CityLife

Red Lion Hotel

By Graeme McGilliard

1 / 1 imagesRed Lion

Red Lion
Stockport
January 2010

Average three-course cost: £25

Overall: 4/5
Decor: 4/5, Service: 4/5, Food: 4/5

AS so many great British traditions bite the dust, it’s good to know that some are now being revived.

There used to be so many things you could count on about this country – red phone boxes, Terry Wogan on the radio, football at 3pm on a Saturday. But we seem intent on tinkering with them and rarely for the better.

The great British pub has been hit harder than most and, coupled with the recession, it has never been tougher to be mine host at a local. You need real pedigree and a winning formula to stand a chance.

Step forward Steve Pilling, of the highly-rated Damson in Heaton Moor and formerly of Mr Thomas’s and Sam’s Chop Houses in the city centre. Not a bad CV, that.

Back in the summer, work started on his renovation of a very traditional pub indeed – the Red Lion in High Lane, Stockport, on the road out to Lyme Park.

With Steve’s background and the classic British title of the pub, this was never going to be a chrome and marble makeover, serving edgy, fusion cuisine.

No, this is all about the stuff we know and love, done properly – a classic British pub, in incredibly well designed surroundings, serving vintage British food.

Re-opened in November, the Red Lion had enough time to bed in by the time we popped in for dinner. And what an impressive place it is.

It’s a big old brick building on the main Buxton Road, with a large car park to the side, but inside it doesn’t feel at all cavernous. Quite the opposite in fact. Clever layout has given it a rather intimate feel.

The bar – Robinson’s like much of Stockport – faces you as you enter, with several seating areas, snugs, ante rooms and nooks and crannies off to the right.

Full-time butcher

On the left is the dining area – Mr Pilling’s At The Red Lion (see, if he’d been all modern he’d have made that an @).

This room, too, has a mix of open areas, quiet corners and booths with neutral décor and nothing at all shouting about the foodie credentials of the licensee. Mr Pilling clearly prefers to let his food do the talking.

Although the focus is on all things British, his kitchen team have been drawn from all corners of the globe – there are two chefs from India, one from Africa, a pastry chef from Australia and a couple of Europeans.

There’s also a full-time butcher who manages the rib-hanging, game and meats for the roasts on Sundays.

And that mix of backgrounds and talents combines to great effect when it comes to delivering a menu so British it should come with a bowler hat on top.

With a pint of Robinson’s Unicorn cask ale on the go to fire my appetite, I opted for a starter of bubble and squeak, with a poached egg, smoked bacon and home-made ketchup (£4.50).

The bacon was crisp and the egg runny enough to be soaked up by the potatoes in the main stack. A fine beginning.

Across the table, also getting both thumbs up was a pressed ham hock, spiced potato and plum and ginger chutney (£4.95). It was meaty and moist and perfectly complemented by the tangy chutney.

Service was fast and friendly with the young staff demonstrating a good knowledge of the menu and excellent people skills, particularly with our 20-month old son.

The mains continued the high standard – mine was home cured middle white pork chop, apple mash, buttered cabbage and bittersweet port sauce (£11.95). What a wonderful plateful.

Great selection

That sauce was the standout, deliciously gooey and rich, almost sticky, but not at all overpowering the rest of the plate.

The chop was substantial and perfectly cooked with crispy fat and moist flesh, the smooth mash just containing the subtlest hint of apple.

The other plate was grilled skate, lemon capers and shrimp butter (£14.95).

The fish was beautifully cooked, flaked off the bone effortlessly and the tang of the capers gave each mouthful a real zing.

Still room for more? Of course. Bring on the sweet menu. There’s nowt as British as crème brulee – well, it is if you call it Cambridge burnt cream (£4.95). Free of any adornment or garnish, not even a sprig of mint, this was packed with vanilla flavour under the crispy, sugary top layer.

Too rich for me, but devoured in an instant across the table was the chocolate feuillantine (there’s no dressing this one up as British, it’s French all the way). A solid brick-like shape of chocolate, with a thin topping, dusted with icing sugar – it melted in the mouth.

Special mention, too, for the children’s menu – a great selection and the pasta with tomato and mascarpone (£5.95) got the toddler seal of approval.

Mr Pilling’s plans for the year ahead include plentiful roasts at the weekend (of course), game and fish as well as roast meat sandwiches in the bar area.

As the man himself says: “I was an avid Lyme Park fan, but could never get the sandwich I wanted after a walk. Now I can!”

Can’t say fairer than that – this is a lion that’s definitely roaring back.

Red Lion, Buxton Road, High Lane, Stockport (01663 765227, redlionhighlane.co.uk).

Reviewed: Fri, 29 January, 2010

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