Northcote
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Northcote is one of the North’s finest high-end restaurants. It’s won countless accolades over the years, including Tripadvisor’s best UK restaurant (and third best in the world), plus that coveted Michelin star, held since 1996.
The Lancashire restaurant has launched its autumnal menu, and – hold onto your hats – this could be its most memorable line-up of dishes so far. It’s been crafted by the restaurant’s much-loved executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and her team, and a quick look at the menu shows they’re not playing it safe. Far from it.
It’s a journey through the darkest and most robust season-appropriate ingredients found in these isles. Think pigeon, venison, beetroot, coffee and more.
The meal opens with a couple of cute snacks at the table. Is that… a boiled egg? Nope, it’s Lancashire cheese foam and caramelised shallots inside an immaculately decapitated, pure white eggshell. It’s a delicious – and whimsical – take on classic Lancashire cheese pie. This is paired with an outrageously meaty bonbon, made from brawn (aka pork terrine, otherwise known as, er, head cheese).
Next an art-deco-style creation, consisting of mushroom parfait, pickled walnut, mushroom tea and flaky bread. It’s a beautifully stylised plate with an air of the Brothers Grimm – all dark aromas from deep within the forest. The shot of mushroom broth is as umami as it gets, balanced well with the buttery, tarragon-infused brioche-style bread.
The squab pigeon continues this outdoorsy, woodland theme. The meat is seared on the outside but blushing rose inside and scandalously tender. The wild, gamey flavour is matched by a dark, glossy jus, circled by smoky bacon flavours, plus a potent sphere made from damson molasses on the side. Best enjoyed with an Italian red (Specogna Pinot Grigio Riserva Ramato, 2019) from the wine pairing menu, this is a standout course from an outstanding menu.
Our waitress explains that head chef Lisa likes to challenge guests’ tastebuds, and the fish course is a great example – you won’t have tasted anything like this before. It’s bright, fresh and unforgettable: a cube of flakey North Sea cod, resting on taramasalata with crunchy roasted hazelnuts, topped with zingy zest and jelly from the Filipino citrus fruit, kalamansi. Try finding that on Deliveroo.
The final meat course delivers all the flavours of autumn in a single breathtaking dish: Scottish venison, beetroot, caramelised squash and blackcurrant. The dark, lean meat teams beautifully with the smooth-as-silk squash puree and blackcurrant gel, while the impossibly delicate roll of smoked beetroot is almost as much an artistic tour de force as it is culinary.
And if you thought that looked good, wait til you see dessert. It’s a picture-perfect arrangement, with ornate coffee tuiles in the shape of autumn leaves, discs of sesame brittle, fitted around an airy chocolate mousse. The whole array is surrounded by dark Valrhona chocolate, tempered to deliver the most satisfying snap this side of bebop jazz.
This playful tasting menu could be Northcote’s best yet. It’s packed with bold ideas, using rich, carefully considered flavour combinations that lead to some truly inspired mouthfuls. Then again, we wouldn’t expect anything else from this groundbreaking restaurant. If you haven’t been yet, this is a marvellous way to start.
Cookery school: Fancy learning at the hands of these Michelin-starred maestros? There’s an onsite cookery school, where you’ll learn how to make a series of dishes and enjoy a high-end lunch. We recently reviewed the excellent Taste Of Lancashire course, which we heartily recommend. If you simply want to eat and drink, indulge yourself with a stay in one of Northcote’s 26 luxurious rooms and suites.
