thom

I popped in yesterday too. You must have caught him in an optimistic mood as he told me food for Tuesday! I used to drink in there as part of my Angel Meadow pub crawl (all within a hundred metres of my old apartments, where Adam now resides) incorporating the Marble Arch, the Pot of Beer (RIP) and the Beerhouse. The latter, now The Angel under Rob, was always marketed as "Manchester's largest freehouse" and seemed to have tens of beers on at any one time. A bit rough and ready (ie scruffy/dirty) but it had a commited following of real ale nerds. Refit is just as quick and simple as everyone expected - the major work in the kitchen and a bloody good clean and paint FoH. It is still quite basic as opposed to a shabby-chic superstyled retro pub but I actually like the lack of fuss and pretension. Wine list looks so-so, with some decent deals at bin-ends and the beers are fine with a couple of decent real ales (some Tatton based brewery whose name escapes me but whose little-seen beers are well respected). Menu looks... plain, in all honesty. Black pudding with a poached egg, duck liver pate for starters, steak or chicken with thyme for mains etc. Very, very safe, though that is not to say that I wouldn't enjoy eating it and with Robert behind the stove you know it will be cooked impeccably. Mark, Roberts partner in this, assured me that the more interesting seasonal stuff as well as game and offal will appear on the specials menu - they're hoping for an extra two or three extra dishes a day. All starters around £6, mains around £10/11. It's only a couple of minutes walk from Moorfield Towers so I will be planning to try and put a visit in at some point next week. Cheers Thom

And WE need to do Abode!

RDB, I wondered where you'd got to! Yes, my own experiences have sadly echoed some of my own. Weirdly I do still pop in occasionally - mainly as a pre-tram to the football venue - and find the tapas list can yield a few gems. I know what you mean about the service though, it's all over the place - distant one minute, crawling all over you the next. Bad luck on Abode too. I don't think they do great business mid-week so they seem to be snapping up the corporate events business where they can. It's worth making a trip back for, especially the insanely good value £9:99 lunch. So how was Mr Cohen? On good form I hear. Cheers Thom

Connemara is a beautiful place, I stay at the Quay House at Clifden with the family once a year or so. Anyway, just wanted to say that airdried lamb is indeed an outstanding product. Farmer Sharp from Lancashire has been hawking an airdried mutton around for a good few years and it is absolutely wonderful - sweet, musky, and suck-through-your-teeth tasty. In my eyes it should have won the NWFF product of the year gong the year before last. Cheers Thom

You may not be from London originally, but that is an excellent use of the phrase "total knob". You're a natural! Only names that spring to mind are Berkley Scott (sp?), Chess etc, plus Addison Fowle (friends of mine). There are, I would say, about five or six biggie chef recruiters, and then a number of smaller consultancies below that. Best option is to check out the aforementioned websites and see which agency names crop up again and again, or have the main banner ad sites. This will give you a starter for ten. Alternately, go old school and just grab a copy of Caterer or Restaurant (you should find them in most of the bigger central London newsagents), on Thursday and Wednesday respectively, and skim the job ads at the back. Again, the very best of British luck to you! Cheers Thom

Not that I condone violence in any way, shape or form but the one where people were beating each other with their skateboards was my favourite. Cheers Thom

Bloody hell... Hugely impressive and ambitious. Yet still the bugger won't cross the Pennines! I can only assume he must have some shadowy property baron or something backing him financially. Where has Bapi been lately? Cheers Thom

Just to add, don't just reply to individual adverts online, make sure you register with all the major specialist chef agencies. In fact if possible, go in and see them face to face - most will have central London offices. You reacting to posted jobs is one thing but if the agencies actually have you on their books you'll be first in line should any opportunities arise before they even get advertised. A lot of chefs are poached/head-hunted this way. Good luck. Cheers Thom

