Pip at Treehouse Manchester
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Pip is the in-house restaurant at the long-awaited Treehouse Hotel, headed up by Bury-born chef, Mary-Ellen McTague.
The venue is worth a visit in its own right, whether for coffee, cocktail or cooked meal. It bears no relation to the average hotel restaurant – this is a beautifully decked-out space with a human touch. Nothing stuffy or sterile here – less about the money, more about the Monet.
That means a nature-led design, full of lush foliage, candles and elegant artwork. It’s modern with a nod to tradition, much like the menu. Mary has long been a champion of low-waste cooking and seasonal ingredients, and Pip delivers the goods.
Some of her classic dishes make an appearance, meaning you’ll have the privilege of trying the split pea chips and mushroom ketchup – a thick stack of crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-inside chips with a swirl of eye-rollingly rich mushroom ketchup to dip them into. It taps into long-forgotten childhood memories while adding all-new, far-out elements.
It’s part of a multi-layered menu, covering snacks, small plates and large plates. Feeling hungry? Pick one from each, otherwise just pluck out one or two appealing-sounding items.
We heartily recommend the fish dish from the large plates. Caught that day and cooked with sea vegetables and cockle broth (and a dash of bergamot, for intrigue), it’s a dazzling array of aquatic cuisine, showcasing the finesse of the kitchen crew.
Other thumbs-up courses include a moreish potato, truffle and wild garlic soup, paired with some of Mary’s famed sourdough bread and Killeen goats cheese. For meat-eaters, squab ham and mustard leaf, bolstered by a zingy lemon thyme granita.
The chicken dish is artfully laid out, with an elaborate structure of chicken slices, a swoosh of celeriac and a nicely balanced rhubarb and roasting juices jus. But the miniature dark meat pie is the showstopper – drop it in one for a potent trip into chicken leg land.
The Treehouse hotel might have been a long time coming, but some things are worth the wait. Especially when they contain dishes as memorable as these.
