thom

Hurrah for Red Chilli and a thoroughly successful team-building night out. Service was a little sketchy (we got a new waitress and stretched her to breaking point with very convoluted ordering), the room was packing and bustling, our first table for nine was in the ailse and the second squashed in a corner under a draughty window but the food... ...amazing. Three of the team had been before, though one of these (who had foolishly visited without my guiding hand) had tried to order the poached lamb broth on two previous occassions and ended up with the wrong dish each time. The other five were newbies. We didn't go CRAZY with the ordering (there were ladies present. Proper ladylike one's too) but we still managed to end up with enough food that we all left feeling stuffed and three of us had well-stocked doggy bags in tow. Plenty of boiled rice obviously. Four potions of spring onion bread - a revelation to the uninitiated ("Bread! In a Chinese Restaurant?!" - Shades of Peter Kay...) - and four portions of Beijing dumplings (devoured by all with lots of lipsmacking). Then our token veggie had aubergines in a sweet chilli sauce and a dish of salt and pepper stir-fried beancurd . The aubergine were great (not dis-similar to the Beijing aubergines), really smoky and creamy, but the beancurd was fantastic. It had real texture and there aren't many things in life which aren't improved by being dusted in salt and pepper and fried. We also had two lots of the hot poached lamb (leading to at least four new converts), a Cantonese spicy beef (the shredded, batterered sweet stuff which can get a bit sickly but was great here), salt and pepper baby squid (fantastic), the fillet beef rolls (I missed out on these), rice and chicken with tomato (a real find - very delicate clean flavours but absolutely delicious; a soupy stock full of rice with a real clear taste of tomato) and some big noodle dish (dan-dan noodles? I didn't try this). All went down a treat, though if I'd had my way there would have been a LOT more offal being consumed around the table. Personally I ordered the pork belly with preserved cabbage (as unctuous and intense as ever) and... the French beans with pork. I nearly missed this, as it was under the veggie menu (beans with pork rather than pork with beans) but boy am I glad I sought it out! It was bloody lovely! I don't initially understand where so much flavour could come from but it was obviously contained within that oily, dark red, sediment filled sauce which was chockful of chilli heat and umami. I think I could eat my own shoes if they were basted in whatever that magic formula is. The pork itself worked wonderfully. It was in mince form and weirdly it was only the other day I knocked up an impromptu stir-fry with lamb mince (plus chilli, five-spice, loads of soy and oyster sauce, and chopped spring greens with thin noodles stirred through) and it worked so well as a texture and seemed so well suited to wok-cooking I questioned why mince wasn't more prevalent in Chinese cuisine as keema for example is in Indian/Pakistani cooking. Apologies If I am showing ignorance of the many, many mince based dishes one finds on the menu of your average Chinese-chippy. All in all then another knock-out meal (if a little short on "extreme" dishes) with some fantastic new discoveries. The bill? Including a decent amount of Tiger beers (maybe 12 or 15? All in, not each...), two bottles of decent Sauvignon Blanc, and a smattering of soft drinks it was around £220, under £25 a head all in. Fantastic. Cheers Thom

All, excuse me blundering on this particular board and launching a new thread but I did have a quick search for Lue and nothing came up. That said knowing how hit and miss the sites search facility is that proves nothing... Anyway, the reason for said thread is that I have recently found out that my cousin, now based in Bordeaux and married to a nice American chap, has a holiday home in a small village 45 minutes South of the city called Lue. More pertinently she has offered it as a venue for a free holiday for me, my better half and my two "whirling-dervishes-of-perpetual-motion" boys (aged two and five). In the current economic climate this sounds absolutely like a little slice of perfection. Obviously as a long-time eGulleteer and general food nerd eating has always been inextricably linked to my travelling but I confess to knowing little to nothing about French dining. The wedding in Bordeaux and a brief business trip to Paris are my only previous jaunts. Although I know my stuff in many areas of food and drink I know this ignorance and lack of experience of French dining in France is a gaping chasm in my knowledge. I'd like therefore to try and fill the gap a little if we visit Lue this summer. My only proviso is that anywhere we eat has to be kid friendly. On this basis I would prefer something small-scale, homeley and relaxed rather than anything too formal and fine-dining. That aside hit me with any suggestions for good eating in the vicinity. Oh, also we'd rather not travel too far (in 45 mins we'd be back in Bordeaux anyway) and I realise that may narrow the brief too much but please, give it some thought and let me know if there is anywhere I really shouldnt miss. My cousin does say there is a restaurant directly opposite the house that is very good and that people travel to. Her hubby used to have a share in La Tupina, the Bordeaux restaurant that featured in the 50 Best Restaurants in the World list year one so I'm assuming they know what they're talking about. Any hints, tips or general pointers (about eating around Lue specifically or with kids in France generally) would be much appreciated. Cheers Thom

