Elite Event: Fine Dining Seasonal Showcase @ Michael Caines

I am late to the party in adding my review but just wanted to say what a lovely evening I had and how impressed I was with the food and service.
The restaurant reminds me of some kind of LA celeb hangout (not that I have actually got a memory of such a place) — very glam.
For me the stand out dish was the salmon starter which was absolutely exquisite. I also had a lot of fun making my dessert although at one point there were 5 chefs looking on in pure bafflement/​horror as I could not master the «make the sorbet into a delightful pear shape» move. IT IS REALLY HARD GUYS. I think I generally do appreciate good presentation but now I really appreciate how much work and skill goes into it — was a privilege to witness.
Finally, thank you to Nicolas R for the delicious red wine choice — I really liked it and am delighted to find out how affordable it is too!

The second stunning and final event in the fine dining showcase for June gave me opportunity to revisit somewhere that’s been on my ‘to do’ list for what seems like years.
I’ve been a fan of Michael Caines for a rather long time, I love his style of cooking and his ethos — I too am from a large family, my dad has always grown our fruit and vegetables and we all were involved in the kitchen early on.
As we headed in, I was feeling rather flustered due to an extended meeting, but with our fab host Jonny in place to greet us with a glass of Prosecco I was soon settled, chatting to fellow guests and feeling a lot less frazzled.
As ever, there was a brief introduction by Jonny and one of the Abode managers, Natalie, before our intimate tables of four were served the most delicious bread platter. Slices of tomato bread, crusty brown rolls and small batons were crunchily demolished with soft butter.
Our starters were just as delicious. Delicately poached salmon was served with cucumber, basil and crème fraîche, utterly perfect. Nic’s accompanying wine, the Picpoul de Pinet, was ideal, the light citrus notes working beautifully with the fish.
I didn’t think this could be topped, but our main, a tender lamb fillet, boulangere potatoes with confit lamb shoulder and pea fricasse was delightful. The potatoes with their layer of confit lamb were just heavenly and again Nic got the wine bang on. The Grenache-​Syrah blend was a good light summery red, low tannins meant that it didn’t overpower the vegetables — easy to do when we’re talking summer peas and broad beans.
The dessert was fantastic and interactive was exactly right. Challenging our artisting skills as we each plated our own. I still maintain that mine wasn’t anywhere near as good as the original. But thanks to chef for the compliment anyway!
Another fantastic event, great food, great wine and a great raffle at the end — sadly with no recipe book win for me, I’m just going to have to buy it!

I was really looking forward to this event. I had heard Michael Caines restaurant was really good. Michael Caines has 2 Michelin stars.
I arrived a little bit late and was introduced with a warm welcome by Jonny. I was offered a glass of prosecco which was most welcome on what was a pretty warm evening. After a bit of chatting with Jonny, I made my wall to the lounge area where everyone else was. After about 20 minutes when everyone else arrived, we moved over to the dining area.
We were seated on tables of four, each with our own name tags and a Unilocal bag with some goodies including a Unilocal t-​shirt. I think ideally, we would have been sat on larger tables so it would have been easier to talk more people — not that Emily, Chris and Natalie on my table were bad company! Far from it!!! :)
Natalie from ABode/​Michael Caines restaurant introduced herself and told us all more about Michael himself, his methods and how he uses local ingredients.
First came the bread, 3 different types. There was a ‘pointy’ one which tasted really good. Nothing much better than soft, warm, fresh bread. The tomato bread/​slice was also nice too — tasty! I wasn’t too kind on the crusty bread though. It was a bit too firm and bit dry and resulted in «crumbs» all over the place.
Soon after, the starter came which was slow poached salmon with cucumber, caviar, dill, wasabi yoghurt, honey and soy vinaigrette. It certainly was fine dining so as you would expect, it looked like a small amount of food on the plate. I wasn’t too keen on the texture of the salmon but the taste was good. This was paired with a white wine called La Croix Gratiot. All the wine in the evening was chosen by fellow Unilocaler Nic R who works for Reserve Wines in Didsbury.
I don’t know much about wine at all. But I generally like white wine. If I am honest, wine just tastes like wine to me. Maybe I should drink more so I can compare and know whats good.
For the main, we had loin of lamb with a confit shoulder boulangere potato, fennel purée, pea fricassee and tapanade jous. This was paired with a red wine (Grenache-​Syrah). Unfortunately, I don’t like red wine but I am sure it was paired perfectly with the lamb. I thought the lamb (and the confit, purée etc) tasted good — although maybe a little salty. However, I say that quite often when eating out — I don’t often add salt to things.
The dessert, it was an «interactive» dessert — a strawberry mousse with basil coulis, strawberry jelly and strawberry sorbet. After watching the chefs construct it, it was up to us. This involved adding all the different elements on to the plate one at a time including using a blow torch to loosen the jelly/​mousse from a metal ring. Even though I don’t really like strawberries, I actually liked the dessert.
To end the evening, we all had some coffee and then the raffle. Lots of Unilocal goodies — there seems to be an endless number of things with a Unilocal logo on it! Prizes included shot glasses, sunglasses, a dog bandana, bouncy balls. One of the prizes was a Michael Caines cookbook — I wanted that one! Didn’t win anything :(I will win something one day!
It was a wonderful evening with great company. A special thank you to Natalie from ABode and all the chefs at Michael Caines restaurant/​ABode. Thanks to Nic R for picking the wines. And as always, thanks to Jonny. Another job well done.

