Eight good things I ate and drank in September

Kentucky fried courgettes, Shiba Inu tea and a trip to Rochdale

Apart from a few days of biblical rain, September has been a beautiful month. It’s the kind of weather I love: bright and crisp but with a suggestion of autumn in the air. Autumn is my favourite season, all layered knits, steaming bowls of soup and everything doused in shades of the sunset. The weather brings out my creativity too. I’m emotionally ready for the change of season, even if my bank account isn’t ready for me to turn the radiators on.

I ate well this month and managed to get out of the city a fair bit - still not as much as I’d like but I’m actively trying. I had a couple of massively disappointing meals in some of Manchester’s more expensive restaurants too. I didn’t really start this blog to criticise, so I’m not going to spill the beans here for now but let me know, do you want to hear about bad experiences as well as good ones?

But first, let me tell you about the best things I ate in September:

Sweetcorn frittas at Erst (Part of an £89pp supper club with matched wines)

When a post about a Moorcock-themed event at Erst popped up on social media I booked it within nanoseconds. Those of you familiar with the now sadly closed pub in Sowerby Bridge will know why. For the uninitiated, it was a trailblazing, eccentric gastro pub like no other. Sustainably minded, creative and completely unique food in a lovely pub setting in the hills. News of its closure was devastating for Northern foodies. One of the chefs, Tom McManus is now at Erst and together with The Moorcock’s former co-owner Aimee Turford, who now runs the private dining and wine-tasting business Curve Wine, this one-off supper club was a perfect way to while away several hours on a Sunday afternoon.

As with most ‘tasting menu’ style events, the whole is the sum of its parts. But if I had to pick one from the procession of dishes, it would be this snack of sweetcorn ‘frittas’, gooey on the inside like posh nacho sauce meets creamed sweetcorn, satisfyingly crispy on the outside, One of those things you could probably never reproduce at home as simple as it may seem on the plate. Topped with pickled English jalapenos and finely grated gouda and served with a boisterous skin contact Gewurtztraminer, it was a real belter of a dish.

Apple Crumble from Harwoods Patisserie Westhoughton (£4.75)

Crispness seems to be a theme this month and it was the crisp white chocolate shell of this surreal patisserie that hurtled it into my dishes of the month. If you can get past how jaw-droppingly realistic it is masquerading as a Granny Smith and actually bring yourself to destroy it, this is the best apple you’ll ever eat. Crack that shell to reveal a creamy whipped mouse dotted with pieces of poached apple and finish off my snaffling up the impeccable shortbread-like biscuit base. Well worth hopping on a train to Westhoughton for.

Beef Wellington at The Martlet Kitchen, Rochdale

Rochdale has never been known as a foodie neighbourhood so this new opening should be exciting for locals. I was lucky to be invited to a press preview of The Martlet Kitchen set inside the incredibly grand Rochdale Town Hall (worth a visit in itself). Head Chef Darren Parkinson was at the highly esteemed Shibden Mill Inn for almost 15 years prior so that should give you an idea of his pedigree.

This beef wellington was a good indication of what to expect from the gastropub-style menu. True to the classic recipe complete with crepes and duxelles and a stunning piece of meat via Frost’s butchers in Chorlton, it managed to be both skilful and down to earth. I was surprised to see it’s not actually on the current menu so I can’t tell you how much it would set you back but modernised versions of local dishes like rag pudding and bacon chop are both on there at a very reasonable £14.

The Martlet is a mythical bird that features in Rochdale’s coat of arms. Poignantly, the bird has no legs so is born and dies in flight. Historically, it represents the fourth son of a family. The first son inherits his father’s land, the second, his mother’s, the third only inherits the land his two elder brothers own if they die, so the poor old fourth born inherits bugger all and has to fly off and find his own wealth. Read whatever symbolism you want to in this bird representing a higher-end gastropub in Rochdale.

Panaeng Curry with prawns at Phetpailin (£13)

There is something so appealing about old-school Chinatown restaurants that crack on doing their thing outside of the endless hype machine that Manchester has become. I’m as much of a sucker for the shiny new as the next person but I find myself more and more seeking out these places. They’re like the old friends you’ve been meaning to catch up with and suddenly realise it’s been actual years.

