The room is relatively light, and there are small upright sofas instead of chairs at the table, which worked for us. Unfortunately, the human side of the operation let things down. Dinner service was rushed, the place seemed understaffed and it wasn’t a particularly comfortable experience. The food was okay, it may have been better than that but the negative dining experience overwhelmed it.
To start, we had pumpkin risotto and a pumpkin soup. These seasonal specials were just that, special. The pumpkin tasted smooth and fresh, in the risotto they set the rice and other flavours off nicely. In the soup they were the main event, and didn’t disappoint.
Main course consisted of duck breast and goats cheese and red pepper tortellini. The duck was tender, ruby red in the middle and slid off the fork. It came with wilted greens, pear puree and duck jus. The red pepper tortellini was a bit bland. We’re real pasta fans, so we were looking forward to this. It’s a shame it wasn’t worth the wait. The stuffing was light but didn’t taste of much. The pasta was more texture than taste, which was a shame.
Dessert was a chocolate bouchon and a cheese slate. The chocolate bouchon is a cross between a brownie and a lava cake, and was delicious. The chocolate was sweet with a bitter not and seemed to melt in the mouth. The cheese slate contained a nice mixture of hard and soft cheeses from across Europe. Each was well selected and tasted fresh and clean.
With our food we had an excellent rose, a Sancerre, which set everything off nicely. Considering the variety of our menu, the fruitiness of the wine worked with everything.
It isn’t often I gush over a hotel, but I’m making an exception this time. The Number 10 Manchester Street Hotel should be a model to others in the trade of how a boutique hotel should be. It’s posh but not pretentious, extravagant without being overly expensive and patient without being patronising. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who needs a night in the city. Shame I can’t say the same about the restaurant.