Manchester

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The Cock O Barton

Historic pub fails to sparkle in new gastro-guise

The Cock O’ Barton pub is over 400 years old and you would imagine that in this time it has seen a fair few incarnations, from a 1770s inn with sawdust on the floor to a 1970s version with flock on the walls. It’s a suitable lunchtime game to wonder whether its current appearance as an expensively refurbished (£1.7 million according to reports) gastropub is the worst version yet. Let’s be clear about this though: it’s not so much the food, which is competently handled under the stewardship of ex-Le Mont head chef Robert Kisby, that marks this out as a write-off, but rather the unsympathetic design and sloppy service which combine to make this venue good for gastro, bad for pub.

As you would expect from a Kisby venture, the various menus have a French influence and whether this is from the starter of Vichyssoise soup served with smoked eel (£6.95) or the appearance of Dauphinoise potatoes on the menu, it’s clear that Kisby has lost none of his panache. However, these influences are restrained and this time the cooking is ardently North West. A medallion on the cover proclaims the menu as the winner of the best regional menu, comprising a ‘celebration of quality ingredients cooked in the North West’.

Consequently, there is a fine array of Cheshire and North West produce from Cholmondeley Estate pork, to lamb from Wisall. At their best these are presented in an uncomplicated, neat manner, such as in the forthright and filling Barnsley Chop, with big chips as solid as house bricks and a perfect minted Hollandaise (£16.95). The Cock O’ Barton fish and chips (£16.75) is another solid dish with a sharp and fresh tartare sauce. Alongside these are a range of platters, where for around £25 you can share several dishes all concocted on a theme, such as fish, vegetarian or regional food. These would work well as a starter but as a shared main they leave you wanting more. The fish platter had highlights of smoked eel in a glorious potato salad but the fresh asparagus was tasteless.

The largest problem with the Cock is the attitude it presents. The interior design is all about showing off, rather than inspiring comfort. The large windows and lashings of light give the restaurant a cold edge, which isn’t improved by the arty fireplaces. The whole thing smacks of the sort of naff barn conversions that are dotted across Cheshire and play home to legions of the region’s second-rate footballers. When you combine this with the fact that there is no warmth to the welcome and service is sloppy (with forgotten menus, missing side dishes and spilt sauces), you feel that this is an enterprise more suited to inflicting on Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton than the village of the same surname.

The Cock O’Barton Barton Road, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 7HU (01829 782277/www.thecockobarton.co.uk).

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