Manchester was in full festive preparation mode this week, with traders putting the finishing touches to the Christmas markets ahead of their opening.
The sight of stalls getting ready to serve bratwurst and steaming cups of mulled gin certainly whetted the appetite, but this time they weren’t my final destination.
Away from the festive bustle, just off King Street, is Manchester’s newest kid on the block, Counter. The latest restaurant from Open Restaurant Group, led by acclaimed chef Andrew Sheridan, it brings together scents, flavours and theatrical dining to create a restaurant that is a treat for the senses.
Arriving at Counter, I was struck by the smell of fresh fish, while the first thing to catch my eye as we hung up our jackets was the refrigerated cabinets, displaying some of the restaurant’s star ingredients in all their raw glory. Whole fish hung in neat rows, alongside plump, pearly fillets and generous cuts of deep-red meat.
There was something wonderfully unapologetic about it: no hiding behind a kitchen door or pretending food simply appears on a plate. This was the produce, front and centre, fresh, honest and there to be admired.
And that sense of theatre continues as you take your seat, with the kitchen in full view and the chefs busy at work while we basked beneath a four-metre elm tree, selected our wine and decided what we were going to eat.
I'll be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by the menu and wasn't sure I'd made the right choices.
This is not a menu that does subtle. It’s all about big flavours, with seemingly every dish given an extra hit of something punchy. Think satay chicken with peanut and crispy shallot, and lamb cutlets with red Thai sauce, chilli and yoghurt. Even a plate of corn comes slicked in gochujang butter.
My beef croissant was certainly no ordinary croissant. The flavours were bold and delicious, although the bottom put up a bit of a fight with my knife.
Feeling adventurous, I went for the Mexican hamachi, which my companion and I shared alongside the beef croissant. Fish isn’t something I’d usually order, and hamachi was completely new territory for me.
I enjoyed it, particularly the creamy avocado beneath the fish, but pairing its fresh, delicate flavours with that big, rich beef croissant perhaps wasn’t my finest bit of menu planning.
Then came the showstopper, a gorgeous slab of Wagyu beef to share. Served whole and glistening in a rich sauce, with black garlic butter, beef-fat onions, bone marrow gravy and smoked salt, it was certainly a sight to behold.
The Wagyu was melt-in-the-mouth tender, with just the right amount of fat around the edges. Once we slid the beef from the skewer, it almost seemed to unfold onto the plate, with incredibly tender meat inside.
The fat wasn’t chewy or unpleasant either, it simply melted away and added even more flavour. An absolute must-try for meat fans, I felt guilty that I couldn’t quite manage to finish it.
And to finish, the dessert had to be the Vimto 1908, a nod to Manchester's iconic soft drink, bringing together Vimto jelly, hibiscus curd, almond sponge, blackcurrant and raspberry.
It was the perfect blend of sweet and creamy and an elevated take on a trifle. What’s not to love?
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With just 60 covers, the restaurant feels cosy and intimate, the perfect place to while away a few hours, getting lost in conversation over a few glasses of La Carte Noir white wine, which was beautifully crisp, light and very easy to drink.
Outside, Manchester’s festive bustle was gathering pace. Inside, we were in no hurry to re-join it.
Counter Manchester opens at the Island Building off John Dalton Street on Monday, November 9.
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