Harters

My standard rule, from which I never vary at any restaurant, is to order whatever takes my fancy on the night when I read the menu.

There's little justice in the world.

A OK-ish dinner at Malmaison tonight. It was a menu that had lots of appeal when we’d read it online. We liked the look of the main menu. We liked the look of the “local” menu – produce from the north west – although when it came to ordering, we just didn’t fancy the dishes. A starter of eggs benedict was fine if unexceptional. The other starter was one of those that read particularly well “Port of Lancaster smoked haddock and leek tart”. Unfortunately, the reading was as good as it got. Soggy pastry and a dense, underflavoured filling which tasted as though it might have stood around a while and been warmed up more than once. My main of venison faggots, with black pudding, was also surprisingly bland. To my mind, faggots should have strong offaly tastes. This hadn’t. And, if the accompanying “mashed turnips” had ever come close to a turnip, I shall give up commenting on meals out. This was, erm, mash, which made my decision to have a side order of fries a bit of a carb overdose. The other main was a classic steak frites. A pretty good example that would happily be served up in French brasserie. Crisp frites. The beef, described as “naturally reared, grass fed dry aged on the bone”, tasted like it was probably all of these things. Cut thin and cooked rare, this was a good piece of meat. We passed on dessert and coffee. The bill came to just on £70, including about £20 on drinks and a service charge, which was no rip-off but no great value for money deal either. But what I really hated with a vengeance was the room itself. Tables are crammed in so close that, even with the half screen partially shielding one table from another, you feel part of the next table’s conversation and listening to the boring git whitter on about his spreadsheets for an hour was a conversation too far.

Another Cheshire pub - this one doing pretty reasonable fish & chips: Pheasant Inn at Higher Burwardsley (near Chester). Not as good, IMO, as the two I mention upthread. Ham hock terrine was good, but fridge cold. Fish & chips much better. Mushy peas were just mush. Tarrate sauce was good. Great views over the Cheshire plain towards Liverpool. It'd be a grand place to have lunch outside on a nice day.

David It used to be our "special occasion" place back in the early 80s. Then we went off it for years. Went back for dinner about 18 months ago (just to see what it was like now) and it really was well past its sell-by date. Mercifully, they had stopped doing the "dome lifting" nonsense but the menu would have felt very familiar to someone doing a time-leap forward 25 years. That said, it was reasonably busy and obviously serving a loyal customer base. But those customers are now pretty elderly - I am in my late 50s and felt like a spring chicken in comparison with other tables. Ok, I've now convinced myself I'll pass on the taster lunch offer. John

A flyer has arrived from dreary South Manchester old-timer, the Moss Nook. It advertises a five course taster lunch (canape & coffee counting as two) for £21. Or two courses for £15. Nice to see their a la carte still features a peppered steak and duck breast. That'll be the well done duck breast "as that's how our customers like it". Plus ca change, etc. The Moss Nook is just about near enough to walk to but I'm really not sure whether I can be arsed with this offer.

Although if it is, Mrs Harters advises strongly against going anywhere near their shellfish. It completely knackered the next day which she'd hoped to spend watching the gee-gees but, instead, had her head down the bog whenever she wasnt sat on it. John

Pretty much mirrored my experience David. And I think we had the same table. And I wasnt a fan of being so wedged into it, so close to the next diners, that it had to be pulled into the middle of the room to allow us to get out for a pee.

There was a TV programme a week or so back that touched on this (missed the first half so not sure what the programme title was). Mentioned stuff about how the celebs can pull from branding. IIRC, it said that Worral Thompson had made millions from his cookware endorsements. Disappointing to see Aidan Byrne and his agent talking about the strategy for getting him a TV show and so on. Just bloody cook!

Disappointing to hear. I've had a couple of most enjoyable meals at the Piccadilly branch. Hope the whole mini-chain isnt on its way downhill.

