Three courses, no clock-watching

Skipping lunch should be banned – and we’ve found the perfect excuse to avoid yet another sorry salad eaten at your desk with a wooden spork. It’s called lunch at restaurant MCR, and lunchtimes have never looked so appealing.

Pastry is one of Aiden’s strong points, and sweet treats might include something like a chocolate brownie with passionfruit and mango. Whatever’s on the menu when you visit, you know it’s going to be gorgeous

If you fancy a taste of fine-dining without committing to getting to grips with a full-blown tasting menu, then the three-course set lunch at restaurant MCR is for you. Our Spinningfields go-to – only open since December but by no means wet behind the ears – is overseen by renowned head chef Aiden Byrne (at one time, the youngest recipient of a Michelin star), and he and his team offer a specially designed three-course set menu just for lunchtimes. It means you can enjoy a shorter dining experience without having to watch the clock – or compromise on quality or taste.

2019 03 29 Mcr Lunch Mushroom And Artichoke

There are two choices for each course, starter, main and dessert, and they’re revised on a regular basis to reflect seasonal availability and to showcase the city and the region’s most outstanding ingredients. It’s not called restaurant MCR for nothing.

Right now, the sample menu lists a palm sugar foie gras mousse with black cherries and gingerbread, or mushroom with Jerusalem artichoke for starters. Mains, meanwhile, include braised short rib of beef with eryngii mushrooms, Secretto and Txogitxu steak tartar or butter-poached sole accompanied by morel mushrooms, frogs’ legs and whey cream.

2019 03 29 Mcr Lunch Short Rib 2019 03 29 Mcr Lunch Sole

Pastry is one of Aiden’s strong points, and sweet treats might include something like a chocolate brownie with passionfruit and mango. Whatever’s on the menu when you visit, you know it’s going to be gorgeous.

The set lunch menu is served Wednesday to Saturday, from 12 noon to 2.30pm, and costs £35 for three courses. And if you book for lunch on weekdays during April, you’ll get a complimentary glass of wine. Best get booking…

Find out more about restaurant MCR here

2019 03 29 Mcr Brownie