Phetpailin is hidden away up a manky old staircase in a building that also contains residential apartments (and who knows what else). The door opens to a strange little pagoda-inspired room that has probably not changed in all the years it’s been there. There’s something kitsch-ly adorable about this place and its charm is enhanced by having the sweetest, friendliest staff. But the food is also spot on. Exactly what you would expect from a Thai-owned restaurant that has stood strong in Britain for - is it a couple of decades now? I would eat this lime-leaf-scented, sweetly spicy coconut curry any day of the week - especially at this price.

Club Club Sandwich from Monty’s via HOME at Provenance Food Hall Westhoughton (£8.70)

It’s not often I go for a club sandwich on a menu but something drew my eyes to this one on a visit to Provenance Food Hall in Westhoughton for lunch. There is a strong brunch game here with steak and eggs, french toast and the like but these butties made with bread thicker than Liam Gallagher are not to be missed. I couldn’t get even my massive gob around it. I felt like I was on the Crystal Maze working out how to eat the damn thing with my parents offering various unhelpful suggestions from the sidelines, but somehow I managed it. The bacon in this butty is crispy and so is the chicken, panko crumbed, layered with juicy, thinly sliced beef tomatoes and free range egg mayo. That ridiculous bread reminds me of Japanese milk loaf, so is this a sort of Northern English sando? Whatever it is, it’s fantastic.

Kentucky fried courgettes with confit garlic aioli and Handbridge honey from Field 28 restaurant Chester (£9)

I was invited on a wholesome press trip to the very impressive Growing Field 28 in Chester where we were guided around polytunnels and greenhouses and encouraged to taste edible flowers and gawp at giant cucumbers. Trips like this are always appealing when you live in smog city with views of walls on all sides, so it was a tonic to get some green air. We tried inventive canapes from chef Aiden Byrne (who you may know from Manchester House) and then a huge spread of dishes from the farm’s sibing restaurant Field 28.

Everything was as beautiful as you would expect food made from produce grown literally a couple of miles away to be. The tomatoes produced audible gasps from the young influencers at the table and we all bought bagfuls of colourful, heritage veg from the farm shop. You have to go if you’re in the area. But the most memorable dish for me was these humble courgettes; a veg that can so often be bland, waterlogged and soggy, these babies were meltingly tender within with an almost glassy crisp shell spiced like your favourite bargain bucket of chicken, served on a glossy garlic aioli ad drizzled with local honey.

Falafel Lunch Box from Go Falafel (£9.95)

I want to thank Go Falafel for always being there when I need it. In my book, it’s some of the best fast food you can get in Manchester. It’s a local brand too, not a big national chain as might be assumed. It has been a go-to lunch for me more times than I care to mention but on this occasion, it saved us from the clutches of a potential post-booze burger or kebab when walking home after a gig at The Peer Hat. I don’t know why our sensible brains kicked in despite being under the influence, perhaps it was that unmistakable fried falafel smell wafting as we almost walked past. But it was the correct decision and is always the correct decision.

The salad box is stuffed with a rainbow of veggie salads, creamy hummus and crisp falafel. I always pay whatever extra it costs for pickled red cabbage too. It’s got everything you want and need; layers of texture and flavour, protein, vitamins, the lot, all for under a tenner. It’s the most nutritious and delicious late-night scran you can get. All hail Go Falafel.

Jasmine green milk tea with tapioca and brown sugar tapioca shiba waffles from Ohayo Tea (£4.30 + £4)

Working in wine means opportunities to drink alcohol are alarmingly plentiful. Add food writing to the mix and it gets even more crazy. Booze is a hazard of the job. That might sound absurd to people outside these industries but I’m dead serious. You need to keep a close eye on your consumption. I schedule non-booze days in my diary now and I count a day of tasting and spitting out wine (which happens at least weekly at the moment) as a booze day. So it’s a good job a lot of my mates don’t drink alcohol and the ones that do are always happy not to. I love midweek dates but I like to keep them booze-free.

I met one of my besties Emma for an AF early tea on a rainy Wednesday and we had an hour to kill before the restaurant opened. A good opportunity to head to Ohayo, the Shiba Inu-themed bubble tea cafe in Chinatown. This place has a dizzying range of tea options, many that are a meal in themselves with things like cream cheese foams and Biscoff crumbs but there are lots of fruit and tea-based drinks too. I love that you can choose no or low sugar and other modifications to get something ideal to your tastes. This jasmine milk tea had a beautiful fragrant complexity that made it feel a little more grown-up while the little Shiba Inu waffles brought all the cute. I think this might become my new laptop spot.