• Added: 18th of September 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Shops

Manchester M60 1TX

pineapplejelly said
Shoes!
Primark is FANTASTIC for shoes! Whenever I get shoes from Primark they are always really comfortable - I struggle a lot to find comfortable shoes in other shops (and often end up paying lots of money for a pair I end up not wearing). For everyday shoes - i.e. pumps, trainers, "Converse-a-likes" - they're great. Sure, they wear out in a few months if you're wearing them everyday but to be honest the canvas shoes I like wear out within a few months anyway. It's more like a question of would I rather pay £4 for a pair that will last 3 months or £20 for a pair that will last 4 months? (I'm not actually sure if the more expensive ones do even last longer. They might be the same.)

The other thing Primark is great for is COSTUMES. If you're going to a fancy dress party or a themed night out (if you're a first year student you'll do this at least once) you don't want to end up spending £15 on a top, £20 on skirt/shorts/trousers, £15 on shoes, £20 on assorted accessories, etc. for things you're only going to wear once! Much better to pick it up from Primark (ebay's another good option, if you plan ahead enough to wait for it to be posted) and get it all for a fraction of the price. Primark are generally good for anything you might not wear very often - things you definitely need, but you aren't going to wear them enough to justify spending lots of money on it. I recently bought a nude bra from Primark for exactly that reason.

I've also bought a few tops from Primark over the years and to be honest, I've been very happy with them. People always say "oh, they fall apart after one wash!" but I've never found this. Maybe I'm just pickier with what I buy or something, but the few tops I have bought from Primark have been worn quite a lot of times and are still in great condition.

The main downside is that if you go at a busy time, you have to try stuff on at home really. If you manage to find a time (e.g. in the middle of the day on a weekday) when there's no one there, it's fine, but often the changing rooms are pretty packed and the queue's not worth the effort. But they have a 28 day returns policy so it's fine to bring things back later.

• Added: 18th of September 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Manchester M14 6NL

pineapplejelly said
A great place to sit in the summer
I've only been out to Orange Grove once in the evening and that was quite a while ago, so I don't feel I can review it for that - except to tell you that it's a bad place to bring non-student friends to, as they won't let them in!

What I do find Orange Grove is great for is sitting in the sunshine outside, in their lovely outdoor area - in fact, you'll find hoardes of students doing just that around May/June kind of time. The student-only policy doesn't apply in the daytime so it's a pleasant place to sit even if you're not a student. And if you are, it's fairly easy to get away with not buying a drink and just sitting in the sun if you want!

I usually go there around exam time in the afternoon and get a J2O and sit there with my revision notes - either outside, or inside on a squishy sofa if I've got lots of pieces of paper that are going to blow away. They serve food as well so if you've got fed up with being stuck in your room revising and need to blow the cobwebs out, in many ways this is better than the library. Sometimes it's a bit noisy outside but you can usually find a quiet corner if you need to work or just sit back and be surrounded by the babble if it's a break you need.

• Added: 22nd of March 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M1 4HF
0161 228 2219

pineapplejelly said
Teppan Yaki - teppanyaki for the beginner
Good standard teppanyaki fare. If you've never had teppanyaki before, this is a good restaurant to start in. Great quality food (although very heavy on the garlic!) and an enjoyable evening out. The chefs are flashy and smooth without being too showy. Great atmosphere - close-set tables of eight seated around the teppanyaki counter. Ignore the tacky neon lighting at the front (I nearly went somewhere else) - it's just standard Chinatown fare and doesn't reflect upon the mood or décor of the restaurant's interior.

Our meal came to £45/head but that's including sushi/sashimi, wine, drinks and sake. Set menus range from about £20-£28 including the teppanyaki dish, rice, assorted side dishes (starters) and dessert.

All in all, I much preferred this to Sapporo, which is Manchester's other teppanyaki restaurant. (well, the only other one I've found so far)

• Added: 21st of March 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M1 4FH

pineapplejelly said
Out of existence
Miyako no longer exists! I have been there and it's all boarded up except for the basement which is a CD/DVD shop. All their phone numbers are broken and there is nothing where the restaurant used to be. I think it's safe to say that they have closed down.