Well my goodness. I won't post a big review (well, not too big), partly as I can't be arsed and partly as I don't want to swing this thread too far off topic, but my experiences were as follows: The decor I did not like. Black, black black. And glittery, with mirrors, art deco-style chandeliers and sparkly wall paper. It did not look good in natural daylight (it needs a OCD cleaner with a feather duster), and I found the seating and layout a touch claustrophobic. But the food? Seriously very good. Best sushi I have outside London, by a long, long chalk. Not the most exciting selection, but really absolutely spot on. wonderfully put together and with the highest quality of ingredients - amazing o-toro tuna belly and the biggest salmon roe I've seen. Teriyaki unagi was also good. Oh, soft shell spider crab sushi too. nearly forgot that. Also pretty good, but not as enojoyable as it should have been. It was served with the crab kind of lukewarm and it seemed to have a light dusting of batter before being fried. Served cool it had gone a bit flaccid, but would it be realistic to cook it to order and roll the sushi as each dish was ordered? Carpaccio of wagyu beef was also spot on, and that was followed by a black cod which was absolutely the match for the version I had in Nobu NY (many of the Ithaca's chefs are ex Nobu, and yes I know Nobu London is actually rated more highly than the NY original). I was really quite shocked. Desserts were a return to mediocrity - a trio of creme brulee for me (I fancied something dairy after so many clean flavours) which tasted nice - chocolate, passion fruit and green tea - but were very much the three bears: One was too firm, one was too runny, and one was just right. It's not excessively pricy for the nature of the food - £18 for the benchmark black cod; around £5/£6 for the sushi - 2/3/6 pieces depending on what type it was. Wine list was interesting and ticked all the bases without being especially exciting, and was put together from about five merchants including Boutinot, C&O and Bibendum. Restaurant is ground and first, next floor is a bar and top is a private members club. Service was a little creaky in this early period, but generally was professional, competent and very friendly. The bar had around 50 Japanese whiskys and of course a champagne list as long as Grover's arm. They also do a set lunch menu that came in at about £17 and which avoids the more interesting sushi but includes the black cod. I'll certainly be back again as a paying customer, and in all honesty that is not something I expected to be saying. Yes the Cheshire-bling environment (and possibly the other clientele?) can grate, but I'm telling myself the same thing I would if I was sat in some tumbledown beach-shack eating the most incredible simple fish dishes - it's all about the food, not the interior design. Cheers Thom Edited to add: I stress all the sushi were room temperature (chilled sushi is not a good sign) but the spider crab seemed slightly warmer, meaning we weren't sure whether it was meant to have been freshly cooked and served hot or not. And one gripe with the black cod - there was a smattering of sizable pin bones in there which wasn't the case when I had the dish in NY. When it tastes so good I'll forgive them, but I'm not sure it would pass muster with Nobu himself.

Obvious thing to say for anyone in the business but you're registered with all the usual restaurant/chef agencies and hammered the standard catering/restaurant job sites like www.caterer.com and www.bighospitality.com? I know patisserie jobs are going to be thin on the ground but equally qualified, talented patisserers are not exactly ten a penny so it should all balance out and I'd be suprised if they didn't turn anything up over the next month or two. Hope that helps Cheers Thom

No, Greek wasn't big at my local Comprehensive. Probably still isn't unless they've brought in a GSCE is Kebab Studies. Actually if they have, I might look at night classes. Cheers Thom

Ohoh, small world! Was that the Foo Fighters gig? I very nearly went to that myself but we are utilising our babysitting parents for all they are worth at the minute and didn't feel we could spring for another night out. This and That is... ok. Some people really rate it and it got some infamy for being the cheapest place in town as it did three (veggie) curries and rice for £2.50 (Matthew Fort picked it out for some "50 Cheap Eats" article some years ago). Certainly not a bad option, and you can't fault the convinience. Croma always does the job if you stick to pizza - decent food, quick, cheap, friendly, nice space. Pasta is a bit more of a mixed bag. Off to Ithica tonight for food so shall report back. I shall try not to let the fact it's a freebie taint my editorial independence. Cheers Thom

He's chief hotplate flipper at Linda's Pantry, Manchester's uber-greasy-spoon*. Ok, ok, he's at The Modern. Cheers Thom *You can see Emma from Linda's on the BBC's latest "Who will you support?" promotional montage for the European Championships.

