Manchester City Center

[thom]

If anyone is up and reading this from the Manchester area,I need a bit of help for a late-ish Indian lunch today.

It has to look clean and tidy from outside,because the other half judges kitchens by the general appearance of what is on show,

This criteria would seem to rule out some of the above recommends,however I may be wrong,please advise!

Had a terrific lunch last Sunday at Red Chilli and would go again today without hesitation,but it would be overkill for her.

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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

[david goodfellow]

If anyone is up and reading this from the Manchester area,I need a bit of help for a late-ish Indian lunch today.

It has to look clean and tidy from outside,because the other half judges kitchens by the general appearance of what is on show,

This criteria would seem to rule out some of the above recommends,however I may be wrong,please advise!

Had a terrific lunch last Sunday at Red Chilli and would go again today without hesitation,but it would be overkill for her.

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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

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Thanks for that Thom.

I new that I could rely on your encyclopaedic knowledge of the Manchester dining scene to come up trumps.

Will let you know how it turns out.

[Harters]

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.

[david goodfellow]

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.

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Thanks Harters just going through the door now.

I have a one hour drive in front of me but the weather is spot on and I'm looking forward to our meal.

[thom]

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

[Timperley Chris]

If anyone is up and reading this from the Manchester area,I need a bit of help for a late-ish Indian lunch today.

It has to look clean and tidy from outside,because the other half judges kitchens by the general appearance of what is on show,

This criteria would seem to rule out some of the above recommends,however I may be wrong,please advise!

Had a terrific lunch last Sunday at Red Chilli and would go again today without hesitation,but it would be overkill for her.

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If you can reach suburbia then by far the best high end Indian restaurant in Greater Manchester has to be Dilli in Altrincham. Not quite fine dining but with a window onto the spotless kitchen and a lovely dining room I would urge anyone used to the 'onion gravy relentlessness' of your average curry house to give it a try. The sweet and sour rabbit and any lentil dish are worth every penny and more. The restaurant espouses it's ayurvedic principles. Frankly I'm only interested if it tastes good. And it does!

A la carte can end up pricey but set menus, specials, lunch time deals represent an absolute steal.

[Bapi]

Bimey- a rather passable lunch at Abode last week. My friend and I were thinking of a quick cheap and cheerful curry at Mahabara, but I was quickly swayed by two other foodie friends to give it a try over a beer.

I had been told by two of our party that the service had been woeful the last time they had lunched there. Not so this time, we were ushered in and given a rather nice table overlooking the rest of the basement restaurant. The grazing menu named, ahem - "Amazing Graze" - was a ridiculously cheap £12 for three courses. Leaping to a whopping £18/ £21 with matched wines. Some excellent bread was offered straight away as we decided what we wanted. I can only comment on my dishes, which were a foie gras parfait with pickled beetroot to start. Very pleasant to eat and a bargain on a menu of that price. My main was a small fillet of hake with salsify; paired with an excellent sauce. Very good indeed. To finish a home made Arctic roll with ice cream- which did exactly what it said on the tin. A bit of retro heaven. I did get to try a bit of my friends lime souffle which though light, was a tiny bit sharp for me.

Had three of us not plumped for two bottles of Savigny Le Beaune our bill would have been considerably less, but it was nevertheless very enjoyable. I will point out again that the portions are tapas style, and therefore not huge, especially the main course. But for a quick light lunch it was nigh on perfect. Especially as we were aiming to get to Red Chilli later that evening, prior to a gig.

I think the chef is soon to be on Great British Menu- (Ian Maftin (sp Thom)?), so I will be intrigued to see how he fairs.

[thom]

I think the chef is soon to be on Great British Menu- (Ian Maftin (sp Thom)?), so I will be intrigued to see how he fairs.

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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.

[david goodfellow]

If anyone is up and reading this from the Manchester area,I need a bit of help for a late-ish Indian lunch today.

It has to look clean and tidy from outside,because the other half judges kitchens by the general appearance of what is on show,

This criteria would seem to rule out some of the above recommends,however I may be wrong,please advise!

Had a terrific lunch last Sunday at Red Chilli and would go again today without hesitation,but it would be overkill for her.

←

If you can reach suburbia then by far the best high end Indian restaurant in Greater Manchester has to be Dilli in Altrincham. Not quite fine dining but with a window onto the spotless kitchen and a lovely dining room I would urge anyone used to the 'onion gravy relentlessness' of your average curry house to give it a try. The sweet and sour rabbit and any lentil dish are worth every penny and more. The restaurant espouses it's ayurvedic principles. Frankly I'm only interested if it tastes good. And it does!

A la carte can end up pricey but set menus, specials, lunch time deals represent an absolute steal.

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Thanks for that Chris.

You are right of course it is good .

We went here about 2/3 years ago and the flavours were spot on.

I had completely forgotten it.

Will add it to my visit list.

