Set in amongst the towering skyscrapers of Spinningfields, New York inspired Neighbourhood has earned itself a reputation as somewhere for a bit of a party. But those in the know will tell you the food menu is something a bit special as well, so we reckoned this would be an excellent venue for us to while away a relaxed Sunday afternoon.
And after a Saturday spent lounging on sofas, watching football, and eating chicken nuggets, it’s fair to say this pair of Finest correspondents were ready for something a little more upmarket come morning time. So with a couple of shots of orange juice, and a few slices of streaky bacon, we ventured out to the city centre, with the aim of chowing down on a nice civilised Sunday roast.
Our hosts treated us to a nice big booth to spread ourselves out over, and I quickly got stuck into the menu. But I soon realised there was a little flaw in my Sunday roast plan — what do you have with a roast for starters? I racked my brains, checked the internet, even phoned my mum, but couldn’t find a consensus. Which was great, because it means: have whatever you want!
Wasting no time at all, we went in with all three of the sharing dishes — a platter of honey infused humus, scooped up with celery, apples, peppers, beetroot and lettuce (this felt pretty healthy). Also a cocktail glass full of plump itallian Nocerella olives dozing on a bed of crushed ice, keeping them firm and fresh. Finally warm crusty bread, tipped over the edge with a caramelised onion infused butter.
Then, as a sort of food fusion experiment, we decided to precede our traditional English roast with one of New York’s favourite imports: sushi. Why not? I can’t resist it when it’s on a menu, and certainly wasn’t disappointed. We got flamed salmon teriyaki rolls, complete with chunks of avocado, and smuggling a subtle salad crunch. Then, a spicy ahi tuna roll, coloured a fiery deep red, fresh and with a distinct wasabi kick.
That probably would have been fine for starters but we couldn’t resist taking our waitress up on her recommendation of the lil’ burgers: three mini burgers, or ‘sliders’. Honestly, I was expecting something messy and lavish and over the top but what arrived was nice, neat and simple; cheese, wagyu burger patties, brioche bun. Definitely not for sharing.
So after, I admit, getting a little distracted with what evolved into a sort of tapas of starters, it was time for those big boy roasts. We chose beef, and lamb. I had the beef, cut into generous, succulent slices, but I was a bit jealous of the lamb, which had been cooked on the shoulder, then removed and then served as a tasty meaty cylinder. Crispy roasties, buttery mash, intricately shredded spring greens and a nice big Yorkshire pud completed the dishes.
No roast would really be complete without a nice glass of wine, and a spicy Rioja accompanied the lamb, also a warming Malbec paired with the beef seemed to do the trick there as well.
Next up were the desserts. We thought it might be a good idea to match them to some cocktails… that’s a thing right? Perusing the drinks menu, my eyes were immediately drawn to the “Empire State of shots”, a challenge of eight carefully selected spirits, all suspended on a wire weaved around a little model of the building. Unfortunately though, it isn’t really a cocktail so I couldn’t have it (that’s my excuse anyway).
Instead I plumped for the salted caramel supreme, a sweet biscuity dessert cocktail, which I matched with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
On the other side of the table, the dessert was the NBHD S’MORES, light on the vowels, but rich with a warm cookie dough topping, marshmallow and brownie base. This was paired up with a modern old fashioned, a slightly fruitier twist on the old favourite.
With a civilised Sunday completed, we left with one hot nugget of a tip, there are some exciting additions coming to Neighbourhood pretty soon, so keep your eye on them in the coming weeks to find out what they have lined up.
This Bank Holiday Sunday sees the last Brunch club before Neighbourhood closes for a refurb, for reservations or bottle tables call 0161 8326334 or email reservations@neighbourhoodrestaurant.co.uk
