The River Restaurant at The Lowry Menu Preview

The River Restaurant has always been one of the city's top destinations for a quality dining experience in Manchester, or should I say Salford as is technically correct in this case.  Set within the stunning 5-star Lowry Hotel, you'd expect a special dining experience that's in keeping with the general surroundings.   So when we were invited in to sample the new menu, we leaped at the chance. 

We started with a couple of quality introductions.   Dived Scallop with salsify, chestnut crumb and turnips (£22) was a seasonally appropriate masterstroke.  Soft, sweet, perfectly seared scallops, with an earthy Autumnal burst from the chestnut and root veg.    Delicious.

Braised Lamb Agnolotti with parsnips, nasturtium pesto, citrus crumb, and lamb jus (£14) was as good as a pasta dish as you'll find in any of our top Italian dining rooms.  Wonderfully rolled and cooked pasta, with a delightfully rich yet soft filling, a nod of texture from the crumb, all pulled together with that rich lamb sauce.  Exquisite.

The main courses were equally as 5 star.  Duck Breast with Crapaudine beetroot, confit leg tartlet, and Kashmiri carrot with duck jus (£32) was a classically assembled plate; high on technique and also flavour.  Perfectly cooked duck with the all-important properly rendered skin, a lovely array of garnishes with more strong saucing on display. 

Guinea Fowl Breast with Jerusalem Artichoke, Crown Prince squash, pomme puree, and sauce supreme (£26) was again in keeping with the Autumnal vibes outside, only much more comforting and enjoyable.  Water-bathed breast cooked perfectly within, with the skin finished in a pan for that essential colouring and richness of flavour.  Garnishes were again precise and superbly tasty, as we'd come to expect by this stage of the evening.

Our side plate of Tempura King Oyster Mushrooms with Thyme (£7) was super tasty, a timeless flavour combo, and loaded with texture.  It would have made the ideal bar snack, and it was difficult to only order one portion.

Ordering desserts was a given, so we started with Valrhona Caramelia Chocolate with peanut butter and salted caramel (£9), which was was most of my favourite sweet flavours on the same plate.  Strong technique, delicious flavours across the plate, and a true triumph. 

And lastly; Amarena Cherry Cheesecake with dark chocolate aerated chocolate and Amaretto cream (£10), was indeed as divine as it sounds.  An impressive cherry-formed cheesecake, covered in cherry gel with pistachio sponge and chocolate cream as garnish.  The absolute best way to end a meal.

Without question, this was pastry work on a level that’s right up there with anything in the city.  Classical pastry and dedicated pastry Cheffing is becoming a lost art which I sadly miss, even in higher and places.  No such issues here though.

A special mention goes to our server for the evening; Matthew. He was exceptional for the whole service, not only with us by every single surrounding table and made us feel like a million dollars all evening, which is something that you just can't teach. 

After dinner we chatted to Chef Bartosz Szynaka, during which he outlined his vision for the River Restaurant which has led to a new team being assembled, with achieving 3 AA rosettes being at the top of said list of ambitions.  Based on what we experienced, it's difficult to argue with those ambitions.

In our view, The River Restaurant is one of the city's essential dining experiences, far beyond being just a regular high-end restaurant hotel, and absolutely warrants a visit in its own right.  It has true personality, a real identity, and crucially it makes every occasion feel like a special one.