Outside Örme is a new addition to its external furniture. It’s a plaque featuring the legend ‘Michelin 2024’.
In less than a year, Jack Fields and Tom Wilson, chef-patrons of this small neighbourhood kitchen and dining room, have managed to get themselves listed among only a handful of other Greater Manchester restaurants by the most revered food guide in the world.
It’s not a star – yet – but they’re very pleased about it, as you might expect.
“We’ve now got people travelling here from all over the place,” says Jack. “People are finding us in the guide, which is fucking… mad, really. It’s been noticeable. Definitely.
“We opened on 31 May last year, and we found out about eight weeks after opening that we’d got listed.
“We weren’t expecting that at all. It’s mad. We’re just blagging it, to be honest. But it’s a dream too.”
This is a small team running a small restaurant – no big backing, no other sites – making their achievements so far all the more impressive. As well as Tom and Jack, Jack’s partner Rachel is the sommelier. They have one extra hand in the kitchen, and another on the floor, and that’s it.
They make a little go a very long way. The tasting menus are tightly designed, there’s no waste whatsoever (which also feeds into their desire to be as sustainable as possible too).
They’re also wildly reasonable. A four-course tasting menu will cost you £40, plus £28 if you go for the wine pairing. For six courses, it’s £55 and £38.
For that, you can dive into their seasonal menu, which is delivered dish by dish, knowledgably, to a soundtrack of tunes beloved by all involved in this endeavour.
The dishes change gradually, rather than abruptly, moving as certain ingredients become abundant, and adjusting as others come in to take their place.
On a recent visit, things kicked off with wild garlic rolls, served with chilli and confit garlic butter, and an ‘in-one’ cured salmon spring roll with pickled onion mayo, to be eaten in one slick movement. Then a Japanese-style savoury custard, flavoured with celeriac, apple and finished with some Cumbrian air-dried ham.
There were barbecued heritage carrots with coriander served up with feta sourced from Cumbria, and a piece of cured Skrei cod with smoked kohlrabi and a buttermilk sauce split with dill oil. It was Tom’s idea, inspired by a ‘staff tea’ of tacos a few weeks back and now developed into a proper dish.
A take on the timeless ‘bouillabaisse’ followed, made with torched mackerel and inspired by trips to Bordeaux. It came served with, of all things, a perry cider, from Little Ponoma Throne Farm in Herefordshire, using a French variety of pear, a pretty brilliant leftfield pairing choice. “It’s incredible with fish,” Rachel says. “Nice and light.”
Then a craddle of lamb – a cheaper cut from the top of the leg which needs a bit of TLC to make sure you get consistent results – came out with a unctuous ragout of the belly, garlic in various guises from wild to roasted and pureed, and in-season Jersey Royals.
A take on the Eccles cake followed, an Eccles ‘tart’ with a powerfully mature cheddar, before the two puddings – sheep’s yoghurt and caramel with passionfruit, scented with Meadowsweet, a seasonal herb which can be made into cordials and syrups and, handily, was historically used as a treatment for gout.
Rhubarb and custard completed the journey, the rhubarb just heading out of season (you’ll have to wait until next year now) with white chocolate, cardamom and a sesame cheesecake – it’s served up with their Stone Roses cocktail, because of course it is (Bombay Sapphire gin, rhubarb syrup, rhubarb bitters, lemon juice and sparkling rose).
In fact, if you want to pop in for a cocktail alone, you can – perhaps a New Order, made with bourbon, chocolate bitters, Kahlua and vermouth – sitting on their front terrace, which gets the sun at the end of the day.
As if we needed another reason…
Örme, 218 Church Rd, Urmston, Manchester M41 9DX
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