You should try asking the same question of either Ithaca or Vermillion in Manchester. Both, reputedly, cost around £4m to design and build, and the former opened about eighteen months late. Ithaca is the city centre high end "Nobu-ish" restaurant, chi-chi cocktail bar and members club, whereas Vermillion is the enormous 300+ capacity Thai restaurant out in the arse-end of East manchester with a design job by Miguel Cancio Martins. I look at Ithaca - 25 restaurant covers and four midweek-lunchers on the 50% discount menu, and Vermillion - marooned by the cancelled "supercasino", and wonder where that £4+m million return is going to come from over 5 years, 10 years or possibly even over eons... Cheers Thom

I'm not addicted, I'll be alright, I just need one more hit of that chilli... And luckily, I got it last night. A colleague was in town for the football (Altrincham born and bred, but ensconced in Rome for many years now) and when I asked what he fancied for a pre-match dinner he played into my hands by saying "Anything but Italian". "Spice", I said. "I bet you miss a bit of spice out in that there Italy." He did. I suggested Sichuan, he said it was his favourite (though his normal fix of chilli, sought out the minute he touches down in Blighty, is a blast of Thai), I thought for a while (milliseconds) and then suggested Red Chilli. Being with a newbie I played safe (and wheeled out the big hitters) by ordering us (all together now) spring onion bread, rice for two, Beijing dumplings and hot poached lamb. Service was a little slow (they were busy) but the food was as consistently wonderful as ever (overstuffed dumplings the only - welcome - derivation from the norm) so I won't recount the detail. My chum was, frankly, blown away. In an ill-advised homage to Michael Winner he declared the lamb "Historic". If that blew him away the bill almost finished him off - £32 a head for the food and four Tiger beers (still no Tsingtao - they're blaming the exchange rate) - less than a tenner a head for the food. Ah well, it should keep me going till the works do next Tuesday. Cheers Thom