When you enter a venue and are instantly handed a glass of prosecco, you know you’re in the right place.
Another stunning event by Jonny Q; can you ever do wrong? The team at the Abode were great also, catering to our every need and really joining in with the community spirit.
Seated at intimate tables of four, we tucked into three courses of amazing food, wining and dining the evening away. Each course added another level of ‘wow’ to the evening, leaving us walking away happy and feeling that little bit more glamorous than Monday nights usually do.
My starter — due to not liking fish — was roasted white asparagus, surrounded by perfect Alice in Wonderland-​esque mushrooms, which worked perfectly together. The lamb main was everything you want in your main; tender, pink meat, with potato that I personally couldn’t get enough of.
The interactive dessert was a little bit of something different, though there was no way to copy the chefs intricate examples! I am still in a state of awe that they can produce that type of dish so en-​masse. Sweet strawberry mousse, crispy meringue bites and a lovely bit of crumble for texture made for something I simply wanted more of.
The raffle topped the evening off nicely, adding that competitive element — where else can you get a branded dog bandana from?

Only the second elite I’ve attended (the first being the excellent BrewDog BBQ/​quiz one) and it just confirmed what a good job Unilocal Manchester aka Jonny is doing.
The highlight of the night was arguably the interactive dessert making: competition, education AND pudding. What better way to end an evening! The wine choices from Nicolas Rezzouk were bang on too, the red being one of the nicest I’ve had recently and working great with the lamb dish.
The rest of the food was as good as you’d expect from a place that has Michael Caine’s name above the door: rich, delicious lamb dish, particularly those confit shoulder Boulangere potatoes; and a fresh mi-​cuit salmon and cucumber dish that if a little salty in parts was well executed.
Looking forward to the next one!

Honestly I’m feeling a bit blue now that June is over, and therefore the Unilocal Fine Dining Month is over. I really could have got used to donning a frock every few weeks and heading out for amazing meals with matched wines.
I arrived a wee bit late (due to being stuck on the bus from hell) to a customary warm welcome from Jonny Q and a round of mutual compliments with some of the other ladies. I enjoyed a glass of prosecco in the lounge while catching up with other Unilocalers about work, life, Manchester and everything it has to offer.
Soon we were ushered through to the dining area. I was a bit disappointed to find we weren’t seated at one table like at The Lowry Hotel, although it was a joy to sit and chat with Andy, Natalie and Chris.
The bread was lovely, especially the stick-​shaped one (as everyone has opted to describe it) which was warm and fluffy and just perfect with butter. I feel like sometimes the best pleasures in life are the simple things — bread and butter being a prime example of this for me.
The starter. Oh, the starter. It would appear I had slightly untoward thoughts about this salmon, as I tweeted that it was ‘obscenely good’ and texted my boyfriend later saying it was ‘orgasmic’. Ahem. The fish was fresh with a wonderful soft texture, and the flavours (especially the wasabi yoghurt) worked incredibly. If I could eat one dish from the night again it would be this. This course was paired with a white wine that was crisp and fresh — perfect summer drinking.
Plates whisked away, I waited patiently for the next course. Loin of lamb with boulangere potatoes and pea fricassee. The rich elements of this dish worked well with the fresh peas. The lamb was cooked perfectly for my liking. I found the texture of the potatoes a little odd but nothing to detract from how delicious the dish was overall. This went with a red wine, which challenged all my deeply held preconceptions about red wine. It wasn’t vinegary, or overly tart, or syrupy. It was sweet but also light with a savoury hint. You never know, Nicolas R, you might make a wine lover out of me yet.
The interactive dessert was great fun and offered some interesting insight into how this stuff is done. It’s easy to sneer and say it all looks easy — but it’s not. As evidenced by a few of us (myself very much included) struggling to draw a simple squiggle of coulis. My attempt at making the sorbet look pretty was just embarrassing. It tasted nice though, with the sweetness of the mousse and coulis being offset by basil and olive flavours. Nice as it was it’s not the sort of thing I would choose to order.
A bit more wine, a coffee, and a speech from JQ later I was feeling really lucky to be part of this great community. I love the opportunity it gives me to meet lovely people, visit amazing places, and eat delicious food. A swift pint (or rather, a ‘schooner’) in Kosmonaut finished off the evening nicely and I returned home full, slightly tipsy and very happy.
Thanks as ever to Jonny — these events and the community are going from strength to strength as far as I’m concerned. A big hand also to Helen and the team from Abode. Here’s to many more great Elite events!

