Our pro says
Like its chic, minimalist interior (all greyscale tones and hip trailing plants), The Creameries menu is almost provocatively stripped back. On my visit it included just six snacks/starters and two mains. This may expand a little in summer, I’m told, as fresh produce becomes more abundant, but not much.
I’m fine with brevity. Big menus make me nervous. The tyranny of choice is real. Better the kitchen nails a short menu than fumbles a large one. A theory The Creameries largely bears out.
Warm, buttery Tuscan-style chicken livers, blitzed and spread on crostini, boast such a depth of flavour that we order a second batch pre-dessert. Crisp, yielding panisse (chip-like, fried batons of chickpea flour) are wolfed down with another southern French gift to the world, garlicky rouille. Our drinks – Guy Allion sauvignon blanc (£5.50), one of several tap wines, and, from Salford, Pomona Island’s session pale, Factotum (£6) – are similarly fresh, unfussy and full flavoured.
A salad of cored, carved, skinless cucumber, shaved fennel, croutons and arrestingly savoury, semi-hard ricotta, dressed with tarragon, lemon zest and good oil, illustrates the flavour alchemy that occurs when you bring a clever combo of complementary ingredients together at their peak. Perfectly al dente tagliatelle in walnut sauce, in its creaminess, earthiness and black pepper heat, similarly delivers compelling layers of flavour from simple ingredients.
Hogget tagliatelle, while tasty, lacks that nuance.
It is a little one-note. But dessert returns to an impressive groove, with a flourless chocolate cake that, rich, dense, intense, melts silkily in the mouth.
Full disclosure: having spotted my name on the reservations, owner Mary-Ellen, unaware I was reviewing for O, had staff waive the cost of our first drinks. Regardless, I was won over. This is rigorous cooking of serious value in a super-relaxed format. It deserves to fly. You can read The Creameries menu in seconds. It delivers pleasure that lingers for hours.
Bill for two including service: £96.25 Atmosphere: 8
Service: 8
Food: 7.5
Total: 23.5/30