• Added: 17th of January 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M40 8AD
0161 202 0055

TimMancs said
Hidden Gem
Just got home after visiting this new restaurant that has opened up just up the road from home near Miles Platting. So the first thing to say is that in restaurant terms it's location it outer Siberia - on Alan Turing Way, off Oldham Road on the east side of Manchester. It's a brave owner that sinks such a huge amount of money into such a lavish venue in a location that promises little. The principle of restaurant attached to warehouse has been done before (e.g Glamorous, closer to the city centre) but the attention to deatil, the quality of the environment, the excellence of the food, the attentive service, must make this place a first.

We had the upstairs bar, Cinnabar, to ourselves. A fabulous space - low, multi-coloured lighting, huge pillow strewn pods for you and a dozen friends and lots of comfy chairs. Downstairs a lavishly appointed, large space is divided up by bamboo screens and expensive lighting into perfect sized dining areas. We were pleased that there were a few full tables and that as the evening went a steady flow of people arrived.

The wine list looked excellent and there are some very serious bottles - a Penfolds Grange and an '89 Chateau Lafite Rothschild for £490 - as well as plenty of cheaper ones under £20.

The food was excellent - a pre-starter of a fat juicy breaded prawn - the opposite of the ones you get in super markets where the coating is twice the thickness of the prawn - and cripsy noodles and salad. Starters included the best thai fish cakes I've ever had, crispy spring rolls and fresh crunchy thai salad. For mains we had duck red curry and assorted seafood - both of the highest quality with the sweetest, plumpest, juiciest prawns I've ever had.

Service was attentive, polite with great attention to detail that can't be faulted. Our bill for two with cocktails, a £24 bottle of wine but no pudding, came to £100, so it's not cheap but it was worth every penny

I just checked the website and it says that this place cost £4.5m to put together - it shows!. I desperately hope it succeeds and would recommend it to anyone - there is nothing like it and has to be experienced.

• Added: 22nd of October 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M2 4JB
0161 834 9614

TimMancs said
Lounge (4 out of) 10
What a disappointment. Had been here years ago and as far as my memory recalled it had been a good night but we brought friends here a few weeks ago, who are fans of Anthony's in Leeds, and we had wanted to show them that Manchester has great restaurants too - boy did we get it wrong though.

Maybe it was a bad night (a Thursday though) but the service was amateurish and inept throughout the evening - the kind of thing you could ignore if the food had been great but as it wasn't it just grated.

My starter of scallops, peas and pancetta crisp was fine except that I'd swear I'd had the same tinned mushy peas with my fish supper the Friday before. Duck for main was ok but nothing special considering the prices they charge.

The decor may have been special years ago when this place opened but it just feels like the whole place is a little bit tired.

Having said that they do have a great lunchtime menu - two courses plus coffee for £10 - and it was the service that on the whole let the place down. So while I'll not be rushing back in any kind of hurry and wouldnt recommend it for dinner I would say go along for lunch and see how it goes.

• Added: 24th of July 2007
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 3JW
020 7734 4545

TimMancs said
Soho Gem
Was attending one of my regular Friday meetings in London last week and took my best London mate here as he's one of those weird people who sees food as simply the intake of fuel and if it was his choice hed be taking me to the Stockpot. Having done the Haywood and a quick look at the cities exhibit at Tate Modern, which was excellent, I found myself with about 2 hours to find and book a good table close to Old Compton Street, where we'd agreed to meet after he finished work.

And Arbutus is what caught my eye - Time Out best new restaurant of the year in 2006 and exceedingly handy to our rendezvous. I thought I wasn't taking too much of a risk as a quick look at the menu outside the premises confirmed it wasn't too expensiveor pretentiousand they had shepherd's pie on the menu. I thought I was on a winner when they confirmed they did have a table for 90 minutes time. True to form though my London mate moaned about the fact I'd dragged him to a fancy restaurant even though its hardly a schlep from Old Compton Street and the service was exceptionally quick - and he's the first oh so tiny fault - so quick that it seemed slick, slick and formulaic. My starter of smoked eel, beetroot and horseradish cream appeared within minutes. It seems churlish to moan about speed and they do promote their theatre menu so for all of you who are in a bit of a hurry you'll be fine.

The quality of the food though quickly dispelled any reservations I might have had though - I love rollmops and the eel was like a posh version without the pickle and the beetroot and horseradish cream worked a treat with it. The moany git skipped a starter and had the bavette of beef which he was generous enough to admit was very good and I helped myself to a few tastes of his dauphinois and can confirm that it is indeed one of the best I've ever tasted too. My saddle of rabbit was excellent and the shepherd's pie made from the shoulder was brilliant - very clever. The highlight though was what they did with the runner beans! - I grew up on a farm and they were a summer staple but never have I tasted such delicious beans - a marvel.

