Eleven good things I ate in April

Crumpet prawn toast, rolled rabbit, and a perfect cocktail

What a gorgeous April it has been in so many ways. Finally, we have had some sunshine, which always makes everything a little bit less depressing. Though there is a lot to be depressed about if you pay attention to the news.

For me, life is about balance and variety, and I have done all the things I love this month. I played seven shows up and down the country with my band The Empty Page, caught up for long overdue yaps with friends and family, and ate lots of good food, natch.

Here are the best things I ate in Manchester (and a couple of other places) in April.

Rabbit Ballantine, Parma ham and black olive, rabbit and celeriac sausage, asparagus, wild garlic and Maderia jus at The Perfect Match, Sale (£32)

As a food and drink writer, I pride myself on having been to many good places in Greater Manchester. It’s important to do your research. I have been dedicated to the cause for seven years professionally and plenty more when I was just an amateur eater. So I feel a tad embarrassed to admit not having ticked certain key places off my list.

Better late than never. The Perfect Match is perfectly suited to my tastes. The premise is simple: a classic starter, main, dessert menu of classic dishes cooked by chef-owner Jazz, each matched with an ideal wine pairing by her Italian partner, co-owner and sommelier Andrea. Can you see why I really should have been here already?

I expected good things from what I’d heard from fellow food writers, but this place surpassed those expectations. All the dishes we had were beautifully plated, cooked by someone who clearly knows their stuff, and somehow both modern and retro at the same time.

A slightly off-dry Chenin Blanc with a big bowl of nduja mussels kicked things off extremely well but it was this rabbit dish that wowed me the most. You don’t see rabbit all that often on a menu, so I always order it when I do. This was stuffed and rolled in beautifully crisped parma ham, served with a homemade ‘sausage’ also made from rabbit with the earthy yet fragrant addition of celeriac, wrapped in recently foraged wild garlic. A sticky Madeira jus and bright green spring vegetables completed the picture. Andrea expertly paired it with a young, fresh Barbera. If you’ve not been here yet, do not hesitate. It’s a genuine hidden gem.

Spanakopita at Kallos (£8)

My friend Kat and I were long overdue a lunch date, so she gave me a shout to check out this new wine bar and restaurant she is working with as a PR. It wasn’t hard to coax me here, I recognised co-owner Ivan from his time as sommelier at high-end sushi restaurant Musu, and I love Greek food. Kallos was a pleasant surprise, though.

Modern and urban interiors in a new apartment complex, with a small but well-thought-out food menu and an incredible Greek wine list. I will be adding it to my wine tours soon. Of the dishes we tried, which mostly revolve around beautiful, billowy house-made pita breads, I loved this take on a spanakopita. A blistered balloon of a pita stuffed with the usual feta, wilted spinach, onions, dill, and topped with grated graviera (a Greek cheese inspired by the French gruyere). Add this to your list of places for breakfast if you can resist ordering a glass of wine with it. It’s a fine choice at any time of day though.

Deep-fried rhubarb pie at Medlock Canteen (£9)

I meant to write about this pie after my first visit to Medlock Canteen when it opened just over a year ago, but life got in the way, and by then, everyone else had written about it, so I moved on. I don’t want to cover the same ground as everyone else all the time, y’know? Anyway, I had it again at Medlock’s first birthday party (a fun pr event complete with pass the parcel). I had already gorged on rotisserie chicken, schnitzel, bread, and god knows what else, and I definitely didn’t have room for dessert. So when a pie apiece landed on the table, I was like, “I’ll just have a nibble. I couldn’t possibly…” 30 seconds later, it was gone.

If you’re a Maccy D’s fan, you will recognise the tribute. Me, I’m a rhubarb and custard fan, and I’m all for adding a deep-fried poof of pastry to the mix.