The original EastZEast was spot on - as about 6 weeks back - and I really wouldnt stray further for a "one-off" visit. If you were venturing to Rusholme's "curry mile", the Punjab Tandoori is streets ahead of anything else and, in spite of its name, offers several South Indian specialities (bhel puri, dosas, etc) and, without doubt, the best selection of veggie food on the strip.

Even though it’s less than an hour away, we don’t know Liverpool well. So, we enjoyed the walk from the car park to Hope Street – lots of seemingly Georgian buildings – we’ll come back and have a proper nosy around the area. The Hope Street Hotel is, however, very modern. The bar area had a nice buzz and we liked the restaurant space. Modern; comfy seating, good sized tables set sufficiently apart that we didn’t feel we were part of someone else’s conversation. The menu read well – again, modern but nothing wacky. This sounded like food you were going to want to get stuck into. Unfortunately, it just missed out. A lentil and vegetable soup was simple, straightforward and comforting. A fairly clear broth with lentils, carrot and celery. Just the sort of thing you’d want if you were just recovering from the flu. My pearl barley risotto had lots of little nuggets of “al dente” fennel and courgette which contrasted well with the fairly soft barley. So, good on texture but underwhelming on flavour – courgettes are never going to be good at this time of year and, somehow, the fennel had lost all semblance of aniseed flavour. An almost, but not quite, saving grace was the presence of truffle oil which added some earthiness. I enjoyed my main though. Gressingham duck breast came with a pink grapefruit sauce – nicely sharper than the classic bitter orange. Came with a “gateau” of pressed winter vegetables – thin slices of several veg (turnip being the predominant flavour), blanched and then stacked up and heated through to brown the top – and some tiny leeks. This was bang on cooking in my mind – and it’s the food I love to eat. The other main was a smoked haddock risotto. Good flakes of fish, some leeks, cabbage, mascarpone and parmesan. Pleasant enough but underseasoned. And a tiny portion. We didn’t bother with dessert but ordered espresso – served weak and lukewarm. Service had been good from the several members of the young crew who attended our table. Whilst there was a good selection of wines by the glass, half bottles seemed highly marked up.

Gio? Which I guess must be related to the restaurant of the same name on the far side of St Peter Square. I'd been due to meet a mate this week for lunch at the Topkapi Palace on Deansgate. It's donkeys' years since I'd been there - probably not since I stopped working at the town hall in 1980 (and then , it was round the corner on Peter Street). Anyway, I still havnt been - it was shut while they redecorate. And the mate rang to say he was poorly. So, with the taste of the eastern Med. (my fave cuisine) in my head, I walked to Efe's on Princess Street. Now, I've heard mixed reports about this "mediterranean buffet", but one went along the lines of "Ohhh, you'll like this John. Your sort of food and, as it's buffet, your sort of greed. £6.95 gets you the lunchtime scoff. And you can get a pretty good lunch, although I'd have to say not only had the reports been mixed, but the food looked mixed as well. As often the case with the eastern Med, salads and the like were the best of the bunch - fresh, good dressings. Some of the hot dishes looked distinctly unappetising with the thick slick of grease congealing in the way of canteen gravy. Others looked to be straight from freezer to deep fryer Lamb koftas were nicely charred; good flavour of the meat and a little backnote of chilli. However, they were spoiled from having sat around too long (and it was only 12.30). The best buffets (by which I mean Nawaab in Levenshulme) have it right by constant replenishment. Highlight was a spinach and bechamel pastitsio - just an oozingly tasty dish. J

Thanks Thom Much as I guessed - seeing as it was being praised for being on the shortlist of HiLife "Best Restaurant". As if that was a recommendation that would encourage me to go. As if. I'm one of those who does like Glamorous. Always seems packed with Chinese folk which, although no guarantee of good food, is at least a marker. John

