Located in one of the city’s most up-and-coming areas, there’s a new spot that is perhaps serving – and I don’t say this too often – some of the best roast potatoes in town. But, they’re not exactly being billed as its main attraction.
Making an impromptu lunchtime visit to Trading Route in the middle of the week, I was already expecting things to be good considering three top hospitality experts are behind the venue.
Opened earlier this month within the St. John’s neighbourhood, Trading Route brings together the minds of Trof, Manchester Union Brewery and Monton haunt Wandering Palate for what is essentially a hybrid of a beer house, restaurant, bar, shop, and everything-else-in-between.
Situated right by Aviva Studios, which is currently showing the fabulous David Hockney exhibition, the venue promises, quite literally on its walls as you walk in, cold beer and hot chicken. But considering it’s a weekday lunchtime visit, just one of them will have to do this time round.
The first thing that hits me when I walk is the warming smell of freshly-roasted chicken. With the whirring machines doing their magic in the background as the chefs prepare orders, it’s incredibly inviting – especially if that’s exactly what you’ve come in for.
Choosing a comfy little booth area, near a sign boldly welcoming me to the ‘home of the foam’ (beer related and thankfully not anything to do with fizzy chickens), there is an initial bit of confusion from my server. I’m told to order at the bar once I’ve decided what I want but having then done so, a different server appears at my table seconds later to ask what I’d like to eat.
Considering the venue has only just opened within the last few weeks, it’s something that perhaps is still being refined and it’s no major concern. The servers are cheerful and friendly, and, one way or another, I have seemingly made my order of a chicken sandwich and a side of Rotisserie Potatoes, with a coke to wash it down with.
Having the place to myself bar a few on a couple of the other tables, service is speedy and prompt. My coke arrives, albeit with a terribly unhelpful paper straw that fails on the first sip, and I see the chefs make their way through the orders with care.
And then, after not long, I spot it from a distance. It is perhaps one of the most insanely thick sandwiches I have ever graced my eyes on. The audible gasp I make when it comes to my table earned a slight chuckle from the server as I smirked, with no innuendo intended, that it was ‘bigger than I expected’.
Immediately regretting my decision to order a side of roast potatoes, I soon got over that thought when they follow not too far behind with a comforting scent of Pecorino cheese surrounding them.
Between two massively thick slices of freshly baked focaccia, the sandwich features layers of sliced rotisserie chicken alongside a very generous helping of gem lettuce. Lovingly spread across the slices is a mix of pistachio pesto and chicken fat mayo.
Of course, there’s no mistaking that chicken fat mayo is an over-indulgence. It’s absolutely not needed and it won’t do your waistline any favours, but it does add a nice richness to proceedings to the point where I can’t really fault its inclusion.
However, there is something that catches me immediately by surprise as I tuck in. Whilst lovely and rich in flavours, the chicken is served cold. For a place that, quite literally, has ‘HOT CHICKEN’ capitalised on its plates and the rest of its advertising materials, it’s something that I had not expected – especially with the meaty merry-go-round of the rotisserie basically the star attraction of the venue.
And, in my opinion, I think they missed a trick with that. The warm chicken would have just elevated it even further – and stopped there being any comparisons to when you are left to finish up the remains of the Christmas roast dinner on Boxing Day. Trading Route do sell half and full roast rotisserie chicken, but it felt a bit too much to have for lunch on my own. But maybe that’s where I messed up.
As I glance back at the menu to check if I missed any small detail, it’s not actually mentioned that the chicken would ever be served warm. So, fair enough, that’s on me, but I do think it’s something that many of us would be expecting and it did, if I’m being honest, let it down slightly for me.
It’s also worth mentioning that, for any picky eaters out there, there were some tiny bones to be found in some of the pieces of chicken. It might not bother some people but, for me, I think a more efficient deboning process would certainly be welcomed but I am also aware that comes with the territory.
And then we get on to those potatoes – priced at £6.50. Absolutely not needed with the sandwich but they were so, so worth it. Bang on in terms of crispness, thanks to the chicken fat also included here, there’s a very faint level of heat provided with a salsa verde which just knocks it up a notch.
The pecorino, although not as heavily sprinkled on top as their photos might suggest, also makes it extra special. The inclusion of the cheese adds saltiness and sharpness whilst never taking over with too much dominance.
For me, the potatoes were the clear star attraction of the lunch. That being said, there were some aspects of the sandwich that I found to be pretty grand – the thick bread was delicious and fresh, and there was a pleasingly juiciness to the chicken. It’s hefty, filling, and that pesto is brilliant.
And at £8.50, whilst still not the cheapest sandwich in town by any means, the price seems fair for what you’re getting. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford it every day but, considering it’s loaded with chicken fat, that’s most definitely a blessing anyway.
It’s clear there is something special to be found at Trading Route and there’s a lot of passion going on behind its concept. There are a few tweaks needed here and there to make sure it lives up to its promise, but the foundations are there and I have every confidence that they’ll do it. But I certainly think that serving the chicken warm on the sandwich is one such tweak that is needed.
But, ultimately, it’s those roast potatoes that will have me coming back to Trading Route again and again. Naughty and decadent, they are something remarkable. They are the three C’s – crispy, comforting and cheesy. Pure potato heaven.
Trading Route is on 1 Goods Yard Street, Manchester, M3 3BG.