Well you saved me a job there Bertie! Yep, pretty much as the man says. That's nailed it. In terms of Northern Quarter curries I do recommend Mahaba (Back Piccadilly) for the nan breads and the Kebabish (Hilton St) for the general quality of the curries (the latter is a tad pricier than most though). I'm off to Ithica on Wednesday actually, so curious to see what the food is like. Fingers crossed, but I think my expectations may be dashed (once again!). I'd also flag up the Northern Quarter as the best spot in town for a quick lunch (curry cafes aside). Try Love Saves the Day Deli/coffee shop, Cup next door (cafe, record shop and purveyor of collectable crockery). Also the little cafe (Aromat?) in the Craft Centre which is worth a visit in it's own right. Soup Kitchen can also be good, The Buddhist Centre is cheap for veggie/vegan etc, Oklahoma is quite an experience (tiny cafe housed in the kitchiest gift shop ever which also rents arthouse DVD's). All of the above are nice little refuelling shops as you take in area's the galleries, boutiques, shops etc. Just don't expect it all to be quite chi-chi like Soho in NY/London. Various parts are still a little raw/characterful, as you will see. Cheers Thom

What about the cafe at Lakeland? Never really hear it mentioned on here and I know it really is purely a cafe (and in the middle of a shopping centre!) but simple food can still be great and the chef, Steven Doherty, is ex-Le Gavroche and sits as a judge on everything from the Gordon Ramsay Scolarship to the Roux Scholarship (and of course the Northern Hospitality Awards...). The Lakeland Cafe Any reports at all as to whether it's worth a drop-in if one is in the vicinity? Cheers Thom

I find the concept quite endearingly old-fashioned actually but I can well see how it could raise some people's hackles. I think it has to be done with a fine eye and a post-modern wink; if you're all po-faced and ham-fisted about it it could be horribly clunky. Le Gavroche do it which my better half thought was fantastic - I think there it is almost default that the guy gets the menu with prices. Whether everyone responds so well even there I don't know, but their almost telepathic and balletic service lends itself to getting such judgement calls right. Cheers Thom

Ah yes, that's an age-old telesales/publishing scam. It's normally a drugs for schools publication and they claim to have the backing of the local police force. There are variations of the theme but the most common is that they do actually produce the publication and send you a copy but little do you know that instead of printing 10k/20k/30k copies (delete as applicable) to mail out to schools the little tinkers have just printed 100 or so to send to the none-the-wiser clients. Guess where the cost difference on printing and distributing all those thousands of copies goes...? There has been a spate of companies doing this around Manchester over the last decade or so. I think one bright spark came up with the idea and now ex-employees or slow on the uptake competitors have all realised what a good wheeze it is. The idea spread by some sort of criminal osmosis, I guess they see it as less risky (in terms of jail terms and/or bodily harm) than robbing building societies... Having done my time as a telesales bod (on thoroughly legit - though shite - magazines I hasten to add) I delight in indulging in a bit of poacher turned game-keeper and always insist of having such calls put through to me, particularly on a Friday afternoon when I'm feeling mischievous. Knowing the inner workings of both the sales pitch and the psychology of your average scrote of a sales person can lead to a good ten mins of so of cruel bating and general malevolent befuddlement. Joy. Cheers Thom

