Maray Manchester

Maray Manchester, 14 Brazennose St, Manchester , M2 6LW – Visit Now

Maray opened at the tail-end of summer and by all accounts has been a resounding success. We’re back again, this time to check out their highly-rated Sunday roasts. Of course, this isn’t any old Sunday roast, this is a Maray Sunday roast. We’re expecting big things.

And, spoiler alert, we weren’t disappointed. First up, before we get to the real deal, it’s time to sample some of the small mezze options. Their falafel is legendary, and rightly so. These crunchy little bundles come with all the exceptional Maray details we’re used to: a rich tangy sauce, speckled with herbs and pomegranate seeds, lying on a bed of thick, satisfying hummus.

Level up by grabbing one of the freshly-made warm pitta breads, which come topped with torn-up herbs and a pleasing drizzle of garlic oil.

Make no mistake, the mezze starters are great but today is all about the mains. There are three options, beef, chicken and an all-vegan nut roast. The roast rump of Cumbrian beef is special. The meat is rare, pink, and melt-in-the-mouth moreish. The roasted chicken is a more spiced-up option, arriving steeped in lemon, za’atar and saffron flavours – the saffron in particular makes the meat sing.

But it’s the plate as a whole that makes this an award-winning Sunday roast. Take a deep breath: crispy fenugreek potatoes, roast carrots and parsnips, butternut squash, cabbage, kale, peas, Yorkshire pudding and gravy (all come with each choice of main). If society wasn’t so stuck up I’d happily dive in with my hands and shovel the lot down, twice.

Each element is cooked beautifully, soft where it’s meant to be (the meat, the middle of the Yorkshire pudding), crunchy where it needs to be (the potatoes, the edges of the Yorkshire pudding), and quite honestly, it’s the kind of meal that deserves a round of applause.

Much like the saffron in the chicken, the fenugreek in the roast potatoes takes it to a new level. There are just enough little tweaks and flourishes to make it stand apart from a traditional Sunday lunch, but it’s faithful enough to the concept that even the most unadventurous diner will find something to love.

Fancy dessert? The chocolate tart is a dark, sinful treat, showcasing black-as-night chocolate, sour cherry jam and pistachio crumble, plus a big dollop of tahini-infused chantilly cream. But for me, the Medjool date bread and butter pudding is the one. A soft, spongey cube of pudding, complete with rivers of caramel flowing through it and outrageously crisped-up at the edges. Best bread and butter pudding in Manchester? Easily.

Maray is one of the greatest additions to Manchester’s food scene in a long time. The food is beautiful and delicious, the venue and staff are a delight and now they’re putting out one of the city’s top-tier Sunday roasts. Is there anything they can’t do?

• 14 Brazennose St
• Manchester
• M2 6LW
• View map

• Website: maray.co.uk
• Telephone: 0151347 0214
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