Do you ever walk past the Midland on your way to Blues Kitchen (or 42s, if we’re being honest), glance in and wonder what that life would be like? Well, I’m here to tell you, you can definitely live it for a few hours.
Once you get past the impressive interior and the imposter syndrome, you reach the exquisite food in the Mount Street Dining Room & Bar. A perfect destination for when that maintenance loan hits or your parents visit.
Before we go any further, I must note that the presentation of everything is impeccable from the food, to the drinks, and even to the toilets. It certainly gave fine dining, fitting seamlessly into The Midland’s brand.
We kicked things off with a couple of signature cocktails: the Eternal Spring and the Green Apple Blitz. The honey tequila in the Eternal Spring complemented the hibiscus to create a beautifully refreshing drink. The Green Apple Blitz was also incredibly refreshing, the perfect balance of sweet and sour – a great long drink for sipping.
For starters, we had the Midland Smoked Salmon accompanied by Crème Fraiche, patted shrimps, and sea porcelain. We also ordered the Roasted Scallops with celeriac, compressed apple, and confit chicken wing.
The Smoked Salmon was gorgeous, it melted in my mouth but it was on the smaller side. The Scallops, on the other hand, stole the starter show, every element complemented each other. The coleslaw was incredible, creamy and crunchy with a very smooth flavour perfectly crafted to assist the super crispy yet soft and tender confit chicken wing. I would definitely recommend this starter to anyone despite its slightly high price point.
Next up, we had the Goosnargh Chicken Breast with buttered leeks, leek ash, thigh croquette, and Burford brown egg yolk puree and the Roast Fillet of Cod with potato and mussel potage and purple sprouting broccoli. We may or may not have also ordered a portion of chips because, even in the fanciest of restaurants, when are chips ever a bad idea?
The Cod was a lovely and flakey fish but unfortunately didn’t blow either of us away, whilst the mussel potage created a dynamic crunchy texture which contrasted the fish, there wasn’t the same depth of flavour as with other dishes.
The chicken, on the other hand, was an incredibly complex dish with great varying textures and flavours overall. It simultaneously had beautifully crispy skin and succulent tender meat underneath. The croquette had great flavours which were complimented by a nice jus, crunchy leeks, and the brown egg yolk puree which had great depth and an interesting and different taste.
And as for the chips, they were incredibly well-seasoned and crispy yet fluffy on the inside. Perfectly fulfilling all essential chip criteria.
Finally, we moved on to dessert and after-dinner drinks. We opted for the Gooseberry and Elder Eton Mess with vanilla cream and white chocolate, and the Chocolate Fondant with mojito ice cream and macerated strawberries. The highlight of both desserts was the ice cream – they were both unusual flavours but successfully brought both dishes together. I’m now forever going to be on the hunt for Elderflower sorbet!
Whilst the whole experience gave fine dining, the atmosphere was very relaxed and the perfect place for a celebratory dinner or a fancy dinner with your parents. Despite the Midland’s somewhat intimidating presence on the corner of Peter’s Street, the prices are on a par with that of Albert Schloss and Grand Pacific.
All I have to say is don’t let the grandeur scare you away. Book yourself a table and spoil yourself (and I guess your parents) for an evening!
