CityLife

Pub of the week: The Mark Addy

The Mark Addy

The Mark Addy
Salford
November 2009

BACK in the late Eighties, come Sunday afternoon the city centre was a culinary desert. If you needed something more substantial than long-lost teashop Meng And Ecker could provide, you went over the Irwell to The Mark Addy.

Only the mobile phones were bigger than the generous chunks of cheese, slices of pate and hunks of granary bread dispensed here along with (proper) Boddingtons. But all stars wane and despite the great location and sunny terrace the pub lost its sheen. I visited the place last year and left before ordering a pint.

The Mark Addy is not named after that portly British comedy actor (look him up) but a man who hoiked more than 50 people from the Irwell – and received the Albert Medal in 1878 because of it. The pub itself has now been pulled up by the scruff of its neck and dragged from certain death by a team which includes chef Robert Owen Brown, last seen at The Angel, off Rochdale Road. They have given it a kiss-of-life makeover, real ales and a typical Owen Brown menu – and for that they too deserve a medal.

The pub re-opened last week and we went when the paint was still drying, the coffee machine not wired up and the outside seating area still in turmoil. But as I thought, the Owen Brown kitchen was firing on all cylinders.

Superb

The interior of the former boat passengers’ waiting area still has the nightclub staircase, wall of stone and bank of glass, with black metal pillars holding up brick arches in between. It is back to its best with thoughtful lighting and mismatched wooden tables and chairs in the dining area.

There are four real ale handpumps: Green King IPA, Tetley’s, Black Sheep and one with the pump-clip turned around. Hopefully it will be reserved for local guest micros. There is a long wine list too.

We ate starters of black pudding potato cake with soft poached hen’s egg (£6) and roast field mushrooms on toast with garlic mascarpone (£5.70) before mains of chicken in a black pea pudding with smoked bacon, black pudding and potato (£12.50) and sea bream fillets in a plum tomato and potato stew (£11.95). We also couldn’t resist sharing a dark chocolate terrine with vanilla roasted apricots (£5.50).

It was all superb – well up to the usual Owen Brown standard.

And for all you nostalgics, the platters are still there (two items for £6.95) with Owen Brown’s own pate and eight or so cheeses, including Holwood Mature Farmhouse Cheddar and Garstang Blue. Pity there’s no way to bring back that real Boddies.

The Mark Addy, Stanley Street, Salford M3 5JE (0161 832 4080, markaddy.co.uk).