Food review: Mr Cooper’s House at The Midland Hotel, Manchester

Mr Cooper’s House, sister restaurant to The Midland’s fine dining operation The French, has a new chef and brasserie-style menu. Once under auspices of L’Enclume’s Simon Rogan (as was The French), head chef is now Rebecca Richardson, who comes to The Midland from the Worsley Marriott, with a passion for straight up, quality British cooking and… a whole lot of fruit in tow. Highlights of the starters and snacks are porky; we create a tapas board from ham hock croquettes (£4.50 for three huge ones), with a sharp hit of lovage and a smoky apple sauce, blackened padron peppers (£4.50) and a portion of pork belly (£8). While lacking the promised ‘crisp’ element, celeriac slaw and a retro-tastic black pudding bonbon compensate. Soup is great too. Cream of Jerusalem artichoke with a crumble of light, Winchester cheese. This is just the kind of food I love but can’t be bothered to make at home. The only real disappointment is the grainy cod (£17.50) with burnt, lukewarm cauliflower and unripe mango salsa on the side. The burger (and, I imagine, the whole grill section, seeing as Mr Cooper’s now age all their beef in house) is better. Enjoy a heavyweight patty with everything you’d like thrown in such as charcoal mayo and applewood cheese  (pictured, £18). Other grill delights include Goosnargh chicken with kirsch cherries (£18), slow cooked beef cheek (£18) or Chateaubriand (£66 to share). Pitch-perfect creme brulee (with more tropical fruit on the side, £6) and a slice of alcoholic, slow-cooked pineapple, with a light ‘grass’ ice cream (£6) complete the picture. Looking around the room, top choice seems to be chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, crunchy honeycomb and vanilla ice cream (£7), or the local cheese board (£9). Wines are excellent, too, in particular the French Chardonnay (Granfort, Pays D’Oc, £7.25 for 175ml, £30 bottle) and anything from the largely Spanish ‘bold, rich and spicy’ selection. The Guv’nor Tempranillo (£7.25 for 175ml, £30 bottle) and Alexander vs. The Ham Factory (Ribero del Duero, 2013, £56 bottle) stand out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Good for: Couples, pre-theatre, dining with friends.

Mr Cooper’s House at the Midland Hotel, 16 Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS. Tel: 0161 235 4781, www.mrcoopers.co.uk