You need to deny yourself food, clear your schedule for the rest of the day, and put on some great shoes before continuing with the rest of the day. in order to avoid making a joke about the establishment that has recently given the title of “greatest restaurant in England.”
Go onward to Moor Hall
Mark Birchall’s five-acre Lancashire retreat is an exercise in high-concept, high-falutin’ eating, and its menu is a profusion of intricately prepared treats. Dinner for two would set you back at least £500 before drinks (half that for lunch). In point of fact, despite the fact that the restaurant markets itself as focused on simplicity, the dishes served there are anything but straightforward. I suppose it’s reasonable to have high expectations when the best and possibly the most innovative chef in the nation is in charge of the kitchen.
After working for the better part of a decade under Simon Rogan at the nearby L’Enclume in Cartmel, which is the flagship restaurant in Rogan’s empire, Birchall opened Moor Hall in 2016, promising “something exceptional.” The restaurant has received two Michelin stars, one Michelin green star, five AA Rosettes, the title of National Restaurant of the Year twice, the title of Best Restaurant in England once, and was most recently awarded the title of Best Chef in the United Kingdom in September.
Moor Hall has a perfect score of 5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor
It’s possible that he’s still lagging behind his guide by one star, but has the pupil become the master? Two restaurants that have won awards and a sustainable kitchen garden that attached to a country hotel in the middle of Lancashire… it’s safe to say that he’s taking a page out of the Rogan playbook.
Moor Hall is, for the most part, every bit as magnificent as its extraordinarily long list of credentials makes it appear to be to potential guests. Nevertheless, in addition to the many accolades nailed to the front door, there ought to be instructions that read as follows: “Go with an empty stomach, clear your schedule for the remainder of the day, and wear the classy shoes.”
The meals that stand out most to us from this past year
There is no question that the meal is of the highest quality. One of the meals that stood out the most was the beef tartare, which topped with a charcoal “tuile” in perfect balance. It is smoky and comes with all the fixings, giving it the flavor of a deconstructed burger in its entirety. I also really liked the lobster that glazed with rosehip, which has a tangy flavor and droplets of smoked marrow. It came with a side of both fresh and fermented tomatoes, as well as buckwheat that was crisp.
There are raw carrots, carrots that have salt-baked, carrot tuile (they’re everywhere), and a carrot and sea buckthorn coulis, which, when topped with a solid mound of Doddington cheese (a flavor fusion of parmesan, cheddar, and gouda), turns almost like a ragu. Never before have carrots been so pleasantly flavorful.
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This is how Birchall handles the carrots. Further, it combines all of the aspects of advanced cooking that I adore. It is straightforward in nature but unconventional in its presentation. Moreover, it has the appearance of a carrot and the flavor of a carrot, but it is also significantly more than a carrot in some ways. But then, I am a firm believer that something does not have to taste “nice” for it to be enjoyable—it can be eccentric and confronting, and I could still be talking about it months later, like those damn carrots. But then again, I am a firm believer that something does not have to taste “nice” for it to be enjoyable.
My dining companion on this occasion, however, did not share my enthusiasm for the first course, which consisted of a single oyster poached in buttermilk and nestled within a wreath of delicately sliced beetroot. To begin with, I skeptical because it involved eating fermented dairy products, raw seafood, and uncooked vegetables, but in the end, it was delicious.
Hereford beef tartare; native lobster
Moor Hall is not just impressive in its grandeur but also beautiful in its subtlety. The micro-herbs and small edible flowers delicately tweezed onto the plate, deliberate scatterings of crunchy grains done on purpose, and the tiles that mentioned before are protruding from practically every dish. These recurring themes can be found on the menu. It can’t be denied how stunning it is, yet at times it seems to prioritize appearance over the content. Turnips and dashi, one of the most overrated types of broths, used to mask the exquisite flavor of Dorset brown crab meat in a teaspoon’s worth of the dish.
The same thing occurs in another dish with courgettes that lack flavor (did I just say that about a restaurant with two stars? ), which served beside a slab of Cornish sea bass that is grilled to an ultimate level of perfection that is unmatched by any other. Imagine if those zucchinis were carrots instead. I didn’t actively despise these dishes, but I also didn’t adore them, despite the fact that I really ought to have done so at this point.
The One-of-a-Kind Quality of the Hotel
The whole thing is accompanied by a performance that is incredibly unique in comparison to any other that I have witnessed in the past. Before you even get to your seat, there are very dainty and very delicious snacks that “taken in the lounge.” A tour through the kitchen garden to justify that green star, then through the kitchen where the chefs look wearily on, making you wonder if they are on display or if you are. Before you even get to your seat, there is a tour through the kitchen garden to justify that green star. There are ample pours of each of the many sauces on the table, cheese that appears to have sprinkled by Salt Bae, and tableside tea that is brewing (I opted for the non-alcoholic pairing).
Before a complete crown of honey roast duck ceremoniously introduced and taken away to be eaten, the anticipation has worn off and the experience has become ordinary (fabulous, mind you, served with chanterelles, an onion, liver, and truffle pate, and, the best thing to come out of kitchens in the 2010s, a cruffin). When supper goes late, dress comfortably. Carry a pillow in case.
Crab and turnips, along with Cornish sea bass
This isn’t fast food. Any time between tasting menu courses is good, but if you want average service, go somewhere else. We whisper before the next act. This doesn’t detract from Moor Hall’s superb service—they know everything and provide everything.
The Atmosphere of Moor Hall
If you choose to eat out because you enjoy the “vibes” of a busy restaurant, the same piece of advice applies to you. The noise level is not what one would expect given the allure of the food being served here. The crowd is very silent as they wait with expectation, and all of the seats obviously angled toward the open kitchen. Moor Hall is the kind of place that should appeal to serious epicureans as well as theater enthusiasts. It is deserving of the numerous accolades it has received, as well as the relatively few criticisms it has received.
I experienced a strong sense of déjà-vu when seeing The Menu, a horror-satire parody of high-end restaurants, their chef patrons, and the critics that haunt them, several months after my trip.
Moor Hall resembled Hawthorn
The film was written and directed by Mark Mylod. Although the similarities between the fictional Hawthorn and Moor Hall were uncanny, the very effortlessly charming Mark Birchall is about as far as you could get from Ralph Fiennes’ Machiavellian Chef Slowik (as far as I know, only my dining partner wanted to kill me), and the similarities between Moor Hall and the fictional Hawthorn were uncanny.
Even after Noma in Copenhagen, which widely regarded as the best restaurant in the world, announced that it would be closing soon and reinventing itself, high-end restaurants still seem like the last frontier of the food world that has untouched by the cost of living crisis. For example, I had to book a reservation at Moor Hall six months in advance. However, I believe that the majority of food journalists will agree that a change is on the horizon.
The Moor Hall Restaurant is on Prescot Road in Aughton, Lancashire, L39 6RT. You can contact them at 01695 572 511 or visit their website at moorhall.com.