Simon Rogan’s Mr Coopers House & Garden

Food Choice

 

We took a lunch visit to Simon Rogan’s Mr Coopers House & Garden.  Boy were we impressed

Bringing the outside in.

Mr Coopers House and Garden is Simon Rogan’s bistro offering in the stunning Midland Hotel. From the man who bought us the 2014 best restaurant in the UK by the Good Food guide – Cumbria’s “L’Enclume” and Manchester’s runner for a Michelin star “The French” – Simon has offered a more causal restaurant that opened last September. Finally Food Choice booked a lunch time table to try.

Simon Rogan & The Midland Hotel have seemingly tried to relaunch the hotels presence in Manchester; by teaming together they have managed to receive critical acclaim for their food; include that with a hotel that has seen all kinds of “Celebrities” and even Kings and Queens its quickly influencing Manchester as one of the greatest cities (If you didn’t already know)

So why is it…

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Cauliflower Rice

Food Choice

We all love rice; served with Indian, Mexican or even Chinese. However, it isn’t the healthiest side dish and we can’t always afford the calories.

Well, try something different today – Cauliflower Rice.

Healthy, tasty and beautifully fluffy. I really love the taste, more flavour than Brown Rice, thats for sure.

Ingredients

1 Whole Cauliflower

1 tbsp Groundnut Oil – Olive oil is fine.

1 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt and Pepper

Tools

Food Processor

Method

Pull of the leaves and break the cauliflower into large florets, rinse well in fresh water. Leave the florets in the colander and allow all the moisture to drain. Remove the florets and pat dry with kitchen roll; it is important to try and remove as much moisture as possible.

Place the florets into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped; you may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of…

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Supper Club with The Drunken Butcher – Cluckin’ Hell

“So, you just go to some stranger’s house, with some other strangers, and one of the strangers cooks you food?” This is the response that was received from the majority of friends and family after informing them I was attending The Drunken Butcher’s Supper Club, Cluckin’ Hell.

For those that are unaware, supper clubs are basically pop-up restaurants that are usually held in a secret location or someone’s house. Think ‘Come Dine With Me’, without the unrelenting scoring cards.

The Drunken Butcher

I have been looking to go to a supper club for a while, and I’d heard (and seen) great things about Iain’s events under his horror-film like alias, The Drunken Butcher. Fortunately for me, my better half, Bryony loves her food just as much as I do and after showing her a blog from Iain’s past event, Around the World in 8ish Steaks, she didn’t need much convincing.

We arrived at Iain’s house in Sale, hungry, excited and suddenly slightly apprehensive. That apprehension was immediately relieved once we entered and the house and was hit with some incredible smells coming from the kitchen. We were welcomed by Iain’s lovely host, Cheryl, who handed us a cocktail and were shown to our seats. In my opinion, a night like this is all about the company and depending who you sit next to, you could be eyeing up the door itching to leave. Fortunately for us, we were sat next to a lovely couple who made our first supper club experience all the more worthwhile.

The impressive menu

On to the food. As the cleverly named evening suggests, Cluckin’ Hell was an evening of chicken which was to see each dish involve a different section of the bird. Prior to serving the first course Iain had explained that we were about to devour a number of HerbFed chickens which are reared in a free range environment and, you guessed it, feed on herbs.

First up was the chicken liver pate with melba toast. The pate was incredibly light and rich with whipped-like texture. I’m a big fan of pate in general so I really enjoyed this course.

Chicken liver pate

Next on the menu were the salt and chilli chicken wings. Now, these are proper wings and you could really taste the difference in the chicken. They were poached in ginger beer, had a nice kick and were near impossible not finish the whole bowl.

The world’s best chicken wings

The third course was the lemon and chicken risotto. The risotto, made with a delicious stock, cooked to perfection and was accompanied by a chicken leg.

Lemon risotto with chicken

Next up was chicken thigh with triple cooked chips and homemade tomato ketchup. A piece of advice, chuck your Heinz in the bin. The triple cooked chips were amazing and probably better than any chips I have had before.

Chicken thigh with triple cooked chips and homemade ketchup

By this point I was getting slightly worried, and quite concerned that my pants were somehow getting tighter. However, once the main course was put in front of me, all of them concerns vanished. The main course was chicken sauté with a chardonnay sauce, and by far, my favourite course of the evening. So much so, that not only did I finish my plate but being a true gent, I also gave Bryony a helping hand when she couldn’t finish hers.

