Situated in Ancoats’ cutting room square, Elnecot is an award-winning neighbourhood bar and restaurant serving high-quality food influenced by fresh British flavours.
Its open kitchen showcases the stylised talent of its chefs to an intimate room of no more than 100 people, who seem to come back time and time again to sample their well crafted food.
The new menu combines simple, British flavours with the mastery of Head Chefs, Michael Clay and Amelia Collins. They have managed to craft dishes that will no doubt introduce each diner to a brand-new favourite flavour combination, one that they’ll struggle to stop thinking about in the weeks following.
Devon Brown Crab Crumpets (£14) // Piccalilli, hazelnut, Connage, marinated trout roe
The menu was put together over the past couple of months, influenced by seasonality and Asian flavours that Michael was exposed to during his travels to South East Asia, a theme that seemingly runs throughout the entire menu.
“We look at what’s in season and devise a lot of our dishes from those ingredients. We work with a great butcher and source all of our vegetables from Cinderwood Market in Cheshire, meaning that we can quickly adapt to whatever great vegetables they send us.
“Leeks, radishes, mushrooms and rhubarb are all in season at the moment, along with obviously the lamb and beef, so we’ve taken these fairly simple ingredients and put our own spin on them, creating local seasonal dishes with bursts of Asian flavours.”
Monmouthshire Coppa and Cornicons
Starting off with a classic dish from Elnecot’s new nibbles menu, we tried the Devilled Eggs (£5) – optimally boiled and filled with a creamy sauce, with just enough sharpness to set you up for your mains.
Joined by the Monmouthshire Coppa and Cornicons (£7), a dish consisting of air-dried pork collar beautifully marbled with fat, the newly invented nibbles are the perfect start to any Saturday in the suburbs.
Elnecot’s main dishes menu will delight the more laidback diner that enjoys conversing over small plates and various glasses of wine, as each dish arrives as and when it has been prepared.
Triple Cooked Koffman Skin-on Chips (£5) // Mushroom ketchup
There’s nothing wrong with a classic chip, until you get to Elnecot, of course and enjoy their take on the comforting taste of any after-school dinner. With the smokiness of the Triple Cooked Koffman Skin-on Chips (£5) dominating your tastebuds, the chips are then paired with a mushroom tomato sauce. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, there’s something about this that seriously works.
You could say the same for the brand-new plate, Leeky Boys (£7.50), too. A vegetable that traditionally works wonders in a pie or as part of a creamy pasta dish, Elnecot has combined it with romesco sauce, smoked almonds and a sourdough crumb – it’s fun and different, proving that the palette of a vegetarian is as much revered as the meat eater.
Leeky Boys (£7.50) // Confit leek, Romesco sauce, smoked almonds, sourdough crumb
“A lot of the new menu is vegetable-based,” furthered Michael. “We’ve really tried to have a good balance of dishes that compliment each other. The leeks were in season, but we then thought ‘ok, how can we do this differently?’ so that’s when the decision was made to pair the vegetable with the romesco sauce and almonds.
“We’re always looking to create dishes that are ultimately fun and will grab people’s attention when they’re looking at the menu, and I think this one does that really well.”
Crispy Pork Belly (£8) // Apple chutney, savoy kimchi, hazelnuts, smoked tofu
Sticky Native Breed Short Ribs (£18)
Not forgetting the carnivores, Elnecot’s new menu has also reinvented some old favourites, including the Crispy Pork Belly (£8), which has been refreshed with zesty apple chutney, savoy kimchi, hazelnuts and smoked tofu to create an aromatic palette cleanser.
You also have the Sticky Native Breed Short Ribs (£18) that fall off the bone and are finished with a mild kick to keep you on your toes. “The ribs are definitely a favourite of mine. We decided to serve them with a Thai style sauce and salad, as we’d tried a similar sweet sauce previously with fish and it worked really well.
“We originally wanted to serve the dish with papaya, but we couldn’t get hold of any so we decided to use kohlrabi, which is a British vegetable brassica. It’s very moorish!” he said.
Yorkshire Rhubarb and Sherry Trifle
And if you’re looking for the familiar aroma of summer, an imitation of popping your head out of the window on a warm July day – you must try the Yorkshire Rhubarb and Sherry Trifle. Layered with airy cream and topped with smoked almonds it’s like the first sip of a Pimms or a frosted glass of wine on a warm day. Light and fresh, a true embodiment of Elnecot’s new menu.
The menu launches this Thursday, just in time for the Easter bank holiday weekend. It’s made for sharing with mates and for those that are truly passionate about memorable cuisine.
The surprising depths in flavour from simple ingredients such as leeks, mushrooms and rhubarb showcase the true craftsmanship of Elnecot’s chefs, making the neighbourhood bistro an absolute must visit that truly serves something for everyone.
Book a table now via the link below.
……………………….