Gary, Has this place appeared on your radar yet? I know Leeds is your stomping ground and you're a man who likes a bit of spice in your life. Cheers Thom -- Each step you take through Alea Casino in Clarence Dock bounces a little off the carpet. I wonder if it's part of the sophisticated psychology behind the neon and chandelier chance-palace; a gambling bubble carefully engineered with muzak and bouncy carpets ready to cushion the blow of losing your next month's rent. Or maybe they're just new. It's the first venture outside London by Vineet Bhatia, the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star and widely considered one of the best in the country. Alt: The Bird By Veneet: Leeds has got a cracking new Indian This would make sense. Alea Leeds only opened in September and while I'm sure it's a marvellous casino with its red-soaked environ of both womblike safety and edgy euphoria, it's not why I was there. No, I was making a beeline for the restaurant. The Bird by Vineet is tucked away in the back corner on the first floor to the right of a bonkers peacock mosaic. It's the first venture outside London by Vineet Bhatia, the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star and widely considered one of the best in the country. While Vineet isn't regularly installed in the kitchen, the place very much bears his mark and as such it's not slap-dash boozy curry, but contemporary Indian cuisine. The actual restaurant is both showy and slick: low hanging lamps and red tube lighting illuminate the chocolate and cream hues of the angular interior design; a grand high ceiling oversees stylishly set tables and an open kitchen stage. It's modern design with a vague feeling of 1980s yuppie aspiration. The completely affable maÎtre d' sat us at the chainmail window and left us to peruse the options. Vineet's menu is racy south Asian with a few alarming twists (Yorkshire cheese naan? Er...). There's certainly some innovation at play, however the most shocking thing about it are the prices. Even prior to tasting I was impressed – £6.95 for a main? On service and setting alone, this is hard to believe. What on earth can it mean for the food? Popadoms (£1.50) kicked things off well: light, fragile with a deeply satisfying crunch and served with a couple of sweet fruit chutneys. The starter was a no brainer. The tapas platter (£6 per person) featured six mini Indian snacks presented impressively in stand of cute little cones. The chicken lollipop, despite having an overly child-friendly name, was a bone of brittle spicy batter revealing a lesson in moist succulence beneath. The crispy masala rice are cheesy rice balls – I know, hear me out – with a fluffy centre of gooey, textured, creamy loveliness that was just so right. The fleshy chunks of white fish inside their crunchy tandoori shells, the meaty lamb sheekh kebab with its indulgent cheese centre – there's an obvious danger of these being greasy disasters, yet all were superb. To follow we overfaced ourselves with a few mains. The lamb biryani (£7.50) was a beautifully baked dish of tender dry lamb and rice under a crust lid. Each grain seemed to have been lovingly coated in a hearty spice mix with a fragrant presence of cardomon throughout. In contrast, the spicy Goan fish curry (£7.95) had its perfectly flaking white fish in a rich turmeric-laden sauce. A proper little hotty, the dense kicking flavours evolved for a good minute after the mouthful. On the milder side, the saag paneer (£4.50) of spinach and Indian cheese was a creamy, pillowy delight loaded with warm nutmeg, mild spice and a garlicky depth. We mopped it up with a thin, almost artisan pizza-ish onion and coriander naan. Often with curries there's the temptation, nay the need, to mix it up to mask the flavours in a big spicy sauce blend. But here, each dish was so cleverly constructed and expertly executed that to mix them would be like mixing Mozart and dubstep: wrong. Thoroughly stuffed but unable to resist the dessert menu, I went for a raspberry delice (£4) which was a devilish layered girder of fudgy brownie, light mousse and a tart raspberry coulis served with a pistachio ice cream. My dining companion Ben is usually scathing but his between-mouthful utterances had been of a “spectacular”, “brilliant” and “flawless” nature all night. He went for the orange and ginger pudding with cardomon custard and ginger ice cream (£4). This soft centred sponge sandwiched between ice cream and custard was a hot-cold tower of Christmas spiced comfort. It elicited yet more uncharacteristic gushing from across the table. The altogether excellent food totally distracted us, but The Bird By Vineet is definitely in a casino. The music, the glitz, the view of cheesy fire screens and betting tables. By all rights, The Bird should stand on its own, serving food that's thoroughly exciting and astonishingly reasonable. The prices are less than half those of Vineet's London restaurant Rasoi and around the same as curries elsewhere that have systematically abused my innards. For delicious dishes and stunning value, it's absolutely worth seeking out the back corner of Alea Casino and, if you're feeling lucky, there's always the opportunity for a flutter on the floaty traipse through. Rating: 16/20 Breakdown: 9/10 food 3/5 ambience 4/5 service Address: The Bird By Vineet Alea Leeds 4 The Boulevard Clarence Dock, Home of the Royal Armouries Leeds 0113 341 3267 Venues are rated against the best examples of their kind: fine dining against the best fine dining, cafes against the best cafes. Following on from this the scores represent: 1-5 saw your leg off and eat it, 6-9 get a DVD, 10-11 if you must, 12-13 if you’re passing,14-15 worth a trip,16-17 very good, 17-18 exceptional, 19 pure quality, 20 perfect. More than 20: Gordo gets carried away See the article in it's original form at Manchester Confidential (ported across from sister site Leeds Confidential) here.

