Pro vs punter: Campagna at The Creameries
Critic Tony Naylor and olive reader Khyati Patel give their verdicts on this neighbourhood Manchester restaurant with a pared-back Southern European menu
When The Creameries owner, chef Mary-Ellen McTague, stepped away from the business earlier this year (partly to focus on her Eat Well charity), she wanted it to reset as a neighbourhood hang-out.
In February, this modish space relaunched as Campagna, with head chef Mike Thomas given rein to develop a Southern European menu of cool, snacky starters (£3-£7); seasonal salads utilising exceptional regional produce; and handmade pasta dishes, such as wild rabbit or beef shin ragu (£10-£15). A low-intervention wine list and Sunday’s menu of Italian classics (lasagne, tiramisu, £30pp), complete this overture to the food lovers of Chorlton, Manchester’s most boho suburb. thecreameries.co.uk
Our pro says
Based in Manchester, Tony Naylor has spent more than a decade writing about food and drink for a variety of national outlets, most regularly olive, The Guardian and Restaurant magazine. Follow him on Twitter @naylor_tony.
Like its chic, minimalist interior (all greyscale tones and hip trailing plants), The Creameries menu is almost provocatively stripped back. On my visit it included just six snacks/starters and two mains. This may expand a little in summer, I’m told, as fresh produce becomes more abundant, but not much.
I’m fine with brevity. Big menus make me nervous. The tyranny of choice is real. Better the kitchen nails a short menu than fumbles a large one. A theory The Creameries largely bears out.
Warm, buttery Tuscan-style chicken livers, blitzed and spread on crostini, boast such a depth of flavour that we order a second batch pre-dessert. Crisp, yielding panisse (chip-like, fried batons of chickpea flour) are wolfed down with another southern French gift to the world, garlicky rouille. Our drinks – Guy Allion sauvignon blanc (£5.50), one of several tap wines, and, from Salford, Pomona Island’s session pale, Factotum (£6) – are similarly fresh, unfussy and full flavoured.
A salad of cored, carved, skinless cucumber, shaved fennel, croutons and arrestingly savoury, semi-hard ricotta, dressed with tarragon, lemon zest and good oil, illustrates the flavour alchemy that occurs when you bring a clever combo of complementary ingredients together at their peak. Perfectly al dente tagliatelle in walnut sauce, in its creaminess, earthiness and black pepper heat, similarly delivers compelling layers of flavour from simple ingredients.
Hogget tagliatelle, while tasty, lacks that nuance. It is a little one-note. But dessert returns to an impressive groove, with a flourless chocolate cake that, rich, dense, intense, melts silkily in the mouth.
Full disclosure: having spotted my name on the reservations, owner Mary-Ellen, unaware I was reviewing for olive, had staff waive the cost of our first drinks. Regardless, I was won over. This is rigorous cooking of serious value in a super-relaxed format. It deserves to fly. You can read The Creameries menu in seconds. It delivers pleasure that lingers for hours.
Bill for two including service: £96.25
Atmosphere: 8
Service: 8
Food: 7.5
Total: 23.5/30
Our punter says
Khyati Patel is from Altringham, Manchester and works in sales for a food manufacturer. She eats out two to three times a week and one of her favourite experiences was at Holborn Dining Room, where she says the dauphinoise potato, Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and caramelised onion pie was “a work of art”.
Tucked away in Chorlton, you’ll catch a glimpse of the smooth-running open kitchen as soon as you enter Campagna. The neighbourhood restaurant has created a warm, calm atmosphere with a combination of hanging plants and a team of friendly, attentive staff.
We were lucky enough to spot a focaccia tray fresh out the oven as we walked in on a Saturday evening, and it became the first thing we ordered before we had even sat down.
The menu is short and changes weekly depending on what is available. Chef Mike Thomas heroes seasonal produce while giving you a taste of southern Italy.
For the mains, there was one meat and one veggie pasta option, keeping decisions quick and easy. We chose a carafe of fruity Frentano Rosso for drinks.
We started with the fresh foccacia and panisse with rouille. The olive oil-soaked foccacia was crisp and salty on the outside, and fluffy and airy inside. It was very moreish but luckily we had a big slab each. The panisse was crispy to bite with a smooth and lightly creamy centre.
The pasta dish was my highlight, tagliatelle salsa di noci. A dish that combined lots of textures: freshly rolled silky pasta, a rich creamy walnut sauce with whole walnut pieces mixed in.
We finished up with all three desserts on the menu –a light hazelnut torte, a melt in the mouth flourless chocolate cake with chantilly cream, and a creamy gorgonzola with homemade rye crackers and a side of quince and apple jelly. The only request I would make is a bigger serving of chantilly cream, as it was delicious.
Overall, despite a small menu, the quality behind each dish is high, and the brilliant service and feel of the restaurant leave you wanting to come back for more.
Bill for two, including service: £99
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 10
Food: 8
Total: 27/30