‘Cheeky Shiraz’ at Cru (£10.50)

I have to preface this by telling you that when I was an editor, I vehemently banned anybody from using the word ‘cheeky’ as an adjective to describe a food or drink product. I had a long list of banned words and phrases, I’m pretty sure all editors who actually care about their publication’s TOV do. So many words and phrases are heavily overused in press releases and marketing copy. It gets to you, and you become a grumpy shitbag about it very quickly.

I will let this one slide because it’s, um, a bit tongue-in-cheek. Iberico pig’s cheeks slow-cooked in Shiraz and served over Afghan flatbread fingers as a small plate to go with wine at new Didsbury wine bar, Cru. I love how wine is cleverly, simply woven into the dishes here, and this hearty little morsel was my fave of the dishes we tried.

Coppa Salume, Pecorino Sardo e Giardiniera at Lina Stores, Manchester (£10)

Finally, Lina Stores is open in Manchester. I wrote about some of their dishes (including the tuna crudo, my fave) when I visited some London branches back in Jan, and I ate a few of the same dishes during the PR invite soft launch in Manchester because they were too good not to have again.

I want to tell you about my Lina Stores dessert hack, though.

I try to include sweet stuff in these pages now and again because I know a lot of people love a good dessert but I will always choose crisps over chocolate. We exercised impressive restraint when ordering, just one pasta dish (crab linguine, sensational). So we still had room for dessert, but didn’t fancy anything sweet. There isn’t a cheese option, so we ordered a couple of glasses of Braghé red wine made from the Freisa grape in Piemonte and returned to the antipasti section. Ham for dessert? Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

Beautiful salty coppa, sheep’s milk pecorino, an Italian manchego if you will (please don’t ‘@’ me, Italian readers!), and giardiniera, aka pickled veg, plenty for two to share. Tangy-sweet giardiniera always reminds me of sharing a wooden hut with a large grasshopper in Venice while backpacking around the world. I can’t think of a better combo than wine, ham, cheese, giardiniera, and someone you love (who may or may not be a grasshopper).

Black Manhattan at Pray Tell (£11)

While in Sale, I finally got my arse to the wonderful Pray Tell. This cute little bar in Stanley Square has the thoroughly modern holy trinity of craft beer, natural wines, and cocktails as its draw. Co-owner Beth has many years of mixology and hospitality (including Mort Subite, Altrincham and Higher Ground in the city centre) under her belt. I see her at a lot of trade wine tastings too. She has put together a genuinely impressive menu here. I know that cocktails and aperitifs are very much her thing, and she is a big fan of earthy, bitter flavours, as am I. So I moved on from wine to taste this impeccable Black Manhattan. The vanilla roundness of Bourbon is lifted by the floral and bitter notes of caramel-coloured Amaro Meretti, a shake of bitters is the salt and pepper. I don’t know how she does it, but everything aligns here like the stars of a Shakespearean love story. Manchester has its fair share of expertly crafted cocktails, but it’s well worth a hop on the tram to Sale for something this special.

Hot and spicy pork with tofu at One Plus (£10.95)

I spent a lot of time in basements in April. A weekend playing at (and attending) Manchester Punk Fest calls for hearty sustenance. Luckily, for just over a tenner, you can prepare your body for a boozy afternoon running from venue to venue with a quick nip to the One Plus basement right next door to Yes, where my band The Empty Page played. This place gets a lot of praise, and you can see why. The staff are super friendly, there is endless choice over the three floors, and it’s incredible value for money. The basement menu is noodle and rice-focused with vast soupy and saucy options and huge portions. This massive plate of super spicy pork mince, delicate tofu cubes and steamed rice (you can get egg fried for a £1 extra but I am a steamy gal all the way) was exactly what I needed. Yet more proof that sometimes the least prettified plates taste the best.

Below the paywall:

• This is not a drill: Crumpet. Prawn. Toast.

• A very fine pie

• A couple of things I ate in Frome and Swansea while on tour with my punk band, so I didn’t have to survive on the Smart Price luncheon meat you get on a rider