Pub review - The Bridge
At first glance, the Bridge could be mistaken for any other city-centre boozer on any other dusty main road.
Inside, the exposed brick walls have been painted crimson and white, there's some wood panelling and a few piles of old books in scuffed corners. It's a place with character and characters, and a pub with a seriously pubby atmosphere, thanks to the lively mix of drinkers, who range from labourers to solicitors (the pub is close to Manchester's law courts).
First time visitors who enter the pub from Bridge Street may be slightly confused that it's the same place listed in the Good Food Guide or that it's the Bridge acclaimed by Egon Ronay in his gastropub guide. Only closer inspection of the menus and the gallery of press cuttings near the door reveal the true identity of this unassuming Manchester pub.
With the drinkers well catered for with generous sandwiches served with chips and salad (all £3.95), the restaurant area at the back offers a completely different experience.
Owner/chef Robert Owen-Brown has run the pub for the past two-and-a-half years and he has gained a big reputation in the north west for his no-frills modern British cooking. This is clearly a chef who plans his menus around the local produce available to him, and he has visited all of the many farmers and artisans listed on the menu, which changes every six to eight weeks.
From eight starters (all of which I was tempted by), I plumped for the Knight of Black Puddings (£5.50) - which was simply a warm, horseshoe-shaped blood pudding (made by Andy Holt in Bury - widely regarded as the best black pudding maker in Lancashire), served with a Coleman's English Mustard dressing. It was a dish of staggering simplicity and immense flavour.
Local producers and places are named throughout the menu: Manx kipper fillets, Horseshoe Farm goose egg, Morecambe Bay shrimps, Dougie Almond's lamb, Eccles cakes, Mrs Kirkham's cheese, Mrs Dowson's ice creams. It reads like a directory of the best producers in the north west.
For mains, a flash-fried piece of liver had the same slight quiver to it as a piece of good foie gras. It was served with some of the best dry-cure bacon I've ever tasted, a plump, porky Manchester sausage and mash. At £9, it was twice as good as similar dishes I've had in other gastropubs for twice the price.
And for dessert, a rare treat - a Manchester tart (£4.95), made to a traditional recipe and brought bang up-to-date with some coconut ice cream and some slices of ripe banana.
For honest, ego-free cooking at bargain basement prices, look no further than the Bridge, where you'll find some of the best food in the north west.
Mark Taylor
PubChef rating (out of 10)
Ambience 8, Value for money 9, Flavour factor 9, Overall impression 9
BEERS: Guinness, San Miguel, John Smith's, Fosters, Boddingtons
MAIN COURSES: £8.95 to £14.50
WINES ON LIST: 10 whites (2 by the glass), 8 reds (2 by the glass), 1 rosé, 4 Champagnes
ANOTHER THING: The Bridge sells a dozen malt whiskies including Monkey Shoulder and Talisker.
