Hawksmoor Manchester

I have been dying to go for dinner at Hawksmoor, Manchester for about a year now. I was pregnant when it first opened and refused to go and have an over-cooked steak, so I had to wait. And finally the time came…the hubby and I were both free, so was our babysitter and off we went on a Friday night. Excitement doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt (sad, I know) as we jumped into a cab and made our merry way to the restaurant.

Hawksmoor, Manchester is located on Deansgate, just by Spinningfields and has hugely impressive wooden entrance doors. You’re then greeted at a reception desk and cloakroom, which gives a great sense of occasion. We were a little early, so were asked if we’d like to enjoy a drink in the bar or head straight to our table…I think you can probably guess what we said…we were starving.

So straight to our table we went (the bar was lovely though!), where we were offered the Cocktail and Food menus to peruse.

We both opted for an Aperitif ‘Sharpener’ cocktail. I went for the Deansgate No2 and it was lovely. A little bitter, a little sweet – just right!

(The lighting in Hawksmoor is atmospheric, low and candlelit – hence the poor quality photos taken on my phone…sorry about that. Hopefully you’ll get the idea though!). 

Onto starters and I wanted something light, so opted for the Crab Salad, which was delicious and fresh, with finely sliced radish and celery and a lemony dressing.

Hubby went for scallops, which looked stunning on the plate and tasted just as good apparently!

Next, the steak! We were talked through our steak options when we first sat down. We had both pretty much decided on the Chateaubriand before we arrived, as we love the fillet cut and had heard good things about it here. So we chose a 700g cut as our main and I asked for a Bearnaise Sauce on the side.

I wanted all of the sides, but knew that even for me, that would be excessive. So we chose the Buttered Greens, Triple Cooked Chips and Short Rib Macaroni (I can’t tell you how hard it was for me to not also order the mac n cheese…next time though).

We asked for our steak rare (the only way to eat it in my opinion) and it was delicious! Perfectly cooked, you could cut through it like butter and a salty crust on the outside….mmmm. The chips were perfection, just the right thickness and super crispy on the outside. The buttered greens were just what they should be and nice and garlicky and the short rib macaroni…well, this was a triumph! The pasta was perfectly al dente and the braised short rib tender and juicy, served in a thick, deep sauce, finished with a baked cheesy top, it really was delicious. In fact, I might ask to have it as a starter next time I visit.  The Bearnaise was one of the best I’ve had – not overly rich and with just the right amount of tarragon.

We happily munched our way through the entire selection of food, which we washed down with a carafe of Valpolicella wine (highly recommended!).

Next came the dessert menu (which I’d obviously eyed-up already and kept a close eye on what was coming out of the kitchen throughout the evening) and although we were getting pretty full-up, we couldn’t resist.

I went for the ‘Ambassador’s Reception’, which is a joking tribute to the Ferrero Rocher (sssh…they can’t say that on the menu) and is essentially a giant ball of loveliness. It looks special on the plate too, dusted with gold leaf. But it’s not shy on the chocolate ganache and is seriously rich, so is not for the faint-hearted!

Hubby went for the Peanut Butter Shortbread, which I obligingly tried too. Very peanut-buttery, as it should be and served warm and still a bit gooey in the centre. Gorgeous.

And then just because I was curious, we ordered a box of Salted Caramel Rolos or “Tributes” as they’re jokingly called, to take home to our babysitter (which she has reported back to say were blimmin’ delicious and she devoured the lot in one sitting…that’s 8 large rolos people, 8!).

I couldn’t leave Hawksmoor, Manchester, without a peak at the toilets (I think a restaurant’s loos say a lot about the place) and these didn’t disappoint.

Then, as quick as it began, the evening was ending and we were on our way home. But what a lovely evening it was, full of some seriously well-cooked, delicious food and drink. Thank you Hawksmoor, we will certainly be paying another visit soon. I want to slowly, but surely work my way through the entire menu (not in one sitting, even I’m not that bad!).

Have you been to Hawksmoor yet? What did you think?

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