Any current thoughts on "Sweet Mandarin" in the Northern Quarter (I see Thom gave it his "one to miss" vote ages back)? It was mentioned on another board I still use from time to time and was being raved over by a couple of posters (who I suspect may have been shills as it was their first time posts). Online menu just looks odd to me - but I don't know if that's just because I'm used to Chinatown eateries. John

Along the Costa itself, Estepona is probably the most Spanish of the towns. Even so, like everywhere else, it is geared towards the serving the north european on holiday. Avoid the marina area as it is very touristy and head for the main square. There are a number of restaurants in it and in the small streets surrounding it. There's good food to be had here - mainly simple fried fish and tapas. We spent a fortnight there a year or so back. I can't recall specific names so the general advice I would offer is to look out for the places that are empty in the early evening and then start to fill up with locals around 10pm. As you arrive in the square from the sea, walk straight through it to the small street that runs away from it for a few metres. At the end is a small restaurant serving great fish in totally casual surroundings. Worth the drive from Marbella for the food and the general ambience of the place.

Well, on Thom's rec, I had lunch at Kebabish. Good eats - but why was there only me and one other person in there! A wet chickpea-y dish. Another almost dry of keema & potato. Rice and a roti. A shade over eight quid. And, yes, I know that was three carbs. I had a look at Mahabra and can see why Thom describes it as scary, although dirty might seem a better description. However good the food, I think I'll give that one a miss. John

It’s been a couple of years since we ate at this smallish neighbourhood restaurant. We should go more often as it’s close to home but, sometimes, you overlook the places on your doorstep. Only open Wednesday to Saturday (and Sunday lunch), the Bay Tree offers two courses for £17.95 and three for another £2. Order before 6.45 and you save £2 on those prices. A number of mains carry a £4 or £5 supplement and there may be the odd dish when you want to order some additional spuds. On Wednesday and Thursday, they now also offer what is described as the “brasserie menu”, offering three courses for £12.95. They are doing something right as most tables were occupied on this cold Wednesday night in February. We ordered from the main menu (promising ourselves a return to try the brasserie food to see if portions will be sufficient that a bag of chips on the way home won’t be needed). Fish pie is an uncommon starter which came in a small bowl but there were distinct and sufficient pieces of cod, smoked haddock and prawn, topped with mashed potato. This was pretty good. Also pretty good was a very large bowl of mushroom soup – well seasoned and with a good flavour of mushroom. Mains were a bit disappointing. A cherry tomato, onion, basil and mozzarella tarte tatin was really nothing of the sort. The ingredients had been stacked on a disc of puff pastry and then finished under the grill. It was reminiscent of cheap supermarket pizza but flavours were actually OK. Some strange chips accompanied – a coating of some sort had been added to give crispness. And when I say “some chips”, I mean “four chips”. Nice well dressed salad sat alongside. The other main was chicken breast served on sauté veg and potato. The lemon and honey sauce spoilt the dish. It was simply too sweet and gloopy (and presumably came out of a bottle or wherever Chinese takeaways get their homey/lemon sauce from). I commented on this to the server, noting to her also that I had left a clean plate. She said she’d pass the comment on to the kitchen and, I thought, that was the end of it. Until the bill came. We found only one meal had been charged and when we drew attention to it, the response was “You didn’t like your chicken, you don’t pay. That’s how we work. We want to see you come back”. And, with friendly customer service like that, they will. It was an excessively nice gesture. That is, if they are still in business. I assume they don't get too many complaints if they comp those they do get.

Have to say I'm rather pleased he's kept the Kew one. I've had a few decent meals there over the years. It's walking distance from the Travelodge I stay at when visiting the National Archives and there arent too many other places in the very immediate neighbourhood.