What to say that hasn’t already been said.
Our genius CM is continuously pulling it out the bag, providing us with great food & drink entertainment in and around Manchester.
Yesterday we visited Michael Caines @ Abode Hotel. I’ve been once before, about 5 years ago for a work Christmas do. I remember the food being very good indeed so I had high expectations.
I arrived a bit early so said hello to Jonny and Mark «Hawk Eye» D, got myself a drink and started chatting to Ellie. Soon enough everyone else started arriving and the conversation got going. We spread around the lounge tables and seat, drinking a glass of prosecco.
Having sourced the wines, I’ll leave it to others to say what they thought.
We were then shown to our table, got introduced to the staff who were to look after us for the evening and soon brought a basket of bread, butter and the first white wine. I couldn’t enjoy all of my bread as, as it always happen, I talk too much and by the time they were bringing the next course the bread was gone despite the fact the stick and tomato bread were still in the basket. To be fair I could have caught the waiter back but I didn’t really grab the chance. Not sure why there is a need for the bread to go though… Bread should be an integral part of the whole meal.
Anyway, the food was simply gorgeous and gave us a good insight on the potential from the chef and his team. The salmon and sous-​vide cucumber was exquiste and the lamb and pomme boulangere, devine. The lamb dih could have done with being warmer but since the flavours and the textures were there, this didn’t bother me. It may be that it is intended to be served at that temperature, I’m not sure.
The dessert demonstration and practice was a very nice touch to the meal I thought as very few of us get to do or understand how some of our restaurant meals are prepared and presented.
Overall a great evening, in great company, with great food and drink.
I think Michael Caines should start considering coming in the open air though as we are now past the trend of dark hotel undergrounds for restaurant. Manchester is a buzzing place so get out there, feel the vibe and taste your competition as the levels are getting high.

The second of two fine dining events in June, again expertly organised and delivered by Jonny.
Although hosted by Michael Caines at Abode for me this was very much a joint Elite event, with the wine showcasing the expertise of Unilocal’s own Nic R. The perfectly selected wines really were the standout element of the evening, from the prosecco on arrival to the delicious white with the starter and finishing on the red that worked perfectly with the lamb.
For me my perception of the hosting by the Michael Caines team and of the food suffered from coming so closely on the heels of our wonderful night at the Lowry, two weeks ago. The team serving us didn’t match the standards of my experience at the River Restaurant and the food certainly wasn’t as good.
The bread was ok, I enjoyed the long, thin sticks but the other two weren’t as tasty as they looked. I’d have appreciated being told what the bread was and we had to ask for more butter which came out rock hard, a bit of a disappointment. My main was luke warm which was a real shame as the flavours were good. I’d have preferred the dessert to come out ready made and perfect as my attempts to create delicate swirls of sauce confirmed that I will never have a career in a high end commercial kitchen. I did however enjoy getting to try the blowtorch as we have one sitting in our kitchen that I never use so maybe now I’ll have the confidence to wield it.
Although it was fine dining so perhaps the small portions matched this, I was really hungry after the meal. Compared to the Lowry where I had enjoyed the right amount of food with very good portion sizes this was a real shame. It’s not made me want to eat there again whereas I’d certainly book the Rover Restaurant based on the other Elite event. I had one of my favourite restaurant experiences ever at Abode back when it first opened and Michael Caines spent the first 12 weeks in the kitchen himself. At that point the service and food were faultless. The whole experience was magical. They have lost their way in the years since which is a real shame.
Overall a fantastic evening though in terms of company and atmosphere. Thank you to JQ and Nic for their hard work pulling this off and to our dining companions Ellie and Hannah who were perfect company.

