W
L
KALA
by Carl Housbey
If I was paid a pound for every word I write in these articles then the
Chef I would have earned most money from over the years would be
Gary Usher, as I’ve already written about Sticky Walnut, Burnt Truffle,
Hispi, Wreckfish, & Pinion, and I’m about to tell you all about his latest
opening Kala in Manchester. However, I wouldn’t have a penny of that
money left as it has all been spent on Kickstarter to help fund each of his
latest ventures, so you could say that Gary and I have almost a symbiotic
relationship. I started with the aged beef tartare with oyster and beef fat croutons, which
both looked and tasted amazing, the beef had been chopped coarser than
you might usually find, and I thought this simple tweak really enhanced the
dish. Mrs GG had the roasted octopus with sunflower seed puree, which was
packed with flavour, was so succulent, and perfectly cooked. If you’ve ever
been put off choosing this dish because of the one time on holiday when it
was like a car tyre then I definitely urge you to think again because this was
superb.
This time around Gary needed £100k as he said that he’d made a slight error
in his calculations or words to that effect (which can’t be printed just in case
you are reading this before 9:00pm). To make it more of a challenge he had
decided to set the time limit on the crowd funding at 100 hours, but as usual
the money came pouring in, and the target was reached in 11 hours. I know
that many of you very generously put your hands in your pocket each and
every time, as I can see your names in pride of place on the wall, and Gary is
eternally grateful to you all. So I will say a huge thank you on his behalf, and
get on with telling you what you’ve spent your money on this time. Sticking with the fish / meat theme, we chose barbecued monkfish, and
Tandoori chicken for our main courses. The firm, meaty monkfish tail had
been left on the bone and was served with a fresh salad of finely sliced red
cabbage, diced mango, macadamia nut and some delicious BBQ sauce, once
again the cooking was absolutely spot on. My beautifully tender chicken
breast had been coated with yoghurt and spices and then lightly scorched
to give it the authentic taste of the tandoor, and was accompanied by a
wedge of iceberg lettuce and mustard seed dressing which was so tasty that if
served by itself would have any vegetarians out there jumping for joy. It goes
without saying that we also ordered a side of the highly addictive truffle and
parmesan chips, because as we all know resistance is futile.
Kala is in a glass fronted corner plot at the top end of King Street, and is
ideally situated to stop for some rest and recuperation after shopping till
you drop at the many designer stores along the way, or perhaps a bit of
people watching from the counter with a drink and some snacks from the
bar menu. Either way you are in for a treat as this is possibly the best Elite
Bistro yet containing everything you have come to know and love, plus a few
enhancements such as the pastry section downstairs where you can watch
the Chefs creating the desserts right in front of you.
When I visited, the spacious dining room upstairs was full of very happy
diners, and it’s not hard to see why, as there is something on the menu to suit
everyone whether you’re a vegetarian, pescatarian, or complete omnivore
like myself. My usual routine is to order a glass of Champagne with some
bread and snacks to nibble on whilst deciding what to eat, and this time was
no different, so I was soon tucking in to some delicious focaccia and a plate
of piquant seasonal pickles.
48 wirrallife.com
I mentioned earlier that we had been watching the Chefs preparing the
desserts downstairs, one of which was a banoffee choux bun filled with
whipped cream and served with a salted caramel sauce, so of course we just
had to try one. It didn’t disappoint, the bun was as light and fluffy as it looked
and the whole thing just melted in the mouth. I chose the Parkin with stem
ginger ice cream and butterscotch sauce which was a really indulgent and
satisfying way to end our amazing meal.
Kala currently offers a set menu of two courses for £20.00 or three courses for
£23.00, which can be taken at lunchtime or early dinner. They also have A la
carte, Breakfast, and Sunday Lunch menus available, for more details and to
book a table click on www.kalabistro.co.uk or call 0800 160 1811
To see what else I get up to, why not follow me on Twitter @carlhousbey