[Mrs Woman]

'New' Juniper closes (as does Brasserie Blanc but does anyone actually go there? Well I suppose not now!)

http://www.hardens.com/restaurant-news/uk-...double-closure/

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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?!

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oops, I knew I should have searched first. Sorry, no longer a newshound, I juz chick peeples speelings.

[Harters]

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.

[Harters]

Some times, you just have to overcome your prejudices and put your grudges to one side. So, after a number of years, we went back to the Market Restaurant, in the Northern Quarter. It was a pleasant surprise. Gone are the quirky furnishings. Gone are the quirky menus. Gone are the quirky staff, who seemed to only have time for their regulars. In place, a young, friendly and efficient staff and solid bistro cooking. The menu offers around six items at each course – nothing that’s going to set the world on fire but, thankfully, nothing that jars.

A starter of shrimp croquette was straight out of the Netherlands or Flemish Belgium. A crisp outer coating surrounding a creamy softness which bound together good quantities of Morecambe Bay shrimps. A few salad leaves sat alongside and these would have benefited from a little dressing.

The other starter – gnocchi with a rocket, walnut and Roquefort salad – worked well. Good contrast of texture and flavour.

It’s not often I order a steak but I was taken with the description that, alongside my ribeye would be a kidney pudding. It sat there just like a Hollands steak pudding – but a thicker, far tastier suet crust. Inside some nice pieces of kidney. The steak was cooked more medium than the requested medium rare but the taste was still there. It came with mash and sautéed spring onion. I also had a side of some mixed veg.

Lamb loin was the other main, cooked a proper pink. Came with minted peas and what the menu described as caramelised “navets”. Why, oh why, does a restaurant feel the need to chuck in this unnecessary French word (the only one on the whole menu)? What on earth is wrong with “turnip”? Well, what was wrong was they weren’t cooked enough and “al dente” turnip (to chuck in an unnecessary Italian phrase) is not very nice. Other than that a good dish.

We both had cheese to finish. A good portion of Blackstick’s Blue, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire and something else. They came with crackers, celery, grapes and nice homemade chutney (plum?). And fruit cake. This was well thought out and a nicely presented plate.

Coffee is a “bottomless pot”.

A well-earned 10% service charge is added to the bill, which for including a couple of glasses of wine and bottle of water, brought the total to £95. Not a bargain but a pleasant enough way of spending a Friday evening.

[poppalarge]

Hi all

Its my 1st wedding anniverdary this weekend and I am thinking of taking my dear ( 8 months pregnant ) wife to The Modern.

I've only heard good things about The Modern but I am a fusspot when it comes to eating out, since I begrudge paying good money for food I could source and Prepare better myself. I've tried a lot of the (so called) good/great restaurants in Manchester and have largely been dissapointed.

However the menu does look good for The Modern, so my question is...

Is the Modern the best place to go for my 1st wedding anniversary, and have I left it too late for a saturday table?

[Gary Marshall]

I've only heard good things about The Modern but I am a fusspot when it comes to eating out, since I begrudge paying good money for food I could source and Prepare better myself.  I've tried a lot of the (so called) good/great restaurants in Manchester and have largely been dissapointed. 

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i'm sure you mean well but that description makes you sound like a restaurateurs' worst nightmare

sure the modern will tick the boxes for you.

[Bapi]

We had a very quick lunch at Wings yesterday inbetween attending Thom's restaurant show at Gmex. I forgave the dreadful interior as the food was rather good. Fairly decent steamed dim sum, to start. My char siu and roast duck dish was very simple, but the meat was full of flavour and beautifully cooked. We also had a generic fillet steak with green pepper and black bean sauce, which again was very tender. It's not cheap though, but you do get good quality for the extra expense. Obviously a big favourite of the footballers around Manchester, as they have numerous signed plates of the wall; which rather adds to the cheese value of the decor.

Then it was back to Gmex to lig mercilessly at the VIP bar and watch a few demos. Nigel Haworth was doing one followed by Tony Flinn soon after. Great to see his missus Olga again after too long, though thankfully we are back at Anthony's this weekend.

Thom- well done Sir. You and your team put on a good event, which must have been hard in what are difficult times.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Bapi (log)

[poppalarge]

i'm sure you mean well but that description makes you sound like a restaurateurs' worst nightmare 

sure the modern will tick the boxes for you.

Ha ha its not like I complain or anything, i just rarely venture out that much. I'm not a rich man but I'm a great cook so its difficult trying to find the happy medium of paying an appropriate premium for food thats actually good quality.

I guess all the places within my price range don't meet my expectations. I've been to the so called fine dining establishments and as I said been largely dissapointed.

I just like honest food, well cooked and I want to pay honest prices for it. Something that the British restaurant industry is not very good at.

[thom]

Then it was back to Gmex to lig mercilessly at the VIP bar and watch a few demos. Nigel Haworth was doing one followed by Tony Flinn soon after. Great to see his missus Olga again after too long, though thankfully we are back at Anthony's this weekend. 

