I’ve visited Southern Eleven before for drinks but never to eat. I’m not sure why but it is never somewhere that automatically springs to mind when thinking of where to go and eat. So when they asked me to visit and review for Frost I was quite excited to see what they were really like.
Located next to Pure Gym in the upmarket Spinningfields area you are promised Southern style charm with locally sourced slow cooked meats in a more relaxed setting than other restaurants in the Spinningfields area, I mean look at the amazing bear who greets you on your way in!
The atmosphere is relaxed with low lighting and café style tables perfect for dining with family or in a big group. There is very little mobile reception in here and the wifi access is very hit and miss. When trying to keep up to date with social media and work commitments this can be frustrating.
Onto the food and we went for the taco tray to share as our starter. The popcorn chicken with blue cheese was my favourite, the chicken with a lovely heat from the spice and the blue cheese giving it a creaminess. The pulled pork with red cabbage was also tasty as I am a huge fan of pickled cabbage! The short rib with sour cream was a little dry and would have benefited from more sour cream. At £8.95 I thought they were quite expensive for the size of the portion but a nice way to get our tastebuds going before our main course.
Onto the mains and I chose the pulled pork mac n cheese whilst my friend decided to try one of the meat plates with ribs, pulled pork and brisket which came with fries, slaw and sauces. As a huge fan I also ordered some corn bread to share, it was too tempting not to.
The mac n cheese was the star of the show. A lovely lightly toasted crust with soft macaroni bound in a light cheese sauce with chunks of soft pulled pork. So many versions of this are thick and gloopy but this one has lots of sauce, perfect for dunking the corn bread. The corn bread was a little dry but had a lovely texture and soaked up the cheese sauce beautifully. The meat plate was a bit disappointing as a whole. The ribs were perfectly slow cooked with the meat falling off the bone and the brisket soft. Unfortunately because they had been piled together the flavours had merged so it was difficult to identify the individual flavours. The slaw was light and fresh whilst the fries were a bit dry. The meat would have benefited from being served separately rather than all together.
Onto dessert and the churros were pretty good. Slightly underdone so still a bit too soggy in the centre yet with a lovely crust on the outer to make up for it. The chocolate dipping sauce was rich and not overly sweet helping to balance the dish out. There was a lot of them too which is always a bonus. The pecan pie sundae would have benefited from more of the dark rum caramel but then I am a sucker for rum so this will always be the case. The pecans were lovely giving the ice cream a nice crunch. This was a nice dish and something I haven’t seen anywhere else in Manchester.
Unfortunately for me Southern Eleven is missing something. The majority of the dishes are being done elsewhere for less. That could be because of the location in the affluent Spinningfields area and I think if Southern Eleven can stick to its roots and find a niche they’ll be a leader in the area.
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