Looking out onto an inconspicuous street in Urmston, you’ll find one of Greater Manchester’s best restaurants.
Örme, whose name derives from the origins of the Trafford town on holdings bestowed to landowner Orme Fitz Seward in the 12th century, has only been open since May, but has already been namechecked in the Michelin Inspectors’ round-up of their favourite new restaurants.
Joining the likes of Mana, Erst and Adam Reid at The French, it’s a huge accomplishment, and an important boost to dining concepts taking the plunge and setting up outside of the city centre where there’s less organic footfall.
READ MORE: Two Greater Manchester restaurants named in Michelin Guide just months after opening
To land in the Michelin Guide, you might have preconceived notions about the place. Would it have an obnoxiously long waiting list? Or would there be stuffy white table cloths and staff moving in unison around an upscale, but soulless dining room?
Gladly, nothing of the sort. While it offers one of the most affordable - if not the most affordable - tasting menus in Greater Manchester, it is down-to-earth, homely and totally unpretentious.
Its seasonally changing tasting menu, focused on championing locally sourced ingredients, is priced at £45 for six dishes - and ten pounds less if you visit on Friday or Saturday lunchtime. There’s a surcharge on some dishes and optional drinks flights - including wines, spirits, ciders and more - are designed to work in perfect harmony with the chef’s creations.
Opened by chefs Jack Fields and Tom Wilson - friends who grew up in Urmston - and Jack’s partner Rachel Roberts, there’s a distinct Nordic touch to proceedings, but it is very much rooted in British produce.
Arriving into the tiny space one Saturday afternoon it immediately feels like you’ve stepped into someone’s front room. And, as you take your seat in the modern, but pared-back space, with its calming navy blue walls, pine panelling and artwork depicting Manchester scenery and architecture, you actually find yourself looking right onto a row of houses.
The large window facing onto the street can initially feel a little exposing - almost like we’re starring in a theatre production for all to see. But, you soon realise that people passing by pay little attention, and the residents opposite go about their business as they wash their cars, take their dogs for a walk around the block and pick autumn leaves from the drive.
A playlist of Indie classics softly plays in the background, as the chefs carefully dish out the first course from the open kitchen behind. It’s labelled only as ‘bread and butter’ on the menu - which features four set dishes and two suggested additions - but what arrives is much more than that.
Still warm from the oven, two mini chive milk loaves arrive at the table, accompanied by a wooden bowl of marmite butter. Using the mini trowel to layer it only, there’s no question of love or hate here because it is simply delicious - both salty and sweet in the same bite.
Joined by a series of ‘Chefs Snacks’ in the form of a mini beef tartare piled atop a tiny crostini, and a smoked haddock espuma - a fancy type of foam - the meal is off to an extremely strong start. The haddock is packed full of flavour, while the foam is glossy and creates a mesmerising swirl in the small blue bowl as every last morsel is scooped up.
Equally as pretty, but also full of substance is the second course, langoustine and crayfish ravioli with parsnip and apple. What ensues is spoonful after spoonful of creamy, rich and warming bisque slurped up, and cut through by the crunchy apple cubes - chopped roughly rather than to precision.
For an extra £9 we add one supplementary dish - the cured monkfish with celeriac and buttermilk, served with a dill dressing. Presented like an artwork - thin layers of translucent monkish on the base, dressed with cubes of celeriac and buttermilk spheres, broken up only by the dill sauce.
It not only glistens in the light but results in an explosion of flavour on the tongue - easily the most thought-provoking dish on the menu. While we don’t opt for it on this occasion, it can be upgraded with a British drinks pairing for £7, much like the cheese course later on.
What is essentially the main dish here at Örme may not look like much when it arrives, but every element works in unison. A small square of venison haunch, and a mini meatball-esque Venison haggis is served with smoked carrot, and topped with blueberries.
To the side is a small dot of blueberry puree which brings it all together. Cut a slither of venison, pile it with a cube of carrot which has been smoked perfectly, and layer on a coat of puree and you have one seriously well-executed dish. The puree almost had a brown sauce flavour to it, making for a dish that feels intrinsically British - I selfishly just wished there had been a potato element.
Arriving like autumn in a bowl, and tasting like a really posh ginger biscuit was the poached pear with peanut butter custard and ginger ice cream. A harmony of textures from the spreadable peanut and crunchy ginger elements to the melt-in-the-mouth ice cream, you can tell this dish was designed as the ultimate comfort food.
The drinks selection here is small but mighty, and whilst I went for a lo-and-no option in the form of the Noughty Thompson & Scott Sparkling Chardonnay 0% (£4.50), the pairings which include a 'Dark & Stormy' cocktail with spiced rum, lime brown sugar, bitters and apple juice, and its beers, including Radcliffe's Brightside Brewing Company and Manchester's Track and Cloudwater, would surely have gone down a treat.
If you want a brief summary on what Örme in Urmston is really about, it requires just three words - unpretentious, seasonal and thoughtful. But, if you want to really appreciate its price-busting tasting menus and its delicious dishes, then you really should visit it for yourself - and I strongly suggest that you do.
