The Market Restaurant promotes itself as being the 'Original Northern Quarter Restaurant', and is a quaint and simple restaurant nestled in the Northern Quarter. It looks tranquil and inviting, and the peering in through the window is reminiscent of a period drama country cottage.
On arrival we were greeted by a very young looking waiter and were escorted into an empty dining room. An empty dining room always puts me off, however we were quite early, 5.00pm, as we had tickets to the Ballet latter that evening. However we took our places and were given the menu and drinks list.
The menu is very small, very simple and very British, a sign that the Chef must be proud of his skills, and can make beautiful food out of simple, locally sourced goods. As we studied the menu, I ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumé from the youthful waiter. He returned looking rather pleased with himself and gave us a 2008 Pouilly-Fumé from their recent wine tasting event and reassured us it was far better than the 2009 on the menu and we could ave it at the same price. Fantastic! Anyway, the wine was crisp, cold and delicious.
Food. Starters were a chicken liver pate, and duck and cranberry salad. The pate was magnificent! Thick, tasty and hearty, served with toast and a rocket salad. It was smooth and tasty and not at all metallic or overly rich. This was well matched with the peppery rocket. The duck in he duck salad was served cold and thinly sliced. It was not at all fatty or chewy, but flavoursome and rich. This was countered with the acidity of the berries and the crispness of the salad. A very simple but accomplished dish.
We both ordered the Fillet of Beef to follow. This was looked awesome. A large seared beef fillet served on rosti potatoes with top and tailed green beans. The fillet cut with no drama, with a reassuring ooze of succulent juices. The peppercorn and cognac sauce was packed with pepper flavours and happily wasn't too creamy. This was finished with a sprinkle of bright pink peppercorns, that gave a refreshing kick. I can't praise the meat highly enough, and was certainly one of the top 3 steaks I have ever had. There was not a piece of fool left uneaten on my plate. No chewy bits of fat, no stray burnt bits, no thick bean skins. The window in which we were sitting was adorned with awards stickers. It was easy to see why this restaurant is steeped with these accolades.
So impressed was I with the quality of the food so far, I ordered dessert. Something which I very rarely do. We were presented with a White Chocolate Cheese Cake, an Almond and Ginger Tart and a Trio of Cheeses. Even though I am not a fan of desserts, these were magnificent. The White Chocolate Cheesecake was rich and sumptuous, the Tart was was mellow and cut with warming ginger. All this with 3 British Cheese, Somerset Brie, Blue Stilton and fittingly Lancashire ended a faultless dining experience.
The Market Restaurant is the quietly confident jewel in the mish mash that is Manchester's Northern Quarter. The food is unashamedly simple, and executed to an exceptionally high standard. This place couldn't come more highly recommended.
I visited The Market Restaurant around 5.00pm on 16/10/10. The Market Restaurant, High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester.