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Unilocal Elite Event at Michael Caines restaurant which is situated inside the Abode Hotel, near Piccadilly station. I’d never been to the restaurant before and had almost forgotten it was still there.
Boss man Jonny Q warmly greeted us with a lovely glass of prosecco for us to sip whilst we waited for everyone to arrive. All the wines were selected by Unilocal member (and my other half) Nic R and were supplied by Reserve Wines in West Didsbury (I promise I’m not biased!).
Once seated at our tables, we were provided with a selection of bread to munch on whilst we waited for the starter which was slow poached salmon (full details of the ingredients can be seen on the photo of the menu). The salmon melted in the mouth and the dish went perfectly with a Picpoul de Pinet which was light, fresh and lemony.
The main was a loin of lamb which was also cooked really nicely in my opinion. My only minor quibble was that aside from the potato, my main was a bit cold but perhaps this is how it was supposed to be. To go with the main we had an Australian Granache-​Syrah which was again, another great match. This tasted of sweet cherry and had a nice peppery finish.
Once the mains were finished, the chefs came out to introduce the dessert and we were told that we would all have to make our own. A chef demonstrated exactly how to plate up the dessert and we were then let loose with squeezy bottles, strawberry sorbet, and a blow torch. Fortunately I didn’t set anything on fire this time. Despite it looking a bit of a hot mess, and it not being something I would usually choose as a dessert, the flavours were lovely and summery.
Overall I thought it was a brilliant event with a great atmosphere so big thanks to Jonny and the restaurant staff, and of course Nic! The service throughout the night was excellent. The dessert making was loads of fun and definitely my highlight. Oh and how could I forget winning an awesome pair of white Unilocal sunnies and a bouncy ball in the raffle! Ace.

This was the second fine dining Elite event of the month and another excellent evening. It was held at Michael Caines restaurant at Abode. First impressions were good as the restaurant is very modern and stylish. I was handed a glass of tasty prosecco and was able to chat to some lovely fellow Unilocalers.
We were sat in groups of four during the meal and were given ample servings of artisan bread to accompany our starter. My favourite was definitely the tomato bread because it was full of flavour. I had the vegetarian menu which starter off with white asparagus, it tasted very fresh and the flavours were clean. The main of pan fried gnocchi was very good too and again the flavours had been well thought out.
For dessert we had to assemble our own dish, led by the expert pastry chefs we put together a pudding of strawberry mousse, sorbet with lots of fancy decoration. I must admit I won’t give up my day job as mine looked like a 5 year old had made it but the taste was sensational and it was fun to do something interactive as you got to chat with more people and enjoy the evening. We were also lucky enough to have all our wines chosen by Nik, the selection was excellent and really complemented the meal well.
Thank you to Jonny for organising another fabulous evening.

Last night saw the 2^nd episode of our Unilocal fine dining month. This time we descended the stairs to the Michael Caines restaurant within the Abode hotel. Greeted with prosecco we waited in the comfa sofa area before being shown through to our tables in the main restaurant. I have to say I much preferred the seating area of the Lowry event as we could all chat as a big group. For last night we had tables of 4 which meant it wasn’t as easy to talk to other people in the group.
The bread basket was plentiful with the tomato bread being my favourite. This was quickly followed by the salmon starter which I thoroughly enjoyed. The salmon was wonderfully soft served with slightly pickled cucumber. Next up was the main of lamb served atop boulangere potatoes with a pea fricasse. The potato was absolutely gorgeous and the lamb cooked pink so perfect for my taste. The peas still had a little bite which was perfect to finish a lovely dish.
Next we got to watch the head chef create our dessert… then we made our own! Luckily I had some help from chef so mine looked half (ish) decent and tasted lovely. My favourite element was the sorbet that was clearly made with the freshest of strawberries. I loved the interactive element too as it broke up what could have been a very formal evening.
Huge thanks to Jonny Q for organising and to the amazing Nic R for pairing wines to each course. The white served with the starter was delicious and I’ll be sure to pop in to Reserve for a bottle very soon. In fact, I’ll need to do a Unilocal review of the shop so a perfect excuse!

