Most of the new restaurants emerging in Manchester city centre offer foreign cuisines, from tapas to Thai. You name it, we’ve got it! But sometimes, it’s nice to embrace the taste of blighty which is why I’m a big fan of The Grill on New York Street. Contrary to the American links in the street name, this eatery serves classic British dishes with an emphasis on steak… bloody good steak.
My flat mate Charlye and I visited on a drizzly Wednesday evening, when we presumed most Mancunians would be nestled in with a takeaway, but we were wrong. The Grill was buzzing. With a beach holiday on the horizon, we started the meal with intentions of being healthy (read till the end to find out if we succeeded) and ordered a glass of red-after all, it’s PACKED with antioxidants. The Argentine Malbec was smooth, silky and the exact pep me up required on a dull, gloomy day.
For starters, we shared olives (not very British!) and the calamari (also not very British!) but they’re both dishes which are easy to share. The olives were plump and consequently gobbled up in minutes as was the calamari, which came with a creamy yet fiery piri piri aioli. My only criticism is that the batter was a little on the greasy side, although that might be my health-conscious brain talking.
After a long time consulting the tempting list of main courses, which boast over ten different cuts of steak alone, Charlye ordered the Himalayan Rock Salt Dry fillet with Blue Cheese sauce and summer greens. The steak was extremely tasty, oozing great flavour, with a ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ texture.
To achieve the salty tang, the British fillet is ‘dry aged’ in a Himalayan rock salt maturation chamber-now I’ve no idea what this is, but it clearly works. As you’d expect, the Blue Cheese sauce was rich and indulgent and now, if ever I’m tipsy, I crave a portion of chips, topped with this amazing sauce!
After seeing another diner tuck into this appetising dish, I opted for the Cod Loin: a chunky fillet of fish (which flaked beautifully), served alongside buttery-crushed new potatoes, salty samphire and a sumptuous lobster bisque. It was light yet packed with flavour.
By the time we got to dessert, our plan of healthy eating was well and truly cancelled, but what’s a girl to do when your waitress recommends the Sticky Toffee Pudding? Served with a dollop of velvety, vanilla ice cream the gooey sweet was unapologetically indulgent.
The Grill on New York Street has a relaxed, yet sleek feel to it. The lights are dimmed low and the furniture is simple. It’s the perfect venue for a romantic date but would also work well for business meets. I’ll certainly be heading back for another serving of STP and, if you’re ever in town, you should too.
Address: New York St, Manchester M1 4BD
Phone: 0161 228 1444
Web: blackhouse.uk.com/restaurants/manchester-new-york-street