The tables are fairly close together so you could easily spot what others were having and all the food looked great. The wine was excellent and the prices are definitely good value for such classy food in the centre of town - both main courses came in at under 15 each. Service was very efficient without being friendly and just seemed a bit soulless. These are tiny faults though and I'd emphasise what an excellent place it is.

Am definitely going to go back and as a pre or post theatre venue it looks superb.

• Added: 9th of July 2007
• Area: Bath
• Category: Food and Drink

Bath BA1 2JY
01225 466731

TimMancs said
Good old fashioned butchers
This place has been here for decades which must be a testiment to the quality of their produce. We also saw their van drawing up at the Olive Tree restaurant where we had eaten very nice meat the night before. We used to shop here with dad sometimes when I was a kid and it doesn't look to have altered much in almost 40 years. It's the kind of small independent shop that we should all be supporting. I hope it's here for another 40 years.

• Added: 9th of July 2007
• Area: Bath
• Category: Restaurants

Bath BA1 2QF
01225 447928

TimMancs said
Even better second time round
It being a fairly last minute choice I decided to visit family near Bath for my birthday weekend and so booked our second trip to the Queensberry Hotel and dinner on the Friday night in their restaurant the Olive Tree.

After staying in most of the day waiting for a washing machine to be delivered and then being trapped in the car on the M6 for what seemed like an eternity in the Friday after work traffic it was a blessed relief to get into our room - four poster and massive bathroom. There was only time to change into a shirt and then take seats for dinner. The restaurant is one of the nicest in Bath and seems to be gathering a bit of a reputation, every table was taken when we sat down at 9.15pm.

The modern british menu offered lots that we fancied but knowing that we were eating again the next night I had the roasted mushroom, beetroot, quail egg and pistachio pesto salad. Hot beetroot is my idea of food heaven and this was just as good as I knew it would be. Partner had tunu with hummus and a taboulleh salad which made for a great combination of tastes. My venison for second course was as good as I've had and the trio of sticky toffee desserts was a birthday winner although partners dark and white chocolate marquis with honeycomb and an orange salad ran it a very close second.

Sure, its expensive but the quality and inventiveness of the food here definitely makes up for the price. The interior of the restaurant is lovely and very relaxing and there is a great little buzz about the place that enhances that feeling of relaxation. Service was great again without being stuffy or too over the top.

The hotel is excellent and breakfast is one of the best I've had. Thoroughly recommended.

• Added: 10th of June 2007
• Area: Leeds
• Category: Restaurants

Leeds LS1 6EA
0113 245 5922

TimMancs said
My new favourite place
As promised a second review of this place. And on reflection its definitely a 5 star and now a favourite place of mine - I only wish it was closer to home.

The generosity of our hosts meant that on this trip (for someone's special birthday) we got to see no menu and no prices and no bill either. We had taken over the whole place on Saturday lunch and when we eventually sat down, after much champagne and chat, we were greeted with a lovely little starter of cold squid done very simply but unusually in a light dressing. Next came sea trout with mango and feta which was delicious and then a main course of duck, served pink and with cubes of raw apple, some hot foie gras and something that looked like sawdust but which tasted a whole lot nicer. We then had a desert of milk done five different ways and this time I thought it a wonderful dish, much better than when I'd had it last time. I'm not sure if it had been pared down a little but whatever accounts for the difference this time is was a star and 10 out of 10. There was also a cheese plate of eleven different cheeses that come with descriptions and an order in which you should eat them. This is an excellent idea and I'd forgotten that we had the same last time. It's an excellent idea to give a logical order in which the cheeses should be eaten - they did it at the most enjoyable meal I've ever had and good places should do it more. Of course on a table of six after much champagne and wine and with so much chatter going on we didn't really observe any order at all this time. I'd also forgotten that the bread and three different flavoured butters plus an olive oil that they serve with it is excellent too.

Service was much friendlier this time and I recognised faces from our last visit and discovered that they had worked at El Bulli too.

I'd add that the restaurant is perfectly located in the heart of town close to the train station. Trains between Leeds and Manchester run all through the night I think and are definitely easy enough to use if everyone wants to drink also the atmosphere on the night train last whenever we've used it was fun and not at all intimidating.

So to sum up I think the place is brilliant and deserves the recognition it seems to have had from some. It's definitely a favourite and we'll certainly be going back. I'd urge anyone to go and enjoy it.

• Added: 6th of June 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M30 9PS

TimMancs said
I'll get the burger and chips to start please
If you're with Bart and Homer and think that restaurant heaven is a place where you can get burger and chips to start then this is the place for you! I loved it.

The restaurant is one of a few such decent places in Monton village, one of the nicer retail high streets in Salford, a few miles to the west of Manchester city centre. It's near our workplace and I've been a few times for lunch and last week went for a colleagues leaving do.

The menu is Italian (as one might have guessed) but, as the web site says, with a distinctive modern twist. That said the web site is a little confusing - this place is a sister restaurant of a small independent chain in the north west, but this one is run independently and the menu is different from that on the web site and from the look of it not quite as good. However, don't let that put you off - the choice is wide and the pizzas were tasty and the toppings were fairly adventurous and worked well - so they are not as good as Pizza Express or Croma but I enjoyed mine and objectively they are good pizzas.

