There are two types of people in life; just as you can divide the population between Marmite haters and Marmite lovers, you can split the world by their views on steak. For some the idea of munching on a thick slab of steak is primal and animalistic, while for others, there’s no greater pleasure. I sit firmly in the latter camp, never happier than when I’ve got a fat rump on my plate which is why on a recent trip to Manchester, I had to try out The Grill on the Alley’s offerings.
Venue & Atmosphere
Tucked away on Ridgefield Street in the heart of Spinningfields, The Grill on the Alley is two storeys of New York style with Manchester touches. The restaurant is a mix of exposed brick, Edison lightbulbs and prints of the city. The top floor is split between a heavy wooden bar at the entrance, while the back of the room is full of leather booths, an open kitchen, and the famous Himalayan salt fridge - a contraption that works to further remove excess moisture from the meat and make it even more tender.
Heading there on a Monday lunchtime, the restaurant was a little quiet with families and couples dotted around. The venue works hard to make you feel welcome, with ever-smiling and super friendly staff who left us wanting to swap our set of friends for this crew. While upstairs was great for larger groups, the downstairs dining area seemed far more suited for date night with tucked away seating secluded by leafy plants and lower lighting.
The interiors of The Grill on the Alley take inspiration from New York cool but with added Manchester touches.
Food & Drink
I’m going to cut to the chase, The Grill on the Alley is a carnivore’s paradise with a menu that’s more than a little meat heavy. From Argentinian beef through to the world-famous Wagyu (a cow that is fed beer and massaged), the restaurant has a huge variety of meat and cuts. It’s not all steak though, there’s also impressive list of starters and seafood along with a concise lunch menu that includes a glass of wine.
We started with the Salmon Tartare (£7.25) which was chunks of fresh raw salmon wrapped round a tiny boiled quail’s egg, and Smoked Haddock with a poached egg (£6.95) which was a delicious, hearty broth with spinach and lobster sauce. Is there much else you can have for mains other than a steak? The Scotch sirloin came in either 227g (£23) or 340g (£29) portions and was a thick cut of soft meat that had been aged for 28 days, made even more mouth-watering doused in the creamy stilton sauce. If you're going to go big, you may as well go gigantic - was my logic as I ordered a heart-attack rich side of dauphinoise potatoes (£3.50) which were smothered in everything naughty, of course making them all the more heavenly.
If the food at The Grill on the Alley is worth an afternoon’s worth of eating, then the cocktail selection will keep you there until well after sundown. While we did our best to drink the entire list, the standouts for me were the Rose Royce (£8) which was a short glass of sweet floral flavours such as strawberry liqueur and rose undercut by acidic tones of lemon and pineapple. For something less juicy, The Italian Job (£8.50) was a refreshing take on the classic spritz with added gin and passion fruit while Apricot Bianco (£8) was a thick mix of tequila, egg white and apricot jam.
Steak are chosen from around the world, aged for 28 days and placed in a Himalayan salt fridge.
Summary
Huge steaks aged to perfection, a laid-back and intimate atmosphere and a cocktail list good enough to swap a kidney for - what more could you want from a night out in Manchester? The Grill on the Alley may not be Manchester’s cheapest night out but it’s got to be up there with one of the most delicious.
