Albert’s Schloss

The Albert Schloss Sunday roast comes billed as the best in Manchester, but it’s a crowded field, with plenty of great contenders for the crown. The sheer number of people packing out Albert Schloss on a rainy Sunday afternoon suggests they’re doing something right. 

The venue’s look plays a big part – it has an almost churchlike feel, with a fire blazing as you walk in. It’s the perfect setting for this most British of meals, especially as the place is named after old Queen Vic’s husband (yes, him of unprintable piercing fame).

The menu has all the classics, with a welcome touch of the Germanic. Standouts from the appetisers section include the wonderful alpine krokettes – hot little spheres packed with rich, gooey Gruyere cheese and thick chunks of smoked bacon. 

The bier onion soup is an interesting option, and one rarely spotted on modern Manchester menus. Essentially a French onion soup with a Deutsch twist, it arrives in a large white pot with a “top hat”, aka a light buttery pastry lid. Dive inside, and you’ll discover a delicious soup made with sweet roscoff onion and Stiegl beer, with some light thyme flavours and thick swirls of Gruyere cheese. Damn right it is, especially when you rip a strip of pastry off the top and dip it in.

There might be a mains section featuring burgers and sea bass, but that’s for part-timers – we’re here for the roasts. Most restaurants keep it simple, with just two or three options, but not Albert. Here you’ll find pork, chicken, mushroom and no less than two types of beef: sirloin and Wellington. All come family-style, with sharing plates of well-executed roast potatoes (crispy, fluffy and beautifully seasoned), seasonal greens, plus a gravy boat like the one your gran used to have back in the day.

Each plate includes a big portion of fresh-tasting root vegetable mash and an enormous Yorkshire pudding with all the requisite parts and textures, namely a soft middle and crunchy (but not too crunchy) sides.

Albert’s beef Wellington is a little different from the ones you might be used to. Rather than a cut of beef served pink and surrounded by pastry, here you’re looking at a slow-cooked featherblade of beef encased in a light, almost transparent pastry casing. It’s actually sauerbraten beef – Germany’s national dish, no less – meaning it’s been heavily marinated and delivers some pleasingly potent tangy flavours.

But what about the pork, I hear you cry? More than mere pork, here it’s called schweinsaxe and you’ll be hard-pressed to find it on the menu elsewhere in Manchester. Also known as pork knuckle, it’s an imposing joint, and this one portion could probably feed three people.

Not that we’re complaining; this is a wonderfully multi-layered piece of slow-roasted hog, giving subtle hints of anise and citrus flavours thanks to the caraway seasoning. There’s crunchy crackling, salty fat, dark lean meat, light meat, and so on – it’s the swine that keeps on giving. Top tip: if you don’t finish it, take it home – it’s a crime to waste something as good as this.

To end this feast, only black forest gateau will do. A nice combination of light and traditional, this is a world away from Sara Lee, largely thanks to the fluffy vanilla cream that makes up more than half the dish. Pair that with a nice amount of chocolate sponge cake and a handful of powerful Amerena cherries and you have yourself a winner.

As you’d expect from the Anglo-Saxon theme, Albert’s Schloss does a great line in hearty meat dishes, but the pork knuckle steals the show, and then some. It’s a must for all roast dinner connoisseurs, especially if you’re looking for something to replace the common or garden chicken and beef options out there. Ausgezeichnet!