Juniper

With its classic shop-front conversion, there's little to distinguish Juniper from the average mild-mannered suburban restaurant, but don't be fooled, this is the culinary playground of an expressionist chef and one of the country's most renowned and talked about restaurants. The interior, decked out on two levels, is equally discreet and unpretentious, yet cool, the dining room decorated in shades of green, with quirky artwork, subdued lighting and tables dressed in crisp white linen resplendent with highly polished glassware and cutlery. Service is equally polished and nothing less than flawless, while a swish basement bar kicks off the Juniper adventure over cocktails while perusing the flamboyant menu. But, there's little to prepare the uninitiated for chef-patron Paul Kitching's highly individual style - reading the menu is an eye-opening experience that challenges conventional thinking. No one else comes close to his expressional and aspirational cooking style - it's a one-off, idiosyncratic, bold, improvisational and breathtaking, delivered with masterful technique and underpinned by a classical French theme. Expect exquisite, full flavours of freshness and vitality on a repertoire of predominantly fixed-price menus that include gourmet surprise offerings that deliver an impromptu medley unique to each table, where one simply sits back and enjoys the ride. Main menu dishes sometimes come with witty subtitles or the odd supplement, but whatever, be prepared to be wowed. Take a threesome: warm scallops with Scotch broth, apricot egg pancake, garlic beignet and broccoli cream; slow-cooked fillet of pork assiette served with wild rice, sweetcorn and blueberry cookie, and Earl Grey, brazil nut and crab mayonnaise; and to finish, a treacle sponge soufflé with Horlicks and praline ice cream.

A556, Chester-Manchester road. Altrincham town centre
Nearest station: Altrincham Train & Metro

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