The Mulberry // Food Review
"This cheesecake was like an interactive installation piece." - Emma reviews the Golden Triangle's The Mulberry.
THE MULBERRY
THE GEN: The Mulberry is a great example of what their umbrella brand, Drink Eat Stay Play is so astoundingly good at; The Mulberry, The Langtry, Bam Bam, Beluga, Farmer Browns, Karma Kafe and a few more again are all related but fiercely, demonstrably different in their own character. It’s like a mother having triplets and explaining that each one behaves so differently from the rest. To me, The Mulberry, geographically dissecting the busy Unthank Rd parade, is the calm, older auntie of the family; the relaxed and beautifully, but effortlessly turned out member of the bunch.
ATMOSPHERE: I love the hubbub of Unthank on a Sunday; it’s a self-sufficient neighbourhood, a welcoming haven outside of the city, and the casual passers-by and steady flow in to The Mulberry of all types of customer – the Sunday best, the late risers, the greeting families – are the perfect guests in this shabby chic (in the least ‘buzzword’ sense) refuge.
TO START: Confit Duck Salad with Runner Bean Chards & Chorizo Vinaigrette // Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Cream & Crisp Apple Salad When you have a sneaking suspicion that an incarnation of Sunday lunch is soon to be decided upon, for starters, you must go light. Even me, who has the appetite of a gastric band that’s been given its P45, conforms to this rule and appreciated the subtlety of these two – in effect – salads. The duck’s fattiness was offset by earthy chard and in the case of the salmon dish, the apple sliced like a fruity rapier through the salty cured fish. There were a couple of members late for roll-call though; on both dishes, the chorizo and horseradish elements were subtle to the point of being late for the wedding. I know they’re strong flavours, but as my bulging waistline and cavernous space-for-rent mouth would attest, I’m a big girl, so sock it to me.
THE MAIN EVENT: Sunday Beef with all the Trimmings // Belly of Pork, Mustard Mash and Seasonal Veg I’m pre-programmed for a couple of things; one, if any food item appears in the discount section, despite my predilection or otherwise for it, I will buy it; and two, if belly pork’s on the menu, I’m ordering it. I can happily say that despite maybe arguing that the pork could have been another inch thick, it conformed to a trinity you can’t go wrong with – pork, mash and veg, all cloaked with a thick jus. The beef being put on the table was like going on a date and your companion informing you of their lack of underwear. The beef was cut so thick and piled high – you knew what you were gonna get, and it was gonna be divine. The trimmings in question were a real mixed bag, however. The braised red cabbage, all fruity and full of cinnamon was so fragrant I could have siphoned off the remaining liquid on my plate and marketed it for the Body Shop counter. A barrier of thick gravy would have stemmed the tide of eau de cabbage, but that was lacking.
PUD: Jaffa Smash Cheesecake with Chocolate Ice Cream This cheesecake was like an interactive installation piece; flecked with chocolate shavings and thickly sliced, it looked a treat, but then took on further life as you punctured molecules of something citric and oozing. It could have done with more of these pockets of pleasure.
VALUE: The justification – in all but the pork – for the prices had to be that where the meat / fish were concerned, it concertinaed over itself in resplendent generosity, which is a welcome change from the norm. Some may find the Sunday beef option a little way off the mark when others deliver the same elsewhere for less.
