Manifest - Wine Bar & Restaurant - Liverpool
Dinner for 2, Wednesday 6 September 2023
We ended up here after a ‘hiccup’ with our booking at The Art School. Another story there for another day. What a serendipitously marvellous change of venue this was.
Manifest is quite rightly acknowledged in the UK Michelin Guide but there are still no Michelin Stars for them or anyone else in Liverpool. Which is not total bollocks but let’s just say we should continue to treat the Michelin inspector’s spare, tired judgements with a bollock-sized pinch of salt.
Our visit gave ample evidence that, like all truly decent chefs, owner Paul Durand cooks for guests and not for the official accolades of the industry. In any case, in little more than a year since opening, the Manifest team have gained plenty of those accolades. Paul is The Staff Canteen Awards 2022 One to Watch Winner and a Google search fizzes with reference to more glowing reports and shiny trophies for him and his team.
Liverpool and environs - if you count Manchester as Liverpool’s environs! - is home to many of the much-loved Elite Bistros restaurants. I did wonder if Paul had cooked for us on our visit to ‘Sticky Walnut’ in 2019 but he had already served his time there and elsewhere.
You'll find a bit more detail about how he and partner Charlotte Jones made Manifest a reality here.
Let’s get to the food we so much enjoyed. You see Mrs Cheoff’s alliums and my mussels starter and guinea fowl main. The fig tart dessert was chosen by both of us. All link to photos on Manifest’s Instagram account. And there’s Mrs C’s turbot main which lacked a picture until Paul recently and conveniently shared it on his own account.
A sparkling rosé and a port and tonic joined the team’s signature salt and vinegar crisps while we waited for our food orders. And before dessert Wensleydale, Bara Brith and marmalade were an impulsive but deliciously rewarding addition to proceedings.
Cooking here is almost as simple as it gets. No more complication than four main elements in a dish with support from drop-dead gorgeous sauces and a garnish here and there. The thought which goes into devising the menu is obvious and the care with which it is brought to the plate is, well, manifest. Any simplicity is forgotten as you explore an array of well-developed flavours.
Our dessert was perhaps a step too far and reminded us that our stomachs are past their “Oh, yes, seconds please!” capacity. All the right flavours were there but a clunky pastry case gave a heavy end to our meal. Mind you, we still found room for some white chocolate fudge sweet treats!
Make an effort to quickly forget that last picky comment of mine. We left glowing - with admiration for the Manifest team and smug satisfaction for choosing to eat with them.
The Fab Four remain a big draw in Liverpool. John, Paul, George and Ringo were awarded a stream of platinum discs but when it comes to producing gold standard dishes the Magnificent Manifest Quartet above took the honours on our visit.
Of course they only represent one very important element of the Manifest team. Maya’s front of house attentions were delightful. She guided us through the wine list and gave us tastings of an orange wine and an English natural before giving us another white for examination. I certainly don’t have the nous to identify countries of origin, much less producers, vineyards or vintages but, presented with this final suggestion, a moment of small personal triumph arrived when I declared, “That’s chardonnay, isn’t it.”
Bugger me, it was. And very nice too. It went on to form the backdrop to our food choices.
Not sure how heavily the wine list relies on the services of GRAFT Wine Company but our wine is certainly on their books along with a few others of theirs which Manifest offer. Slightly miffed that their lovely portfolio is trade only.
More about the team…
Maya was joined by Claire who was bar-busy on the night but still accompanied our bill settlement with more relaxed chat. A KP shall remain nameless (only because I didn’t find out his name!). He punctuated our evening with stealth-like appearances, bearing freshly renovated pans for eager chefs. Props to all, some who we may not have met on the night, named or incognito. You are part of a very fine team.
The following photos reference one final, glorious element of our meal. We were sat at elevated counter seats and had continuous views of the pass.
Here’s Jimmy and the text from my screen grab showing Manifest’s Instagram post about him.
“Sous chef Jimmy everyone, we’d be lost without him as he is the example of what’s great about chefs and hospitality. Hard working, dedicated to produce and dishes, always ready and on time. His favourite part of the job is the creativity. Being able to create dishes and seeing them through the development stages down to perfecting those final touches. Jimmy’s working the pass - so have a chat to him if you’re sat at our counter seats, he’s belter!”
And chat we did. I felt a mild guilty fear that other guest’s dishes might be compromised as we enjoyed piling in with questions. Jimmy dealt with his work and our distractions with magnificent ease. I’ve already been inspired to include a few ideas in my cooking. Jimmy was more than ‘belter’. He was gold dust sprinkled through our Manifest experience. No, don’t get too swell-headed Jimmy. I know that any of your colleagues would have been as generous. They were all immediately accessible and amenable for shorter times during our meal even though they weren’t as ‘centre stage’ as you.
The Manifest website did not reveal all details before we visited. Perhaps not updated before a holiday break. There were little hints about what goes on at the restaurant and how Paul and his team arrived there to work their hospitality magic. Much clamour about the wine but we needed to wait until we were through the doors to have a list. Just days after our visit the new menu which we so enjoyed appeared on the site in its entirety.
Instagram and Facebook pages give more tasty textual and pictorial hints. Whatever information you might find shared on social media in future, I’d strongly advise taking me on trust and booking for what increasing numbers know will be a guaranteed rich and rewarding experience.
Great hospitality is delivered in many different ways. You’ll find other venues to match Manifest. But you will struggle long and hard to find somewhere to beat it.
And when you have enjoyed that experience for yourself it’s only right to offer up some thoughtful appreciation as I am doing here. If these guys don’t crow about their achievements it’s surely our job to trumpet their praises. Make it a decent toot, please. In these tough times for hospitality even a small blow job can make a difference.
