Review: Happy Mondays at George’s Worsley

George’s Worsley has had mixed reviews on I Love Manchester. Giggsy’s place was expected to be great but disappointed. Then it rose like a Phoenix from the flames.

Why did we go again then? The Monday Night Menu. It’s a new weekly offer which flits between Italian, Spanish, meat and others which, at first glance, seemed a little more ‘Tapas night at the Frog and Bollocks’ than reasonably priced, decadent, suburban dining.

Happy to say I was massively wrong.

But first things first. Worsley is dead nice. It’s one of those places you make an assumption about based on its location. But as it transpires, Worsley is a bit of an enigma. A cheeky little slice of the best bits of Cheshire but in Salford.

The Monday we went it was Meat Night. I was good with that. Despite what I think as a cosseted media twit, the real tester in somewhere like George’s is the locals.

Despite it being early doors, 6pm, it was already pretty busy.

It’s an airy, chic, sort of a place without slapping itself on the back for being too chic. The a la carte was available but we went for the new Monday menu. £5 for starters and desserts, £10 for mains.

Our table, tucked in a corner, had a picture of a dandy besuited ferret next to it. A welcome addition to any culinary experience.

I went for crispy duck leg to start then 8oz bavette steak for main.

Both good prices for what sounded great on the menu. My companion went for Bury black pudding (pronounced Burreh or Berry) then pork belly (pronounced belly). The pronunciation of the word Bury dominated conversation and even lured in the table next door.

A couple, retirement age, who were absolutely great, even down to the familiarity of their orders. Him: starter and main. Her: starter and dessert.

As much as I can talk about the food – which was really good, perfectly priced, proportioned and prepared – it’s the opinion of locals which ultimately counts. So we asked them.

“We came here once a while ago and had a really bad experience. A friend of mine said to give it another go so we did, and we’ve been back every week since, particularly since this new offer has come on.”

In reality, this sums up our experience of George’s perfectly and kicks my themed-night prejudice right in the chin.

My food: the duck was really flavoursome. Every time I have duck anywhere, it always seems like it’s just lathered in 5 Spice and little else, but this was really nicely roasted with merely a hint of 5 Spice, with a spicy slaw-like bed that was noticeably a perfect starter amount.

It felt like I’d stretched before a race. Which is what I want from a starter.

The main was equally good. No frills, just a plate which let the steak be the star of the show, better than the price suggested.

I’m not normally a dessert guy, but I had to go for one just out of curiosity. The Deconstructed Apple Crumble. In my experience, crumbles are one of the least constructed of all of foodstuffs so the pedant in me needed to see it. How do you deconstruct a crumble? Answer: you don’t, really. But it was delicious all the same.

For £20, George’s Monday menu is a steal. Worsley is a pain in the arse to get to via public transport if you aren’t based that way but, on a nice day, there are few places around I’ve been more pleasantly surprised by. Plus, if you drive, it’s easily accessible off the M60 motorway.

Granted, I haven’t been to the other themed nights, but the couple next to us swear that they are as good and I’d believe them more than I would me.

Happy Mondays!