There's seems to be some crossfire between two parallel and non-contradictory arguments based around two separate points, both of which I think most on here would agree with: Point 1: Is the current obsession with celebrity chefs at breaking point (and are they due a fall?) I think it probably is overstretched, as are the individual chefs, and the concept will undoubtably fall back from favour in the media and the public. That's natural and cyclical and down to human nature. We probably all are a bit sick of it but as with most things some chefs "brand" themselves with more success and integrity than others. Ultimately this whole process is self-selecting. If chefs choose to do "roll out" then that is their right - and let's not knock people for running a financially successful operation - and if they are successful then it is because a) they are very good at it and/or b) there is a public appetite for it. If they are incompetent and/or dishonest in what they are doing then ultimately they will get found out. Point 2: Should a chef always (or largely) be cooking at a restaurant with their name over the door? Counter-intuitively I say no, I don't think so, especially if it is made clear that the extension/presence of the chef's name is to flag up that fact that their style, ethos, standards will be present in the new venture, not the wo/man themselves. If some restaurants don't labour this point? That's marketing. If some people don't realise this? They're idiots. Ultimately, as mentioned above, I don't care as long as I have a good meal at said restaurant. That doesn't mean though that I don't have the utmost respect for chefs who have no interest in playing the media game, and who dedicate themselves to the kitchen for love not money. That's level of passion and commitment is wonderful and compelling in any field of endeavour. If I could choose a perfect restaurant to eat in it would be a one-man-one-passion operation like the Merchant House, full of individuality and personality and a feeling of being unique and almost fragile. If though it was a choice between a mediocre chef-patron restaurant or a wonderful restaurant that was an efficiently administered part of a star-chefs stable then I'd take the latter. Ultimately if I enjoy the food I'm happy, and everything else is irrelevent except for firing up some feisty online debate. Cheers Thom

It seems to vary slightly depending on the chef (I'd had a degree of heat-levels even within the Manchester restaurant) but I have to say I've never known them serve the hot poached lamb without a copious amount of dried chillis. Just to be clear we're not talking about long finger-sized dried chillis of the sort you see draped along the fixtures and fittings in bad Mexican restaurants, these babies are no bigger than your little fingernail and have a punch to match. I just managed to inadvertantly book myself into Red Chilli twice in one day - lunch and dinner tomorrow. That did seem slight (only slight) overkill so against my better judgement I swapped my lunch meeting to Abode. Luckily I'm also taking the team there for dinner next Tuesday so I'll still get my twice-in-a-week Red Chilli fix. Cheers Thom

That's the fella I was thinking of. I guess law of averages everyone might encounter a dodgy bivalve at any given restaurant sooner or later but I've never had a problem with the shellfish at BHG (certainly better then the excreable Livebait) and indeed last time I was at the Chester branch I hammered the oysters which were great and fresh as a daisy (though had a few too many flecks of shell due to inexpert shucking). Cheers Thom

No, no, no! Untrue! Wrong! I am living proof. To paraphrase The Simpsons if you don't eat it how will you ever become desensitised?! Personally I do find the initial heat intensely peppery (as do most first-timers) but it's certainly not unbearable and you soon eat through that. The trick is don't eat the little dried chillis. They are there for the heat and flavour that cooks out of them into the dish, after that they can be treated as garnish. Unless you're a real heat-freak. Glad you broadly enjoyed your experience and that you'll be back though. You'll build up your tolerance in no time! Ohhh... I'm all in the mood for hot poached lamb now... Cheers Thom

Yes, I second that. I ate at the Grill recently and thought it excellent and I frequent the Manchester one too. It may be a bit slick and soulless for some - and it's certainly not going to get a gastronome salivating - but for a professional, bustling, big city steak house with a good broad menu and very decent food I find it pretty much hits the spot. In fact it reminds me of the Manchester Restaurant Bar and Grill back in it's heyday, and it must hugely nark the boys at IRC that Living Ventures (or whichever company it is now) have ultimately stolen their thunder. Piccolino still beats Gusto though. Cheers Thom

More to the point why are they called Michelin "stars" at all when they are patently little more than glorified asterisks? A three asterisk restaurant doesn't quite have the same ring about it does it? In grammatical terms it could be worse I guess, could be colons.

That's pretty much my experience of Abode to be honest - very accomplished tasty, technical cooking. I know some diners have had issues with the service but apart from a profusely sweating waiter on one occasion it's been fine for me. That lunch deal is one of the city's great steals - small but perfectly formed. I actually delight in having a £10 lunch that gives me the balance of a three-courser without spending the afternoon feeling stuffed and sleepy. Ian Matfin is indeed on the GBK, and he's a very capable chef. As I understand it he basically ran the show down at the two star Gidleigh Park in Devon for Michael Caines whilst the latter was building his empire.