Arriving unfashionably early does have its advantages, in that one gets to suss out the surroundings while the venue is still quiet and enjoy a glass of yummy prosecco before anyone else *immaturely sticks tongue out, blows raspberry*.
And what plush surroundings they are too. The Michael Caines restaurant at Manchester’s aBode hotel is one of the city’s most prestigious, housed in a beautiful old building and boasting a luxurious low-​lit dining area fit for an A-​list celebrity.
Once the rest of the Elite squad had arrived and joined me in enjoying a flute of prosecco, we were shown to our tables and greeted with a bag full of Unilocal goodies, including a bottle opener keyring (always handy), a bottle cooler (just in case I ever learn to drink slowly) and a very fetching t-​shirt.
We kicked off our second fine dining experience with various types of delicious crusty bread, one of which was full of flavour — possibly containing sundried tomatoes? Whatever it was, it was good.
The starter — slow poached salmon with cucumber, caviar, dill, wasabi yoghurt, honey and soy vinaigrette — was a stunning work of art on a plate. And in terms of taste: absolutely spot-​on. The salmon was chunky yet tender, the cucumber looked almost jelly-​like and provided a cool, refreshing taste which perfectly complemented all the other elements. The paired wine for this course, a fruity French white called La Croix Gratiot, went down a treat and even though I’m a sauvignon blanc girl, I would be very happy to drink this again.
I’m not a vegetarian, but for my main course, I opted for pan fried herb gnocchi with fennel purée, pea fricassee, tepenade jus, broad beans and the tiniest mushrooms I’ve ever seen, instead of the lamb. I have always had a soft spot for baby lambs and after cuddling some in a graveyard (yes really) when I was 18, I swore I would never eat the meat again. Anyway, the gnocchi and accompanying flavours were perfect. I didn’t catch the name of the red wine which was paired with this course but again, it was something I would definitely drink again.
The dessert was interactive! So after watching one of the chefs show us how to put together a strawberry mousse with basil coulis, strawberry jelly and strawberry sorbet, we all got a shot at making our own, which involved using a blow torch. I was convinced I’d end up burning my hair off but it managed to escape unharmed. A few clumsy splatters and ill-​placed meringues later, I realised just how rubbish my plate looked compared to the chef’s, but thankfully it all tasted amazing!
This was another brilliant Unilocal event with the Elite squad from start to finish; great food and wines, friendly, professional staff and a top-​notch venue. Thank you to the Michael Caines team, Jonny Q and the fellow Unilocalers who made my second Elite event as enjoyable as the first. Looking forward to the next one already :-)

This was the second Fine Dining Elite event in 2 weeks. The second excuse to dig out a fancy frock.
Greeted by Jonny and a glass of Prosecco, I attempted to blend in to the fabulously elegant surroundings. I was shown to a seating area where fellow Unilocalers waited, talked and stylishly supped from their flutes. There was a real air of excitement about what was to come — everyone knew we were in for a treat.
Finding our place names, we had napkins placed on laps, water poured and bread delivered before we reached the bottom of our Unilocal goodybags! There was an intro from Jonny and then we met the team at Michael Caines who had organised the night ahead. Learning about Michael, his methods, his passion for local ingredients and sustainable supplies made the menu even more appealing. It was obvious that the team were very proud of the food we were about to be spoiled with.
We tucked in to the bread; a sundried tomato slice, a white stick and a sesame roll. That’s how I would describe them anyway, apologies for any inaccuracies. I really enjoyed the tomato bread. The others were a little too floury, which quickly coated the front of my black dress.
Then came the wine. The first was La Croix Gratiot, a fruity little number from France. Soon after sampling the wine, our smartly dressed servers brought square glass plates of delicately placed salmon pieces, wasabi yogurt, caviar, dill and cucumber. The flavours were amazing. I loved how soft the salmon was — it was so incredibly tender and was a prime example of the top quality of ingredients on offer. The wasabi yogurt was a perfect match providing a sharp kick and the burst of the caviar rounded off an amazing mouthful.
Next up, the lamb. Perfectly pink, atop tasty boulangere potato, peas, miniature mushrooms and 3 sauces. The star of this dish, for me, was the potato; it was rich, amazingly tasty and complimented the lamb shoulder a treat. There could have been more of it, but that’s probably because I’m used to hearty Northern portions. The accompanying red wine (The Beak, a Shiraz Grenache from Australia) was fresh with berries and had hints of pepper, which went brilliantly with the meaty main course.
The promise of an interactive dessert course had us all guessing. The chefs set up pudding making stations and showed us how to plate a dessert of strawberry mousse. Taking us through each element with skill and precision, we watched in awe as the plate quickly became a work of art. A squiggle of sauce here and a quenelle there. and, hey presto. you’ve got Michelin Star standard dessert. Easy right? Wrong. Tongue out and concentration face on, I splodged and splattered in the hope of recreating the chefs perfect example. Coaxing jelly-​topped-​mousse out of metal rings with a blowtorch wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing in my frock, but it was a great experience and really made me appreciate the skill levels involved in presenting the food we had eaten in the previous 2 courses.
Coffee and the raffle followed. It amazes me how many items feature a Unilocal logo. You name it, there’s a Unilocal branded version of it — from mints to pants. It’s both ridiculous and admirable. Prizes included a Michael Caines cookbook (not Unilocal branded), a set of 4 shot glasses, bouncy balls, limited edition floral white sunglasses and a dog bandana.
Incredible ingredients cooked by a highly skilled team, served by friendly faces in an elegant atmosphere — brilliant.
Big thanks to the team at Michael Caines at Abode, to Jonny for organising another top notch night, to Nic R for choosing the cracking wines and for all of the wonderful Unilocalers who make every event laughter-​filled and fun.

