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Restaurant and dining guide

The Mark Addy pub in Salford was not named after that fat bloke in The Full Monty. But in fact after a boatman who lived and worked next to the Irwell, in the late 1800s.

He was well known for rescuing people who fell in the Irwell, including one man who fell in twice. He was awarded the Albert Medal for his good work (although I doubt in 1979 as Wikipedia suggests).

The Mark Addy pub sits next to the river, on the site of the old New Bailey landing stage and the Nemesis rowing club. The old boatman might be surprised to see this area has been transformed, with the contemporary sterile new Spinningfields looming over the pub from the Manchester side.

However, it is true to say the Salford side of the river still has its rough and ready charm, which the good quality hearty fare of the pub adds to. The boozer has recently been taken over by chef Robert Owen Brown (who comes with the moniker 'maverick' before his name) and publican and former racehorse owner Rob Lester.

The winter opening time is either a stroke of pure genius or pure luck for this traditional British menu is perfect for these chilly times. The Taste of Manchester team also enjoyed its Christmas meal courtesy of ROB (as he's known), which was a decent knees up with food and wine flowing as much as the conversation.

Rob is one of the few chefs who has fishing and shooting rights in various places in the UK, so you know exactly where the food has come from. Does this mean he can add 'hand shot pheasant' to the menu?

My Lancashire hotpot (£8.50) was a hefty portion, with tender stewed lamb, the gravy thick and tasty and the potatoes perfectly crisp: the main points required from a hotpot. An addition of home pickled red cabbage was a lovely touch, just to add some fresh crunchy texture into the meal.

From the main menu, the Chicken breast with black peas pudding and smoked bacon jus (£12.50) sounded fancy for a dish, which actually involved pleasing salt-of-the-earth type ingredients. A large juicy chicken breast was balanced, a little precariously, on top of a tower of peas pud and under that potato. There was no faulting the taste of the quality of the food, and the thick gravy was a true highlight.

Our delicious meals were both massive portions, worthy of a boatman who has done a 12 hour shift rowing people across the Irwell.

Desserts include a nice selection of traditional British puds, and our shared Dark chocolate terrine (£5.50) was incredibly rich and smooth, with beautiful vanilla roasted apricots.

ROB also serves traditional pub snacks in his own gourmet way, with a choice of pickled hens' eggs, homemade pork scratchings or hand raised pork pie with English mustard.

The Mark Addy has a great website, with the daily special blackboard on the homepage to make you abandon those soggy homemade sarnies and seek out something a bit different. Robert Owen Brown fans seemed to have happily followed him across the city centre from the Angel to his new venture.

The Mark Addy has a Burns Night Extravaganza on Monday, January 25 from 7pm. Tickets are £45 per person. Read more on Taste of Manchester events section.

www.markaddy.co.uk