The rather lovely but seldom busy Yang Sing Oriental hotel has closed today. There is also a strong rumour that Ithaca will close it's doors tomorrow. Blimey. It's the end of the world... That said considering the incredible (some would say reckless and reality-free) capital investment in both projects I would be suprised not to see them reopen again, debt-free but with similar management/ownership structures, in the near future. Cheers Thom

The best formal Indian place in town was the original EastZEast under the Ibis hotel at the far (BBC) end of Princess St. When it launched it was absolutely spot on but not sure if it has maintained standards. The second Manchester EastZEast, on Blackfriars just off Deansgate is passable but for whatever reason doesn't match the first on the standard of cuisine or service and I know a couple of people have had mediocre experiences there. Other popular choices include Akbars down on Liverpool Road (which had a run in with immigration officers recently but is, contrary to rumour, still trading) which I found passable and hardy perrenial Shimla Pinks which is still just off Bridge St though will shortly be moving to a new site in Spinningfields. Otherwise go with an old stager like The Radjoot on Albert Square? I must admit to never having gone but I think it's decent, in pricy and has got a couple of decent reviews recently. There's the Ashoka on Princess St too but I know even less about that. Final choice is to stick to the most presentable of the curry cafes - The Kebabish on Hilton St. It's not cheap compared to similar places but will cost you a third of what you'd spend in a restaurant and it's clean and well organised enough not to be scary. Not sure if it opens on the weekend though? Hope one of these works for you, have a good day. Cheers Thom

As reported here three weeks ago! Not like you to be off the pace Mrs Woman, what's happened since your heyday on the Restaurant magazine newsdesk?!

Hi David, I reckon you've caught Red Chilli at one of it's few quiet times. I often eat there at lunch and it never seems less then at least half full and in the evenings it is pretty much packed out through the week from Wednesday onwards. Sunday I'm not so sure about. I love the fact that you can't book a table because it means you can always get in there to eat on Friday or Saturday night as long as you're willing to drink in the bar for half an hour (or even better in The Circus pub a few doors down - they'll even come and get you!). They are definitely planning to run the two sites concurrently and to be honest they'll play to very different audiences. The Portland St restaurant will suit the Chinese community whose live/work pattern takes them through Chinatown itself as well as the general city centre working/living/playing population. The Oxford Road site is a shoe-in for students, being slap-bang in the middle of Europe's biggest campus, and will also clean up with the staff (and maybe patients if they can lug themselves out of bed!) from the adjacent hospital. Possibly they'll pick up a Chinese audience from the massive Chinese supermarket just around the corner as it's on-site restaurant, Tai-Pan, ain't great and has been resting on it's laurels. They'll also pick up business from those in the know who are attending a gig at The Academy, a performance at The Contact theatre, or an exhibition at The Whitworth (all within a couple of hundred metres) and who knows, they might even convert some of the many spice-hunters who are heading to Curry Mile in Rusholme barely half a mile down the road. As for the set menu's I'm sure they'll have ported them straight across from Portland St. I would say they might tweak the prices down to reach the pockets of students and nurses etc but to be honest considering the value they currently offer I'm not sure how much lower they could go without paying you to eat there. Personally I'm not a fan of set lunches as they tend to play safe with please-the-masses dishes which don't show what the restaurant can do. For £8 a head for two you could get the hot poached lamb and rice for two and maybe accompany it with spring onion bread or Beijing dumplings? See now I'm hungry all over again, and I've only just had breakfast... I hope the 50 miles trip was worth it, let us know how you got on! Cheers Thom

Ha, missed your comment there Infrasonic. The nans ARE to die for, and yes the toilets ARE quite, quite terrifying (as is the state of the some of the pans used for cooking up the actual curries!). But the breads are sooo good and the curries are fantastic and they are dab hands (literally) with the tandoor I just can't resist. In fact I never could. I must stress I ate there almost five days a week for over a year when I worked around the corner (and many times since) and their delightful cuisine hasn't sat badly with me once (though I did put on a stone in twelve months) Maybe I just have an iron constitution (and an all too slow metabolism...). Cheers Thom

I've eaten there a couple of times but my opinion (and that of my loose network of foodie confidents around the city) is that it is bang on the money mediocre. You probably won't hate it, you almost certainly wouldn't rush back. They do some good-looking deals, it's a nice space (big glass windows) in a nice spot (opposite the old Victorian fish market) and the sisters who own it are successfully and media friendly but the food just doesn't cut it. I wouldn't venture out of Chinatown to be honest, though I know some people rate the Glamourous restaurant above the cash and carry on Oldham Road (though that's another good 5-10 mins walk past Sweet Manderin anyway. Oh I went to Rice Piccadilly earlier this week. It was quite poor. Worse than Oxford Road and not something I would rush back for. It's Barburitto next door for me every time from now on. Cheers Thom