As well as the pizzas and pasta there are the usual range of steaks, chicken, fish and salads. What was so good about this place is that they really do try to be distinctive and innovative and make an effort to give the customer a good meal. The star of course being a starter from the specials board of cheese burger crostini - small toasts with a tomato sauce, topped with a thick slice of burger smothered with melted mozzarella served with a salad garnish and a handful of fries - ingenious, witty and more importantly very tasty. If they have any sense this dish will become a permanent feature. Another example of their wit was the Eurona' pizza - you choose your own four toppings! Well it made me chuckle anyway. My heart warms to places like this that make this kind of effort.

There are other good things on the menu too. One of my best friends at work lives close by and she loves the pate here. From what I saw it certainly looked good - a big chunk of chicken liver pate with good toast and an onion marmalade. Other people had mixed fried seafood that was served in a tall tumbler with a skewer of prawns and pots of sauce which everyone was saying looked very impressive and those that had chosen it said was lovely.

All this and its great value too. Go early and all pizza and pasta is just 6. Service was ok, given that there were 20 of us. The place itself is light and airy, wood floors and white walls with modern art that was for sale. It benefits from having a long glazed frontage to the street. The place was very busy by the time we left and is obviously popular with families as not only were there lots of children but there was also a notice saying that children that ran around and misbehaved would be put in a pie!

All in all a good place that is well worth trying out.

• Added: 30th of May 2007
• Area: Grange Over Sands
• Category: Restaurants

Grange Over Sands LA11 6PZ
01539 536362

TimMancs said
Stunning!!
This place has got to be offering amongst the finest dining experiences in the country. Fortunately, or not, depending on your viewpoint, it's in Cartmel in Cumbia, and so dinner here is best enjoyed as part of a weekend in the Lake District. If you're really at the top of your game and are into horseracing you'll make it one of the weekends when the horses are running at Cartmel racecourse, just a five minute walk from the restaurant. The restaurant has lovely rooms and so staying is made easy.

We ate here both nights we stayed. A la carte first night and on the second (after a full day walking in the hills) the full monty - the 20 course 'Underground'. Don't be put off by 20 courses - each was perfectly sized, and, more to the point, delicious.

I occasionally get the feeling that fancy places that experiment with tastes and flavours sometimes take that experimenting a step too far (I threw up in the last 3star michelin place I ate in) - not here though, as each brilliantly presented dish worked well - some absolutely stunning, some just plain lovely, some (such as the puddings) a little more ordinary. Don't think though that just because the food is fancy that this is a place where you are not going to feel comfortable - the fact that you are in a village and that this is an old workshop with rough walls and a stone floor and that there a stream at the bottom of the garden sees to this in part - the service also makes you feel at ease - not stuffy but perfectly effecient and relaxed.

Yes, the price is steep, but its worth every single penny and now that we should all be taking fewer flights forget that weekend abroad and book here instead.

• Added: 29th of May 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Manchester M3 4LG
0161 834 2266

TimMancs said
Love will save your day
The name alone just makes me want to eat here. This is a fantastic little place situated at the end of Deansgate next to Deansgate train station and the G-Mex metro stop. It operates as a deli/takeaway/eat-in-cafe during the day serving good salads (the best beetroot salad I've ever had), lots of sandwiches (proscuitto, goats cheese and artichoke is my favourate....mmmmmmmm) and gorgeous platters (e.g cheese platter or middle eastern platter) and some hot food which is excellent in itself but on Thursday nights it opens up as a bistro. The menu is fairly short but we've been lots now and each time there has been food we've wanted - and if you're in doubt you can check their web site for whats on that weeks menu. It also operates a great Sunday brunch menu (I can recommend the bloody mary's).

The cooking is faultless - no fuss, just good homely bistro food and the value is great - 3 courses for just 15 and order wine before 7pm and there is no corkage.

Service is attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is fantastic - it is obviously popular with regulars. The people who run it also operate a great ethical policy that makes you feel good about supporting this place. Ever since we discovered this place last year it's steadily got busier and busier and you might need to book your table.

It might not ever get a Michelin star but its all the better for it and if you want a great meal out with good food and wine and a great atmosphere then you should give this place a try, and if you've had a bad day at work it will definately save your day.

• Added: 28th of May 2007
• Area: Bath
• Category: Restaurants

Bath BA1 2QF
01225 447928

TimMancs said

Excellent restaurent in the basement of the Queensberry hotel that occupies four typical Georgian. The restuarnt though is sleek and stylish and the food is uncomprisingly modern in a way that doesn't challenge too hard but is still of the highest quality. Service was excellent throughout. Definately one of the best restaurants in Bath and well worth taking the trouble to book if you're in town. Brilliant location too.