Testimonials
This established pub-bistro on Whitworth Road is now in the capable hands of Damien Grundy, who has taken the bold step of moving away from the South African cuisine it had become famous for.
Experienced chef Simon Marshall is now at the helm offering a tempting varied menu complete with a specials board offering enticing dishes using fresh seasonal produce.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is quite traditional and light, gone are the African images which have been replaced by a gallery of paintings by local artist Peter Sunderland. The wine list offers a reasonable choice of both red and white with average prices around £15 per bottle.
I started with King prawns tossed in smoked paprika and garlic butter finished with a squeeze of lime which had a delicate balance of aromatic flavours. My guest had smoked salmon pillow filled with ricotta cheese on a rocket and asparagus vinaigrette and both scored high on flavour.
For mains I had the poached salmon, crab mussel and saffron broth served with Jersey royal potatoes, my guest chose the fillet of Sea Bass with crab fritters and shellfish sauce with garlic creamed potatoes which were both delicious.
The starters ranged in price from £3.95 to £5 and the main courses ranged in price from £12.95 to £17.95. There’s an interesting mix of puddings and some excellent tasting local northern cheeses from the award winning Church Mouse Cheeses voted the best cheese shop in Britain. They also offer a range of speciality coffees to finish off your meal.
All in all I think the new partnership has put together an affordable and interesting menu that will encourage the diner to return to sample more. The staff look after you without nagging every five minutes to see if “everything’s all right”. There was even a visit from the chef who did a quick tour of the dining room to make sure everything was up to scratch.
The Albion is capable of lifting gloom and with a three course meal for two coming in within most peoples budget it is a definite recommend.
Published and printed in Rochdale Style Magazine – Colin Meredith dines out.