• Added: 12th of March 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M1 6DN
0161 228 3388

pineapplejelly said
Great buffet
Great value and the food is not compromised. I have been here a couple of times and for the price you pay you get decent food. A nice selection of dishes and if I remember rightly you can get a student discount on top of the buffet prices.

• Added: 12th of March 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M1 5EJ
0161 236 6557

pineapplejelly said
Restaurant good, buffet not so good
Tai Wu has two sections - the buffet section and the restaurant section. I've eaten in both. The restaurant section is good - if you get a number of dishes between you (say, five or six dishes between four of you) it's great value - about £10 a head or just over. It's also a much nicer atmosphere. Not amazing, but a decent place to go for a nice meal out and a good price for students.

The buffet section on the other hand is about the same price for much lower quality food. True, it's all-you-can-eat, but unless you're huge or planning on storing a large quantity in your pockets, I don't really see this is a great advantage, especially as the restaurant food gives you generous portions anyway. If it were cheaper, the reduction in quality would be made up for, but it's not, and don't forget you'll be adding drinks and whatnot to the price as well. I could cook better Chinese food than this myself!

• Added: 20th of July 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M13 9BL
0161 273 3373

pineapplejelly said
Modern
This is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants in Manchester. The food is of excellent quality (especially the dim sum) and there's enough variety on the menu to have something different each time - with an assortment of traditional and new dishes.

The dcor is reassuring - no gold and red here; it looks much more up-to-date. The service is nice too and the prices are pretty good, although it depends on what you get. Again, the dim sum especially is good value for money compared to the inflated prices you can get in some Chinese places.

There're equal quantities of Chinese and Thai dishes on the menu but I can't vouch for the Thai coz I always go for the Chinese.

The only slightly annoying thing is the nightclub upstairs. It's not owned by the restaurant and it plays its music loudly enough for you to hear it from about 9 or 10 o'clock onwards. Doesn't really fit with the ambiance of the place, but then again it never really bothered me that much.

• Added: 20th of July 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M14 6LD

pineapplejelly said

The only Greek restaurant I know of in Manchester, and it made a nice change to the usual. It's situated in the middle of all the kebab shops (near Sofa) and a little hard to spot at first.

We first looked at the menu and thought the prices a little steep (10-15 for a main course) especially for a student area, but we saw a noticeboard offering a cheaper deal (supposedly only one night a week, but they let us have it anyway) and got that. I think it was 7 for a starter, main course and glass of house wine, although I'm not sure.

The food when it came was good, although I'm no expert on Greek food! I thought we might get stingy portions being on the cheaper menu but it didn't seem so. They didn't seem to mind that half of us were having wine but not eating, either.

It's quite a small restaurant and was quite empty too, although the people were friendly enough. I was in a group of about eight but it'd be a nice place to go for couples or smaller groups too.

• Added: 20th of July 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Manchester M1 5NH
0161 200 1500

pineapplejelly said
Alternative film
The Cornerhouse cinema is the best place to go for alternative and foreign film in Manchester. If you want to see the mainstream films, go to UMC, Odeon or Showcase; if you want something a bit different, go to Cornerhouse.

The cinema itself is in a separate building to the arthouse (which I have never been in and you'll have to read other reviews about). For an alternative cinema it's not a bad size although it's still on the small side. It's also directly on the main road (where all the buses run) and right next to Oxford Road train station.

• Added: 20th of July 2007
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Restaurants

Manchester M14 6JR

pineapplejelly said
Fusion
Fusion is an Eastern-style noodle bar like Wagamamma's. It's set out in the same style, with long tables and benches instead of individual tables with chairs around them. Chinese and Japanese influences can both be seen and there's both ready-made and build-your-own dishes, where you can choose the noodles, the meat or vegetables, and the sauce. It's the cheapest noodle bar in Manchester (although they have a no-tap-water policy) and has always been a favourite of mine. The food is good and quickly served, with great service every time I've been.

The one downside is the low-quality disposable chopsticks - if you're not keen on your food tasting of wood, bring your own!