We’ve been really spoilt this month with not just one Elite event but two and both of them super stylish fine dining evenings.
Following the success of the first event at the River Restaurant, Abode certainly had something to live up to, however this isn’t ‘Restaurant Wars’ so I think it’s unfair to directly compare the two different venues and evenings just because we were lucky enough to attend two in such a short period.
I’d only visited Michael Caines @Abode once before, several years previously for a group celebration in the private dining room so was really looking forward to a return visit.
The restaurant is set in the basement of the hotel and is all low lit with a feeling of modern day opulence, whilst still feeling quite intimate and is very much a night time venue in my opinion. I was greeted with a warm welcome by both Jonny Q, our Unilocal host, and a smiling waiter proffering a glass of Prosecco before showing me through to the small lounge area just off the main restaurant. This area was set up with big comfortable chairs and a sofa which meant we didn’t really get to mingle much with our fellow guests which was a bit of a shame but it was a nice area for a relaxed chat with our apéritif.
After half an hour or so we were ushered through to the restaurant where we all quickly sought out our name places on the tables that were set up for four. This is probably a bit more formal than previous events, and again didn’t allow for a lot of mingling, but I’m guessing was necessary due to the set up of the restaurant.
We started with slow poached salmon which had spent time being cured before being gently cooked in a sous vide and was served with cucumber, caviar, dill, honey & soy vinaigrette and a wasabi yoghurt. I found the cucumber a touch too salty but the salmon was beautiful & the sweetness of the vinaigrette with the gentle heat of the wasabi was a great combination. The caviar were like little jewels and the soft popping you got every so often in a mouthful was a delight.
Prior to the salmon being brought out each table had been presented with a couple of baskets of bread and our waiter advised that we had pain de campagne, sundried tomato & black olive rye and crusty wholemeal rolls. The sundried tomato & black olive was my favourite but I enjoyed all three (obviously I had to try them all for fairness!) and the warm bread and salty butter were a great accompaniment to the silky salmon.
The main course was loin of lamb with a confit shoulder boulangere potato, fennel purée, pea fricassee and tapanade jous. The lamb was perfectly pink and the boulangere potato with the confit shoulder running through it was absolutely delicious. I’d never had boulangere potato like this and I’m not sure I can ever have it any other way now! I’ve heard a few people say they thought the portion was on the small side but it’s pretty much what I’d expect for a fine dining place and suited me. If I was out with my husband though we probably would’ve ordered a couple of sides though.
For me the highlight of the evening has to be the interactive dessert making though — it was so much fun! We were all invited up to the front of the restaurant and split into two groups to watch the head chef and pastry chef show how they plate the dessert of strawberry mousse with basil coulis, strawberry jelly and strawberry sorbet. As a keen home cook it was really interesting to see how the pros make these things look so fantastic, whilst simultaneously making it look very easy to do — and I can you it’s not! It was a really fun way to break up the evening though and gave us to chance to mingle and exchange a bit of lighthearted banter over everyone’s efforts. On the plus side, and despite the fact that we’d all got our grubby hands over the dessert, it tasted really good and was a perfect summery finish to the meal.
A special mention to Natalie from Abode who oversaw the event and was a warm and natural host, along with the waiting staff who I found to be extremely professional and didn’t miss a beat, several times answering questions about the food having overheard the odd query we had and checking how everything was for us. Also the wines had been chosen especially to accompany the food by Nic R, who handily works at Reserve Wines in Didsbury, and both the white (a Picpoul de Pinet) and the red (a Grenache-​Syrah) were fantastic.
Thanks also to Jonny Q for putting on another brilliant event for us very grateful Elite Unilocalers, bring on the next!