Yes, all initial reports on Ithica are excellent. The owner, Arnie Hira, has more of a background in bars (such as the rather cool One Central) than restaurants but interestingly his cousin Veena runs Regent Recruitment, a Manchester-based recruitment agency that specialises in placing good chefs in serious kitchens (including, coincidentally, Manchester's Abode). With the amount of money spent Ithica really should be good, but the perennial question as to whether it can maintain interest and quality beyond the opening buzz is the killer. Luckily the sushi/Asian fusion menu it is peddling is exactly the sort of healthy, trendy and pricey thing that people with more money than taste and a desire to show off seem to like eating so they might be on a winner. Personally if they produce sushi that is anyway near excellent (in UK terms at least) I for one will be delighted, regardless of the nature of the surroundings and my fellow diners. And Abode. Yep, been three times - once to the cafe and twice to the fine dining restaurant. I found the former pricey and so-so, and the latter really very good. With caveats... I'm just not convinced about the space. A basement site with little natural light in the wrong end of town in always going to be a bitch and although I understand weekday nights are ok and weekends are booked out they are never going to crack lunch and are going to struggle in good weather. Which is a pity as at my lunches I found the cooking precise, clever and absolutley delicious - the desserts in particular are excellent - and they do a fantastic set menu. In fact so good is this deal (no, a steal) that I haven't hit the full menu yet (and to be honest the tasting menu looks a bit safe) - it's based around their grazing concept on small tapas style dishes. Michael Caines has christened this mini-portions menu "Amazing Graze"... Anyway the lunch affair lets you pick one grazing dish from two for starter and main with a set grazing dessert and plenty of bread (nice enough, but with a crust that shatters like safety glass). By the end you feel like you have eaten an rich and varied three course meal and are sated without feeling stuffed. Better still it's only cost you £9.99 (plus drinks). Dishes have included raviolo (singular, just one biggy) of spinach and parmesan with herb and garlic purée, poached quail egg and rosemary cream or boudin of chicken mousse with wild mushrooms, asparagus and white wine and morel sauce. Other hits have been grilled black bream or navarin of lamb and desserts including a stunning confit orange and chocolate concoction and a wonderful raspberry millefeuille. I'm tempted to give the place a full work out in the evening (though prices aren't cheap) but in the meantime this is a knockout lunch venue for that end of town, and you'll never struggle to get a table. Cheers Thom

You're getting a taste for this Gary, though disappointed to not see a return of the chilli pigs maw... I was in the Manchester branch on Saturday actually, and it was another good meal. One caveat, the service was warmer and efficient at the table (my two sons got spoilt) but getting the food out of the kitchen was painfully slow, especially with said two boys overtired, hungry and going a bit mental. They did apologise (the staff, not my kids) but the restaurant was only two thirds full (2:00pm on a Saturday) so I can't see a reason for it. We ordered spring onion bread as soon as we sat down to try and placate the kids. Then the waitress double-checked later that we did want the bread before the mains ("Just whatever comes first!") and then it STILL took about another twenty minutes. Excruciating... Anyway the spring onion bread was delish as per normal (yummy grease does go well with a Tsingtao or two) and we got a chicken with spring veg for the kids which was spot on for them. Super-tender slivers of chicken in a middling but tasty brown sauce and plenty of mange tout, carrots and a couple of types of Chinese mushroom. Soph had scallops with celery and lantern peppers. The scallops were beautifully cooked, but to be honest I'm not convinced about pairing them with celery. Tasty enough as component parts, but it didn't wow me as a dish. Not sure what is meant by a lantern pepper either but they looked like birds eyes to me and added a nice bit of heat. I had the chilli pigs maw which is a (very sizable) cold starter and this time I was sober enough to remember it! It was actually delicious. The dish is heavily dressed with chilli and sesame oil, and the maw itself lent only the faintest piggy undetones. It's really all about the texture and it is very different from any stomach tripe I'd had previously. It's actually got quite a hard, rubbery texture with a real bite to it, and is served finely sliced into little strips on a bed of cucumber-based salad. I'm guessing it could have been boiled or poached? Although it doesn't sound particularly appealing the mouthfeel is actually quite nice and chewing on it is a pleasure when you get to suck all the intense chilli-sesame dressing off. Can't remember the exact price actually but with beers, rice and drinks for the kids (yard of ale, snakebite and black etc) it came in the high £30's. Not bad at all. Oh, and just to add we finished off with honey buns from Ho's Bakery around the corner (6 small ones for a pound). These are gorgeous, and wonderfully simple - soft, slightly sweet dough shaped into a small bun, brushed with glaze and with a decent doughnut-style hidden filling in the middle consisting of a paste of coconut and honey. Very more-ish... Cheers Thom

