium since our last visit many years ago.

BBQ Monkfish was our choice of main.  Robust fish fillets, cooked really well, sat in a rich, super buttery sauce which was balanced to a tee with some pickled mussels.  Garnish was completed with fermented onion and some earth Hen of the Woods mushroom.   Delicious.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Scottish Venison Loin Podium - Driftwood Goat’s Cheese
Scottish Venison Loin was a plate fitting for any occasion. Perfectly cooked blushing game protein, garnished with beet, BBQ kale and blackberry for more seasonally tied-in flavours. Perhaps some carb on the plate could have made it feel totally complete, but this was still a dish which would proudly sit on any menu and hold its own, anywhere in the city.

Driftwood Goat’s Cheese was a dream. We love a good cheese course, especially when it’s a proper course with cheese used as the core ingredient.  This one was very clever, fennel sugar shards and lemon sorbet completed the classic flavour profile.

Valrhona Manjari Chocolate was the main dessert, and showcased some top end pasty work.  A cylinder of Valrhona Chocolate filled with nougatine and malted milk foam completing the cylinder’s filling.  On the side was ‘Gold of the pod’ sorbet, made from the innards (the mucilage) of a cacao pod, for some uber-sustainability on top of a novel preparation.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Valrhona Manjari Podium - Petit Four
So, Podium is once again a place to put on your list of must visit dining destinations in the city, and truly warrants a trip to that iconic hotel, for the food alone!

The Best of Podium 5 course Autumn menu is priced at an incredibly reasonable £55.
 
Podium - Menu Preview November 2023 Podium - Menu Preview November 2023
Podium - Table Podium - A La Carte Menu
 
Podium Restaurant Reviews


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