Ithaca Manchester

[Infrasonic]

Two years late opening...but it would seem that initial reports are very good despite the bling connotations.

Review here

Must admit I can't wait to try it, walked past a few times not been in yet.

Edit:Fixed link hopefully...!

Edited May 20, 2008 by Infrasonic (log)

[spanielking]

Blimey, finally opened!! I'll wait for some feed back first, I can picture the type of people propping up the bar. But thumbs up for a new place in town to try. Any feed back from Michael Cains @ abode? (Manchester one!)

Edited May 20, 2008 by spanielking (log)

[BertieWooster]

Haven't been to Abode yet, but Thom and various others who have rate the food very very highly. One michelin-hungry friend described it as 'the best meal I've had in years'. The setting (basement dining) is another matter. Expect toi see it covered ion the nationals damn quick...

Highly partial review here.

[thom]

Haven't been to Abode yet, but Thom and various others who have rate the food very very highly. One michelin-hungry friend described it as 'the best meal I've had in years'. The setting (basement dining) is another matter. Expect toi see it covered ion the nationals damn quick...

Highly partial review here.

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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

[BertieWooster]

I'm tempted to give the place a full work out in the evening (though prices aren't cheap)

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*waves*

[Gary Marshall]

i would say opening a restaurant in partnership with a restaurant recruitment expert is a stroke of genius given most establishment staff issues!

[spanielking]

*Also waves* £14.50 for some starters Grazing menu looks interesting.

[Infrasonic]

i would say opening a restaurant in partnership with a restaurant recruitment expert is a stroke of genius given most establishment staff issues!

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They're all networking savvy as well.

ITHACA MANCHESTER WILL BE RECRUITING SOON....

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2940988772

[Infrasonic]

Still not eaten but popped in for a drink on Sunday.

Layout is small restaurant on ground floor, small bar on second and third floors.

Third floor was booked out for a private do 'till 10pm.

Access via lift or very large staircase which appears to have swallowed most of what could have been punter space...Hmmm.

Doorman was Tony (ex-Panacea)

Lots of familiar faces running around on the staff front, mostly all the good ones (from memory!!)

Had a Ginger Mojito @ £6 (very nice), prices go from sensible to stratospheric...as you would expect.

So..I liked it, fit out is very high spec...but I just wonder how all the money (over 3 million apparently) that has been laid out is going to be recouped. I can't see the per head spend being over £100 every night of the week, which is what it's going to need. Either that or some serious money is going to have to be blown at the weekends.