'Cheesy chips and gravy in cardboard, obviously' - Brewski, City Centre, Reviewed

Poutine is a food of the Quebec region of Canada. One magazine writer from over there describes how it dates back ‘as far as the 1950s’. For much of North America this is so distant it occurs right after the dinosaurs became extinct.

But what is poutine?

Well, it’s fries covered in cheese curds and gravy costing, originally, nothing dollars and negligible cents. Also originally, it was denigrated and derided as the delight of deluded drunks who desired a dish to deny the drink and the use of any more words starting in ‘d’. Apparently the word is a Quebecois corruption of the English word ‘pudding’.

Brewski, a popular haunt in Chorlton-So-Trendy, has come into the city centre and occupied the old site of vegetarian restaurant, 1847, which in turn has moved not far away to Chapel Walks. The city centre Brewski has kept the birch tree bits and bobs hanging in the interior, but packed it out with a more cost effective seating arrangement which fits more people in. On our Thursday visit Brewski was bubbling enjoyably with lots of diners.

A bottle of Pinot Grigio for £18 called Merry Mole was very good for the price. The wild mushroom poutine (£8.50) and the beef, chorizo special on orginal poutine (£9.50) were filling, big and all right. Fun.

This is take-away food in a restaurant and there’s a nod to that in the crockery, which isn’t crockery, but a cardboard box. The wild mushroom poutine comes with rosemary and a massive blast of truffle oil. You get a choice of veggie gravy or meat gravy as well. The meat gravy was a good option but may have had a fight with the truffle oil according to my companion. I don’t believe him. I think the truffle and gravy worked well from the fork full I had.

'I like Brewski in the way I like a good old fashioned sit down chippy'

The beef, chorizo and peppers poutine was tangy and fine. The meat and ham came in generous portions and with the chips, cheese and gravy bolstered my belly: an empty lad, left a full lad. 

A rocky road cheesecake at £2.50 redefined sweetness with its levels of sugar but that’s as it should be with this dish. It did raise, however, the philosophical question of why, as you get older, marshmallows lose their appeal.

Street food has been leaving the street for around seven years now, settling down, moving indoors, moving across continents and morphing, getting its (and our) feet under the table. Brewski’s poutine flagship is part of that process. The place does breakfasts, sandwiches and salads as well, along with mac & cheese, but poutine is what it majors on.

I like Brewski in the way I like a good old fashioned sit down chippy, although I’d prefer a proper plate. Difference here is that you can get craft beers, wines and cocktails. If I were an old fashioned sit-down chippy I’d come into town, get the licence, and employ young good-looking staff. It’d make a killing.

Brewski is good for stoking up before going out on the lash, or for a lunchtime calm down after going out on the lash. The service is very good, the décor easy. It’s not a destination restaurant but then it doesn’t set out to be. You might give it a go if you are passing. 

Brewski, 58 W Mosley St, Manchester M2 3HZ - t: 0161 637 6776