Allium Reveals another layer #Review

Stephen Wundke
17th August 2018

Mark Ellis has packed an awful lot of cooking in to his short but eventful life. He has worked under the finest names in the country and in some of the greatest restaurants we have. He started his chef life with Simon Radley at the Grosvenor and spent his apprenticeship learning his trade in places like the Waterside Inn. At Peckforton Castle he earnt his own plaudits and when the time came to create his own restaurant the local lad, with some help from the TV programme, Great British Menu, on which he appeared twice, launched Allium at Tattenhall, in the shadows of his former Restaurant and in the heart of the county he lives in and loves.

Allium was an instant succcess with people booking and eating his high end offering in good numbers but as much as he was enjoying financial success there was something wrong. He wasn’t happy. His partner of 15 years and front house manager, told him he needed to think about what made him happy and that was when he got it, that light bulb moment. He realised he had been cooking the food that people wanted but not the food that he wanted to cook. He instantly knew the answer. His love had always been Cajun Food, rooted in the deep south of America, home of the Confederate flag and just as he realised the answer the smile returned to his face and the passion and enthusiasm was back. He knew what he had to do. Change his menu and hope that his customers would come with him on this new journey, a brave move and not without its critics. It had been a seminal moment, yet another, in this culinary trip but one, that on the evidence of our lunch, was yet another correct exit on the turnpike.

We went to try the lunch of 2 courses for £16 and on arrival were delighted with the setting in this lovely village. Tattenhall is indeed a lovely place and becoming quite a foodie heaven with the Ice cream farm just down the road and The Pheasant at Burwardsley a mile away. We had a number of choices for our starters, which we could see in the main menu were listed as being £4-6 if you bought them outside our package, which seemed very reasonable. We opted for the Mac and Cheese with Bacon and the Louisianna Hot and Spicy Wings. Whilst waiting for our meal we were served a lovely little taster of Deep Fried Whitebait with a crisp light batter and a homemade tartar sauce with lemon rind. It was a thoughtful touch and a lovely appetiser.

When our starters arrived it was hard to tell who had got the best result. I have never been a Mac and Cheese fan but there was a rich deep flavour to the cheese and the bacon perfectly cooked with crispy bits that sat on top of this full flavoured cheese sauce that accompanied the pasta. I was converted after just the one stolen forkful. My own starter of Hot and Spicy Chicken wings was also a winner. It truly was hot and spicy but not to the detriment of the flavour. Again the southern chilli influence was evident and the sticky glaze added real depth to the chicken wing. I welcomed the dip in to the sour cream and chive pot that accompanied my dish. This was an excellent start to our southern tour and we were excited by the prospects of mains.

The first of our dishes arrived and it was the BBQ Sauce, Baby Back Ribs. Now my partner has had a lot of ribs but proclaimed these as the best in Cheshire. They rightly fell off the bone and the BBQ was more than a sauce, it had depth, flavour and substance and it stuck to the ribs, coating each of them with a little slice of Mississipi as you ate them. The coleslaw was home made, sharp and crisp but could have been a bit cooler and the corn buttered as you would expect but not with a lot of flavour, they and the chips were almost unecessary, or they would have been if I hadn’t nicked 2 of the ribs from the other plate! My own main was spectacularly presented. I chose the Single Beef Rib (£4 supplement) which had been cooked for 24 hours and covered in a Sticky Treacle, Nashville Bourbon and Honey glaze. Boy did this have flavour. You could still taste the earthiness of the beef but then you got the sour hit of bourbon and the sweet finish of the honey that made everything just sing. This was passion on a plate and you could tell this was what got Mark up in the morning to once again enjoy his cooking and see the joy on his diners faces.

By the time we finished our two courses we were replete and we felt again, we had been transported out of Tattenhall, at least just for an hour and we loved it. Lunch was done in 56 minutes so we made our hour deadline – that didn’t of course include driving here but heh, it was such a lovely drive!!

It takes a brave man to return to his roots and alter his business plan but in this case it has proven to be right for everyone. Allium is still a work in progress in this transformation but Mark is once again cooking for love and not just for profit.  Well done, we loved our lunch flavours.

Ratings:   

Service 9/10        Ambience and Setting 7/10          Food 8/10         Value for Money 9/10              Total Score: 33/40