An extract from something I posted on another board, last May, about my 3 course lunch around the Quarter. "Hunters BBQ on High Street provided a starter of chicken tikka kebab @ £3.20. Knowing I was on a mooch, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to manage one of their legendary game curries – venison, quail or partridge – but will one day. Kebab arrived – good spicing. Moist yet well charred meat. Usual kebab shop type salad. Several different sauces offered – the mango one offering a nice change to the more common chilli. Nice naan – the rounder thinner takeaway type rather than the teardrop shaped restaurant sort – but still a good combination of crispy and doughy bread. A few doors down is Alladin. Big enough only for 4 tables and few bar stools. And one of the exponents of the “rice and three” – I had a wander round the other places and everyone now seems to be charging four quid. You get a big helping of rice and your choice of three big spoonfuls of the day’s choices. I had a keema and peas (much as you’d expect), a nice almost dry spinach dish with garlic and some welcome heat, and a spoonful of something chickpea-y – not a complete winner this as I found it very salty which masked what may otherwise have been good flavours. I then popped across the road to the Arndale Market which seems to have lost a couple of its good food suppliers (I’m sure Sillfield Farm used to have a stall there). Perhaps now more of a food court type thing than a market (although probably the best range of fish in the area) but a good range of different cuisines on offer. I needed coffee and dessert and found both at Boteco Brazil. Coffee was just OK – is it just me or does the South American influence make for weedy coffee ? Canary Islands are the only part of Spain where, IMO, there’s crap coffee and the folk there have many links with SA. And, seeing as I’d started lunch with a kebab, I thought I’d finish with one. What was described as “BomBom” was several skewered grapes covered in dark chocolate. Nice. Very nice."

Thom Excellent. This should keep me busy for a while (and good exercise walking to/from the Library). I like Hunters more for its kebabs and Aladdin just for its tiny quirkiness. Agree the three round the corner are much of a muchness but prefer (dunno why) the one almost next to the Lebanese. I'll have a bash at Kebabish & Mahabra over the next couple of weeks. John

Thom, again thanks for the explanation. I'm getting confused now. The Kebabish I'd heard of was on Cheetham Hill Road. I see now that when I'd looked at restaurantsofmanchester the posts are for a different place. Are you saying that the one you refer to is a third - somewhere near Piccadilly? Do you have the address, please? As a general issue about restaurantsofmanchester and the like, yes, with the lack of any regional general food discussion board, I'm happy to read review posts by punters like me who have eaten somewhere I might be considering. And, unlike a couple of other local review sites, RoM is happy to publish negative posts so is the one I would give most consideration to. J

Kebabish would be too much of a schlep from the Library. Although, funnily enough, I'd been toying with the idea of making a special trip as I'd heard reasonably good things. Then I looked at "restaurants of Manchester" and saw it was absolutely slagged off. Might still have to go sometime and see what's what.

Story about Chinatown is interesting and I'd certainly agree that it has lost a vibrancy as a "destination". As the Yeungs seem to be saying, solution (if there is to be one) is very much in their own hands. Thom - thanks for the other recs. I'm currently spending a day a week researching at Central Library so in need of some variety. Have to disagree with you about Rice "doing a job". Based on a lunch at the Trafford Centre branch, I thought it was crap. John

I'm continuing my search for a lunch in the city centre that is both halfway decent and affordable (affordable, that is, to this retired civil service clerk). Today I offer up Karim's at 43 Spring Gardens. Indian buffet. Five quid - cheap as chips. Food's on a par with the Northern Quarter caffs like Alladin & Al-Faisal. Three or four starters - pappadums, pakora, bhaji. Half a dozen mains - a couple of lamby things, a couple or so of chicken. A dreary looking "mixed vegetables". But a good dahl makhani. Well cooked (for a buffet) rice and none too shabby bread. And, unlike some buffets, you can get a jug of tap water for free. But I really post this for the folk who don't know the building from its previous incarnations as the Establishment and, before that, I think, a bank and, originally, the headquarters of a Victorian cotton spinning company. I think I can almost guarantee you will not eat in a more opulently designed and constructed room - not for a fiver, at least. Not for nothing was our city once known as Cottonopolis.