How does Marc Veritie's place fair? The Brasserie is it called? Anyway, back to all things Liverpool - Was with my financial advisor last night who is based in the city and he said the new best place in town (or at least the suburbs) was a place in Allerton. I've forgotten the forgettable name (Sphere maybe?) but the chefs are ex Gidleigh Park and Carriageworks. Be interested to get a second opinion on this. Small world that it is the guy also has a place in Padstow (he's from down that neck of the woods originally) and he waxed lyrical about Basildog's place and Slacker's too. Naturally I set him straight that both were ne'er do well reprobates who spend much too much time loitering around disreputable websites when they should be in the kitchen or behind the counter. Cheers Thom

Well done. Of course it would play better if you hadn't been caught out shilling your Restaurant on here in the first instance. You're still doing it on this thread, recommending people try Styal and Wilmslow whilst conviniently forgetting to mention you have your own place down there. Why do it? It's completely counter-productive. Plenty of chefs and operators here clearly flag up their own operations and people have no issue with it whatsoever. You have two rossettes! Be loud and be proud and don't hide your light under a bushel. Cheers Thom

Panoramic gets a fair to middling slating by Matthew Norman in the Guardian. He manages to sidestep witless stereotyping of Liverpool and it's people by including a gag or two which witlessly stereotype Liverpool and it's people. Neat. Cheers Thom

Definitely worth the stretch if you can. I broke my Gavroche duck with the set lunch some weeks and it featured immaculate cooking (mhmmm rolled lamb belly) sterling service and was excellent value. You also get breads galore, amuse bouche and petit fours and coffee thrown in, and a choice of three dishes per course. Choice of wines is spot on too - no mucking around with half bottles or palming off on the bottom end of the wine list. In fact it was so good that I'm back there this week with my better half in tow. Though going to a restaurant where jackets are absolutely required still makes me feel like I am dressing up as a grown-up... Cheers Thom

A dark day indeed for Manchester dining. Luckily, I hear everthing is peachy in the foodie-meccas of Styal and Wilmslow. As noted Rob Kisby is coming back into the city centre at the Yang Sing Oriental hotel (doing fusion food no less) which should be interesting, and Simon Rimmer (Greens, Earle, daytime TV ad infinitum) is looking to open two more restaurants in and around Manchester. No gossip on the Juniper site RDB? Oh, and a very trustworthy source (well, the girl who cuts my hair) assures me that the WAG-tastic Nobu-lite restaurant/bar/members club/fine retail experience that is Ithica is finally (finally) going to open the week after next. Except a surge on the world "velvet rope" market as demand outstrips supply in the short-term. Might be worth taking a punt on any multinational clipboard manufacturing conglomerates too. Cheers Thom

Not aired, published: The Meaning of Liff - Douglas Adams and John Lloyd - 1984 The full list of words. ← I still have my dog-eared copy of The Meaning of Liff which made me laugh hugely as a young boy (ok, ok, it still does). Funny who these things come back around again - a friend recently showed me a book of humourous letters which was a straight rip-off of the Henry Root letters but gave them no credit whatsoever as inspiration! I was always mightily proud that my hometown of that time (and this), Glossop, actually got an entry in The Meaning of Liff. I can't remember the exact wording of the definition but fittingly a "glossop" was a hot globule of food which adhered to one's lip when trying to eat politely. Edited to correct - a "glossop" actually falls onto your host's expensively laquered table rather than adhering to one's lip. Cheers Thom