They've absolutely not moved, they've just taken on the Moso Moso site. I should know as ironically I am the "Number one Red Chilli Fan" quoted verbatim on Man Con... I can't remember if I posted this here previously (so many forums so little time) but I think it's a valid point so I'll risk reiteration: I did note on Red Chilli's website that as well as having expanded to four restaurants already (a predictable Leeds, a less predictable Bacup and Atherton) they also have plans for York, Nottingham and London. That is hugely impressive and is a real success story for a Manchester based restaurant. I can't think of another Chinese restaurant group/brand which has rolled out so successfully? I have noticed a few little dips in quality here and there, probably as a result of the operation scaling up, but in terms of quality and value it is still undoubtably the best place in town (and up there with the UK's finest). Gary, I take it from your last comment York is fully up and running? How did your Red Chilli jaunt go on Tuesday? Cheers Thom

Not so sure why it was quiet, I guess it depends what time you went? My mate goes most days and normally complains bitterly about queuing. As for the Mahabra? Yes, "dirty" could possibly be applied, but it's just sooo good. Anyway a little bit of dirt is good for the immune system. As long as you don't cross the line from dirt to say botulism.

My goodness you don't need my help, you're an old hand at this Northern Quarter lunching lark! Enjoy, and might bump into you in the Cafe Aromat in The Craft Centre at some point (I'm a Wednesday regular for that fiendishly addictive pea and ham soup...). Cheers Thom

Ah, you mean the New Yagdar (the old one was round the corner near Aladdin). That's a favourite with my best mate/business partner, who deserves credit for first introducing me to the joys of curry cafes about thirteen years ago. The other place I forgot to mention for lunch was The Arndale Market. Don't be expecting a Barcelona style food market here (or even a Leeds or Bury) as the food retail bit is pretty poor, but as a lunch destination (there's a stack of communal seating in the centre with cafe stalls dotted about) it's not bad. There's various sandwiches, sushi/Chinese, pizza, soup etc available (which range from poor to acceptable- though I do enjoy the not-altogether-authentic stews from the Greek stall) but the stand out is the Gastronomica stall (of Borough Market fame). Not only do they do outstanding deli-produce filled sandwiches, but they also do daily hot specials. All the specials are simply served from a bain marie but I had a very decent (and large) portion of "hand-shaped" Sicilian pork and veal meatballs on pasta with a couple of rounds of bread (very Northern to have double carbs - Atkins would faint!). All for £4.50, and it was tasty and stuffed me to bursting. If you're knocking around the Northern Quarter generally then you really are in lunch central. Other options worth exploring are Soup Kitchen on Stevenson Square - crap service (as is traditional in the N4) but good soups and sandwiches and some decent hot specials or Bread and Jam (or whatever it's called - it's too cool to have a sign) on Tib St with does nice piadinas amongst other things). Or, although I haven't been for ages, try the hot/cafe food (baked sweet potatoes etc) amongst the riot of kitcsh that is Oklahoma (High St) or sooth your soul by popping into the Buddist Centre cafe just around the corner (cheap and filling stews and casseroles, all veggie, organic, wholefood, hand-knitted etc etc). If you really want to stretch your legs an extra five minutes walk would take you from Hunters to The Marble Arch, the stunning gem of a tiled Victorian boozer on Rochdale Road which is now a bastion of real ale - with an award-winning microbrewery on site - and serves up very, very decent pub food for lunch and dinner. It's a lovely place to sit, even their simple dishes such as cheese on toast are knockout, and who knows, a pint of Ginger Marble or Old Lag might keep out the cold and help your afternoon studying in the Library simply fly by! Should keep you going for a while anyway. Enjoy! Cheers Thom