Chicken sauté

I was stuffed, and more than likely just consumed more than half a chicken. I just about managed to fit in dessert which was a white chocolate mousse; however, by this point the evening was getting a little hazy. Supper Clubs are take your own booze events and I found I was going through each glass a lot quicker than I normally would in a restaurant. It also didn’t help that Iain then topped up my glass with an impressive red and also handed me a whiskey shot.

Our first supper club experience had been a success. We had eaten some of the most delicious food and enjoyed great company. It is fantastic to listen to Iain talk about food which he is obviously incredibly passionate about and it has given me some motivation to be more experimental in the kitchen. We were the final guests to leave and if it is wasn’t for the final tram being imminent and the bearing of a busy day on the Saturday, Iain’s persuading of more wine possibly may have worked.

The wonderful helpers.

If you love your food, or just someone who enjoys doing something different then I would highly recommend attending a supper club. It is a great way to meet new people whilst enjoying great food and you will not be disappointed with a night at The Drunken Butcher’s.

We thank Iain, his wife Heli, Cheryl and the other guests, for making us feel very welcome, and of course the food. We will surely be back again.

Follow Iain on Twitter for links to his various supper club events and cooking masterclasses: @drunkenbutcher

(Tickets were £16pp plus a £10pp optional tip)

 

Rum Tasting Experience with Rum Rebels

Ever since a friend introduced me to my first Sailor Jerry’s a number of years ago I’ve been hooked, and the fact that Manchester is now inundated with Tiki-bars doesn’t help the situation. Basically, like the majority of the city recently, I love rum.

The Sailor Jerry collection

Knowing my obsession for rum I was treated to a rum tasting experience with Rum Rebels, as part of their Drinking Classes venture. I’d never taken part in a drinking class before; I was both excited and slightly apprehensive about drinking neat rum at 12.30 in the afternoon. I’d planned for an early night.

The Rum Rebels

After a couple of beers to wet our whistle we headed to the venue. The class was taking place at the impressive Midland Hotel on Peter Street. We were greeted at the entrance of the suite by one half of the Bar Wizards – you may remember these guys from Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007. Straight away we were handed our first tipple, a rum punch, and after some quick introductions I was keen to get to the tasting and so we did.

Rum Punch

With it being a few minutes past midday I was curious as to how much rum they were planning on giving us. I looked on with fear as I saw a little more than a double being poured and served. More than 5 of these within 90 minutes? I’ll be crawling out of the Midland.

The calm before the storm.

We started with a Jamaican rum, Appleton Estate. This was lovely, bold and full of flavour, a great one to start off with. I did learn an interesting fact for drinking spirits – with your first mouthful, to prepare the palette, you should keep the spirit in your mouth a second for every year it has been in the barrel. Fortunately for me this rum was only ageing for 8 years, so I just about managed the 8 seconds.

Appleton Estate

The next was Sagatiba Cachaca, Brazil’s national drink. From an initial smell, I wasn’t a fan. I would say this one was an acquired taste, and the majority of the room felt the same. It’s strong, and has a caramel and sugarcane taste.

Sagatiba

Third up was the Caribbean spiced-rum, Kraken, a favourite of mine. This rum is bursting with flavor, and I get a hint of liquorice, cinnamon, and black cherry. After an initial sip we were told to mix this with a ginger beer to make a ‘Jamaican mule’. The ginger works perfectly with the spices of this rum.

Jamaican Mule with the Kraken.

I was feeling the effects after that one and felt it was time to line the stomach slightly and helped myself to one of the chocolates on offer. Good idea, because next up was the Wray and Nephew overproof rum. This one has a 63% ABV so it was recommended for us to try it in a cocktail and not straight, however, I’d had a punch and 3 shots so I was feeling brave. Bad move. If you want to imitate the taste of this one, you wouldn’t be far off if you licked your local dentist’s floor.

Rum or medical substance?

Last up, (I think? I’ve lost count by this point) was the Chairman’s Reserve and this was more like it. It is warm, mellow and has been aged for roughly 6 years in oak casks, which have given it some beautiful flavors.

Chairman’s Reserve

The presenter finished the class with a quick Daiquiri master class, which is basically a mix of lime, sugar, sparkling water and rum. He used the Sagatiba, which was sure to finish us off and it was apparent everyone was feeling it by this point as the laughter volume was at an all-time high.

