Seared Scallops Seared Scallops

Tender seared scallops atop creamy risotto, garnished with fresh herbs and a hint of lemon.

Alston Beef

Alston Beef

Cathedral Street, Manchester I-M4 3TR, United Kingdom

Pasta • British • Steakhouse • Vegetarian


"The first time we went we age from the lunch menu with the 3 courses for £18 option I really enjoyed my starter, the short rib had a beautiful barbecue taste and the pickeled mustard seeds added a fantastic texture and a beautifuly sharp contrast to the meat. I felt like the crispy shallots didn't add much other than texture, maybe more would've helped. Presentation wise I loved the jar the ribs came in For the main course at @alstonmanchestr I opted the Tweed Valley 250g rump steak which was served with garlic butter and fries on the side. The rump was a £3 surcharge to the set menu, I could've had a flat iron steak for no extra charge but I couldn't do that to myself. The steak was so perfect, I asked for mine rare which did not disappoint. The meat was thick and tasty. I enjoyed the fries but I would've preferred chips, also if I wasn't having 3 courses I would've grabbed some veg on the side. For Dessert I enjoyed Dark berries and gin tart with almond ice cream. This was a great end to my meal, the gin undertoned the sharp Berry flavours and wasn't overpowering. The pastry was firm and sweet. and I enjoyed the dessicated almond on the ice cream provided a nice texture. Our second visit we ate in the evening from the a la carte Starter Courgette and corn fritters with chilli tzatziki did not disappoint, they smelt very aromatic and were nice and crispy. The flavours were great but the main event had to be the chilli tzatziki underneath, it tasted incredible Main I had decided a few days before that I deserved a T bone as it had been a while since I had one. This one was 500g and served with either chips, mash or veg, and a choice of sauce. I opted for chips and I decided to try the bone marrow butter which did not disappoint. All the Tweed Valley steaks at Alston are hand selected by a master butcher from the best cattle that's been fed grass and barley My steak, served rare, was perfect and in true T bone fashion got less cooked in the center so I was pretty much eating a live cow..mmmmm. The seasoning on the seared meat was gorgeous and with that bone marrow butter spread on it was taken to a next level"

The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa - The Restaurant

The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa - The Restaurant

Spread Eagle Hotel South Street Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9NH, GU29 9PD, Chichester, United Kingdom

Steak • Hotels • British • English


"Our first choice restaurant was booked up so we decided to eat here because the menu looked really nice and it was convenient as we were staying at the hotel. It was full and so I was encouraged that it would be good. Some nice warmed bread was brough to the table with some olive oil/balsamic mix. The ration wasn't quite right as each time you dipped the bread you got olive oil and no balsamic. We ordered the wood pigeon breast (special) and baked sardines as starters. The breast was overcooked and the red wine sauced lacked any depth of flavour. The baked sardines allegedly came with a basil and garlic crust, Borlotti beans and a herb salad with lemon oil. I struggled to find any basil, garlic or lemon oil. I don't know what they braised the borlotti beans in because they had little or no taste. The sardines were lovely but rest of it was just apallingly executed. Steak is a great dish for judging the competence of a kitchen. It's difficult to get wrong and if you can't get it right then perhaps you're in the wrong section or profession. With that in mind and the disappointment of the first course we both ordered the Chateaubriand rare and rare to blue with extra sides of green beans and tenderstem brocolli. We did ask if it was possible to get a bernaise sauce but were advised that it wasn't. I know restaurants like to avoid going off menu but a bernaise takes me about 10 15 minutes to make so I'd expect a professional chef to do it in half that time. It's possible they didn't have tarragon or more likely the lack of demand would have meant them wasting most of it. Not a huge issue and it made no difference to our rating. The Chateaubriand was tough, chewy and lacked any seasoning it hadn't seen a flake of salt before it reached our table. Normally a great cut like this is tender to cut through, melts in the mouth, has great carmelisation on the outside giving that wonderful flavour. This was just like beef jerky....a real shame. The highlight was the cherries which were wonderfully sweet and bursting with flavour and the green beans. The tenderstem brocolli was underdone but I prefer that to overdone. The chips lacked any crisp bite, like they'd been sitting out for a while. The peppecorn sauce had a nice peppery hint to it but I do prefer a little more pepperyness. The red wine sauce was the same as the one used for the wood pigeon so again it lacked depth of flavour and could probably have benefited from reduction. My partner decided to forgo dessert as the previous courses were so disappointing and the few dishes we saw come out were not particularly appealing. I went for the cheese board. The cheeses were nice and mild. The figs went well. There weren't enough crackers and the slices of cheese were quite small. The front of house staff and serving staff were great, sadly the restaurant is let down by the kitchen. I expect much better food at £53/head. On the strength of the breakfast and dinner we had this place just can't deliver good food."