Harters, a pleasure, and glad to be of help. My issue with ROM is that the low volume of traffic and posts (and the seeming infrequency of it's update/editorial refresh) means that any positive or negative viewpoints can have disproportionate impact (as in a excruciatingly mediocre Casino restaurant making it into Manchester's "top ten") and I'm not convinced how independent they are or how they police potential abuse. Anyhow, the Kebabish to which I refer is one of the back street curry cafes (I think you mentioned the Alladin and Al Faisal so you know what to expect) that populate the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly areas. I don't want to teach you how to suck eggs but have you explored the rest of them? I ask only as Al Faisal and Alladin are probably not the best examples so there's still much more to enjoy If you haven't tried any others and do fancy an explore then try the following: Hunters This is another 50 metres up High St, and although the curries are just so-so it has the advantage of being open late at night (all the other places are just daytime operations) and it has a few quirky dishes on there with venison and quail etc. This And That I don't particularly rate this place but some people swear by it. Walk down the tiny alley opposite Hunters (Soap St I think) and it's just round the corner. It's famed (or was) for doing three veggie curries and rice for £2.50. Kabana/New Yagdar/another one whose name escapes me... These three are just around the corner from Hunters on Thomas St and almost face other. I think they're all just acceptable (though again different people have different favourites) but Kabana does some whackier specials like brain. Kebabish Carry on along Thomas St (it changes it's name along it's length after Stevenson Square to Hilton St but just keep going) and you'll find this place. A shade pricer than the others but generally accepted to be the best around. I just don't like the fact that they grill their breads and deny that having a proper tandoor matters. The other way to find this place is a minutes walk up Newton St from Portland St/Piccadilly Gardens and then bear right onto Hilton St. Mahabra My favourite, but probably the scariest to the uninitiated. It's tiny, you could argue it is scruffier than most, but I think the curries are great - really intense and deeply flavoured - and the tandoor done nanbreads (and chicken kebabs) are dreamy. Cheap as can be too. Hope that helps, and happy currying! Cheers Thom

I've found a menu online here (there's a page two on there as well, just tweak the last digit in the address) which is certainly not the current menu but I can't imagine it's changed that much. To be honest I think most of the fun is to be had in the fish, seafood and offal/non-prime cuts but the stirfried shredded pork with garlic shoots is on there (I don't remember ours being "shredded" but I'm sure this is the dish) and I reckon the stirfried lamb with coriander would also be worth a look (I'm had a similar dish elsewhere and at home - almost dry stirfry with tons of cumin and chilli). The braised pork belly with preserved cabbage was also delicious and is a world-beating winter dish (stick to your ribs stuff, heavy on the star anise and with melting fat and beautiful meat) and I also think the sauce-fried shredded pork with pancakes sound worth exploring. Aside from that leave your squeamishness at home at pile into the pig's maw, intestines and the wobbly blackpuddings! Actually you're a red blooded Yorkshireman, I know you're not scared of a bit of liver or kidney? I've not eaten such things at Red Chilli but I'm had similar dishes in other Chinese places and loved them. They've even got braised pig's trotter on there, and you ate that at No 3 so there's no excuses there. Lord know's what they braise it in or how it's spiced at Red Chilli but again that's got to be worth a gamble. Bollocks, this has ended up with me wanting to go right back over there now. I note they have three more openings due, including London. They're taking over the world... Cheers Thom

Harters, firstly I must point out that I don't know anyone who rates or respects the methodology let alone the critical nous of www.restaurantsofmanchester.com. Don't let them influence, let alone dictate your Manchester dining choices. Witness the fact that one of their official top ten restaurants is the place at the Circus Casino. As well as two acceptable but not outstanding neighbourhood restaurants in unfashionable Swinton and Whitefield. Oh, and a place in Alderley Edge. In Cheshire. Also, the Kebabish to which they refer is in Rusholme, and is therefore the diametric opposite of the Kebabish which is a Piccadilly curry cafe (ten mins walk from the library). Rest assured the two are not realated, it's just quite a common name I think - we even have a place called Kebabish in Glossop now. And Gary, have you really eaten your way through all the dishes listed at various points in the Red Chilli thread!? The cod and chilli? The wonderful soups (the fish one is knockout)? The pork with garlic shoots? Everything from the standard kung bo chicken to the mildly scary stir-fired pigs intestines with Chinese black pudding? I'll strike out with something new next time I'm there and report back. The problem is that lamb dish is just so damn good and keeps calling me back... Cheers Thom