Food review: flawless British food at The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant

Salford’s only five star hotel has seen an influx of custom lately thanks to a new, back-to-basics British menu. Developed by exec chef, Andrew Green, it’s packed with homegrown produce you’ll really want to eat. Great cheese and local beef, rhubarb trifle and sticky toffee pudding are all present and correct alongside retro creations such as Baked Alaska, Beef Wellington and Creme Brulee. Green trained at South Trafford College before working his way up through various Radisson hotels. He’s a confident hand in the kitchen. Kingpin is a remarkable Beef Wellington (£65) for two. This is prime fillet with Madeira jus, tucked into wafer-crisp pastry, pocked with thicker bits and filled with a rich mushroom layer. Other sharing mains include rosemary roast leg of lamb (£45) and a 900g rib of Cheshire beef (£65). Veggies aren’t so well catered for – roast spiced cauliflower with beetroot and barley risotto (£16.50) is one of few options – but fish is a thing. There’s a rare, buttery whole Dover sole served on or off the bone (£39), house fish pie (£19), and Scottish halibut fillet with lobster hollandaise (£27.50). If I went again I’d try the steamed beef shin, oxtail and kidney pudding (with mash, £18). Classic, regional starters include twice-baked Lancashire Bomb cheese soufflé (£8.50 – and so rich it’s almost like a cheesecake), potted shrimps with homemade rye bread (£10.50) and crabby mac’n’cheese with a garlic and lemon crumb (£9.50). Desserts – rhubarb trifle, milk chocolate tart (both £7.50) – are good, but the 40-minute steamed sticky toffee pudding is remarkable (pictured). Drinks-wise, they’ll make you anything you like, and the new, condensed wine list is a winner. We had Napa Valley Tangley Oaks Merlot, around £40 a bottle. The only downside? There’s an early 2000s vibe to the decor, and the restaurant can feel little soul-less. A reliable bet, nevertheless, bringing regional classics back to the table with panache. The Lowry are actually offering £15 off a la carte at the moment – click here for more info – and there’s a ‘chef’s choice’ set menu which changes each month for £24.95 for 3 courses too.

The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf, Salford, Manchester M3 5LH. Tel: 0161 827 4000, www.thelowryhotel.com