Daiquiri

The only grumble I have, albeit a minor one, was the venue. I’d say they would be much better taking the class in a small unique rum or tiki bar which would give the class that added character.

A rum tasting class is a worthwhile gift for a friend or family member who enjoys their rum. People seem to want to know what they are drinking these days and they run other classes for Gin, Whisky and Tequila lovers.  Be warned though, rum is not your friend the morning after.

How many bottles?

Follow Bar Wizards on Twitter @Barwizards

Follow Drinking Classes on Twitter @Drinkingclass

http://www.drinkingclasses.net/

http://www.rumrebels.net/

Red’s True BBQ Opening – Manchester

Being a meat, BBQ and general food lover you can imagine my delight when I was invited to the Red’s True BBQ opening in Manchester.

Meat!

Plus as a semi-frequent visitor to the founding fort in Leeds, I knew I was in for a real treat. Famous for it’s huge meaty platters and Donut Burgers (Yes – you read correctly), Red’s is about to set its mark on Manchester with a £1.2m overhauled restaurant. Positioned just off Albert Square and competing with such counterparts as Almost Famous, Red’s adopts a ‘no bookings’ policy so expect a lengthy wait when going at peak times.

The Leeds venue

However, don’t be mistaken into thinking this is just another standard burger joint. Expect BBQ delights such as pulled pork, slow cooked brisket and ribs.

The Manchester venue

Anyway, on to the evening and the venue. Despite the severe weather warnings, I set off to battle the storm with nothing more than a light bomber jacket as protection. And Puma Suedes in a storm? Rookie mistake.

The bar

Upon making it to the venue (alive) although slightly resembling that of a drowned rat I walked into a warm gust of meat and smoky BBQ aromas. I remembered that the Leeds spot had a religious theme, and the Manchester site is no different. Large neon signs light up the room with the words, ‘I believe’ and ‘Holy Smokers’ and even the toilets resemble that of a confession booth (No doubt I’ll be in there later confessing my Donut burger sins). You can tell they have really gone to work on the interior in this place including a number of cool and quirky seating areas which surround the open-kitchen, concealed behind a mesh metal curtain and a cloud of smoke.

Now onto the main event: the food. I have only ever had burgers or pulled pork and I have always relished giving the steak a go…so I went for it. Whilst simultaneously convincing my friend she has to go for the infamous Donut Burger, withholding the vital information of it’s true calorific value. We ordered some of the BBQ beans and sweet potato fries as sides, with a slight hope that we wouldn’t actually need them. The steak was good as far as steak goes, cooked perfectly medium-rare,  slightly too fatty for my liking, but still very good. Although, I definitely looked on with envy as my friend tucked into her Donut Burger – still unaware that what she was about to tuck into contained 2000 calories of sugary and meaty goodness.

The infamous Donut Burger

You get an amazing taste of smoky barbeque and hickory with the steak that I’d say you need little sauce, if any. The BBQ beans are incredible – a must for any Red’s reveller – no matter what you order. Filled with pulled pork, onions, baked kidney beans, these are sure to compliment any main you get.

12oz Rib-eye steak

If you are a Red’s virgin, I’d definitely recommend opting for the Donut Burger. Even if you are sceptical, go for it. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Fortunately for me my friend couldn’t finish hers so I, being the gentlemanly soul I am, stepped in to help her out.

Surely I couldn’t fit in dessert? It was tough…but I managed it.

Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake

Being peanut butter obsessed I was immediately drawn into the peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake. Wow. I was not disheartened – it has a dark chocolate biscuit base, is covered in chocolate fudge and has a hint of peanut butter. Perfect.

As this was a press night I can’t really comment on the service however, every time I have been to the Leeds venue the service has been top notch. The staff are always fun and look like they genuinely love working there. There seems to be no difference here.

Wetwipes? Surely we won’t be needing them.

To finish off, whether you’ve experienced Red’s in Leeds or not, this place is a must visit. The décor, food and service all get top marks and whatever you decide to order you will not be disappointed. To put it bluntly, I would happily crawl back on my hands and knees just to lick someone’s plate who had recently finished a Donut Burger – it’s that good. However, I must add a caveat – I’d advise on going to the gym for the remainder of the month.