This was the second awesome Elite dining event of June, the first being the River Restaurant at the Lowry, I felt lucky to be part of this great evening.
It was held at the amazing Michael Caines Restaurant which is in the basement of the Abode Hotel in Piccadilly in Manchester.
I was greeted by a young gentleman who took my jacket away for the evening and was introduced to Jonny Q and a few of the other Unilocalers who was already there, a few seconds after arriving i was handed a glass of Prosecco, after chatting a bit with the other Unilocalers, Jonny and Natalie from the Abode took us to our tables of four, a great way to get to know the other Unilocalers as this was my second Elite event and loved the goodie bags!
I was sat with the awesome Natalie, Emily and Andy, and was looking forward to the great evening which we were about to have.
The whole restaurant was stunning and very up market.
First off we had water followed by a lovely selection of warm breads.
Next came the Salmon which was probably one of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted, it was well presented and it came with cucumber, caviar, dill, honey and soy vinaigrette and wasabi yogurt, it was amazing!!!
All the paired wines was chosen by Nik, and he made some great choices all the wines especially the Grenache Syrah were great!
The main course was the Loin of Lamb which was cooked to perfection and was really tasty, could of done with a bit more though, but loved the style of each course.
For desert the back of the restaurant was turned into a kitchen where two chefs showed us how to make a cool looking desert, some of the guys did awesomely well, i think i did an ok job of mine but not as good as some of the other Unilocalers but it was great fun.
The end of the evening was followed by a raffle where i won a bandanna and a bouncing ball hahahaha.
If i was ever looking for a romantic setting in a really cool restaurant then this is really a great place to go!
A super awesome evening in the presence of great Unilocalers, Many thanks to Jonny Q and the team at Michael Caines at the Abode!

As the Unilocal Manchester month of fine dining came to a close last night at Michael Caines’ restaurant in ABode, you could tell from everyone that it had been one hell of a June.
Greeted, as ever, by JQ — this time sporting a Damien Hirst-​like Unilocal t-​shirt (I want one) under his suit jacket and a glass of Prosecco, we all gathered in one of the seating areas and had a catch up before being shown into the dining room.
Split into tables of four we received the Unilocal welcome followed by an overview of the night’s proceedings by one of ABode’s managers and an intro to their team who would be looking after us throughout. The baskets of bread were devoured with relish (the ‘pointy ones’ were our table’s favourite).
It wasn’t long before the starters came out on square plates of glass — succulent pieces of Norwegian salmon with cucumber, caviar, dill and wasabi yogurt. It was terrific.
The wines were provided by Reserve via Nic R and the white with the starter was a great choice.
For mains, we had loin of lamb with boulangere potato, puréed fennel and pea fricassee. This is where I become ever-​so slightly disheartened in fine dining, not at all in the quality of the food but in the portion sizes — and this dish… I wanted it to be a whole lot bigger so it would last longer as it was so good. Juicy lamb with the variety of flavours surrounding it. The accompanying glass of red really suited the course, «juicy but not too juicy.»
The night’s highlight (for me) was the dessert course, where we were all invited up to two tables to witness one of the pastry chefs effortlessly put together an example of what we were having and then ask each of us to replicate. I was a tad nervous that a blow torch was involved. Strawberry mousse with basil coulis, strawberry jelly and sorbet. Our results were, let’s say ‘mixed’ but presentation didn’t detract from the taste. The basil and sweet olive sauces really worked with the sweetness.
After a wee Unilocal raffle and a rousing closing speech from Jonny, we started shuffling out, hoping that it wouldn’t be too long before we could don our glad rags in Manchester once again.
The night couldn’t have been made possible without JQ, the ABode staff and Reserve/​Nic, so a wholehearted thanks for a cracking end to June!