Aubaine, Selfridges, Reviewed

THIS was unexpected. An excellent meal in Selfridges, Manchester.

The previous restaurant on the second floor seemed uncertain in its cooking, lacking in confidence. It also had uncomfortably small tables inappropriate for anybody who doesn't live with Snow White. 

Best of all was the mille feuille, aka, vanilla slice. It was the best I've eaten in years and years and years. Forget the filling the pastry was a masterpiece in itself. The key being a sneaky swipe of cinnamon in the pastry mix

This pop-up Aubaine is more roomy and all together breezier in decor with a feature wall in blue-grey. The dread words 'pop' and 'up' are involved because in spring next year it will close before re-opening fully refurbed and spruced up.

Aubaine began as a bakers and patisserie in London, as did cafe-chain Patisserie Valerie. Aubaine seems to have looked at the latter's expansion and thought we can do that with restaurants and better food. 

So after a successful occupation of Selfridges in London, the city centre Manchester branch has followed suit. And there's not only the second floor restaurant here either but also an Aubaine coffee and tea room in the basement. 

Try the second floor outlet first, the food is outstanding. 

The flaking, falling flesh of the pigs cheeks (£15.50) was a delight as was the beautifully balanced, not too sweet, correctly heated Dijon mustard sauce that covered them. The cabbage and sweet carrot veg accompaniment was perfectly timed and prepared too, and juicy folks - a stunner of a second fiddle dish component.

The tiger prawn dish (£16) with bok choy and chilli in a superb stock was put together with almost an artist's eye for how food presentation should go - see main picture above at the top of this article. As soon as you saw it you wanted to dive in and enjoy. The shitake mushrooms gave the dish an earthy stability and the chilli gave it zing. The stock, eaten later with a spoon, was the very opposite of the character-free weak rubbish I'd had in Rules, London, (click here) a couple of weeks earlier. 

The fries in the corny cone were another triumph, moist yet with bags of crispy crunch. 

The array of dainty cakes and pudds on a platter was exquisite. Prices start from £3.95. 

The Gateau de Maison, house cake of course, was a sponge with almond and peaches and was never dry, but just-so moist and the right side of sweetness.

But best of all was the mille feuille, aka vanilla slice. It was the best I've eaten in years and years and years. The wonderful filling aside, the pastry was a masterpiece. The key being a sneaky swipe of cinnamon in the pastry mix.  A glass of 2008 Muscat de Rivesaltes (£5.75) helped along the mille feuille.

The winelist is tight and appealing. The Albarino Terras Gauda O'Rosal from 2009 is an attractive offer, as is the Chateau Clos Grand Faurie St Emilion. These are attractive in what they can bring to the palate, not in the prices, which are ridiculously steep - £39 for the Albarino.

First 63 Degrees, and now Aubaine, next year L'Entrecote. We're having a mini-French revolution. 

The only concern lies in Aubaine's empire building which seems almost Cafe Rouge-like in its ambition. If we have twenty Aubaines around the country will the attention to detail slip, will economies of scale centralise supplies and dullen the product? Let's hope not.

The only major compromise to the good work was the odious and unwelcome spectacle of London barbarism on the bill. A 12.5% service charge always makes me sick. I was going to leave a 15% cash tip but I went for the imposition and arrogance of this charge instead. And now given the excellent service I feel mean. 

Dear Aubaine, this ain't the capital and we can think for ourselves. Ditch the service charge - unless of course you want to give the impression you are doing something sinister and keeping money back to pile on the profit and loss rather than sharing it out among the staff?

12.5% arrogance aside, the food is very good here. That mille feuille is worth a trip every day, as are those pigs cheeks.

You can follow Jonathan Schofield on Twitter here @JonathSchofield

ALL SCORED CONFIDENTIAL REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL. £1000 to the reader who can prove otherwise, and dismissal for the staff member who wrote a review scored out of twenty on a freebie from the restaurant.

Aubaine
Selfridges Manchester
Exchange Square, M3 1BD, 0161 838 0571

Rating: 15/20
Food: 8/10
Service: 4/5 
Ambience: 3/5