Thom- well done Sir. You and your team  put on a good event, which must have been hard in what are difficult times.

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Many thanks Bapi, I think the whole hospitality industry has suffered so much this year it was so positive to cap it with a successful (creatively AND commercially!) show and to see so many people turn out.

The atmosphere was buzzy, the feedback was great and there was a real sense of people rolling up their sleeves and getting on with their businesses credit-crunch or not!

It was a pleasure to blag you and about 87 of your mates in the VIP bar. I know you wanted to be there because of your fine appreciation of premium spirits and mixology skilles rather than any wish to avoid the lumpen prolateriat whilst letching over the particularly attractive waitresses.

Ok, show and awards - done (said with a Ramsay-style exclamation mark). Next thing on the agenda - a lunch!

Cheers

Thom

[RDB]

Bloody hell Bapi you can get where water doesn't

[Gary Marshall]

his motto is 'will travel for free drinks'

[Bapi]

his motto is 'will travel for free drinks'

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Isn't that a tad rich coming from you? Just remind me who was attempting to get me to pay for the champagne this weekend?

Having said that- the cocktails were superb in that VIP Bar - but er, a little strong.

[YKL]

...... though thankfully we are back at Anthony's this weekend. 

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and will there be a report? Had hoped to pop in for lunch on Sat but not sure I will have time. has been ages since I went to the main restaurant ....

[Gary Marshall]

his motto is 'will travel for free drinks'

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Isn't that a tad rich coming from you? Just remind me who was attempting to get me to pay for the champagne this weekend?

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it's our birthday's, them's the rules, i don't make 'em....

[thom]

Bloody hell Bapi you can get where water doesn't 

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What, you mean like in Gary's glass?

The chaps doing the cocktails were Fluid Bartenders and they attracted quite a few compliments at the show for their drinks and service. We've worked with them on a number of occassions and I would heartily recommend them.

When I first heard the words "inflatable VIP bar" my mind boggled and I pictured a booze-fulled bouncy castle (or maybe like Sammy the Snake off Phoenix Nights) but to be fair it worked brilliantly and was possibly my favourite part of the show.

Cheers

Thom

[MaLO]

Gave Abode a try on Wednesday. The place was busy, at £12 for three courses (and a week on the TV) not that suprising. The food was good, if a little slow in service. The matched wines were also good. It came in at a little over £40. A bargain!

[Harters]

THE MODERN, URBIS, CATHEDRAL GARDENS

I’ve always liked the Urbis building. It’s stylish and I regret never getting to eat in the restaurant when it was Le Mont. But style remains with the Modern. The lift takes you to the bar on the 6th floor, with great views of the city centre, which got better as night properly fell. You then go downstairs a floor to the restaurant. The wedge shape of the building has the restaurant at the “sharp end”, making it a narrow room. No good at all for people watching. Furnishings are, erm, modern and attractive – except for some awful candle holders which my wife is convinced she’s seen in Poundland.

It’s a well thought out menu – leaning heavily on regional produce. It was also good to see vegetarian dishes keenly priced; reflecting the ingredient costs, rather than just knocking a quid or two off the meat based prices. We both considered homity pie as a main, before reverting to type and ordering meat.

One starter was off the day’s special menu. It read so well – a terrine of Ribble Valley ham hock with Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese. Unfortunately the cheese completely overpowered the ham (needed to be either a milder cheese or, better, a much thinner layer). The accompanying piccalilli added zilch – having no kick from mustard, vinegar – this was just yellow cauliflower. A disappointing start.

Much better was my veal tongue with onion puree and radish and parsley salad. This was rich and unctuous but with a good crunch from the salad. Good dish.

My main was roast belly port, braised pork cheeks and a faggot. I enjoyed the lot, and would have been even happier if the faggot was more offaly. It came with a caper and mustard which worked OK. There was a little mound of chard, which is something you don’t often see. I’d ordered some chips as well – these weren’t bad but were the “fat” variety. Always a shame when restaurants don’t realise that chips are, well chip-shaped for a purpose. They’re much better that way!

The other main was Cheshire ribeye, shallots, red wine reduction. These came with “beef dripping chips”. Fatter and not as nice as mine, most were left. Steak was agood chunk of tasty meat.

For dessert, I really wanted the Eccles Cake/Lancashire Cheese but they’d run out at lunch. Sherry trifle with poached rhubarb made a good seasonal substitute. The other dessert was a buttermilk and vanilla posset with a mainly pomegranate sauce. Not bad, but the posset tasted slightly wrong – perhaps cornflour or something that hadn’t been properly cooked out.

So, in summary, one of us ate pretty well; the other being slightly disappointed at every course and rightly so. Service had been good. Bill, including for a drink before, one glass of wine, bottle of water, coffee and tip, came to £105, which wasn’t too bad. But too bad it wasn’t a much better experience – it wouldn’t take much to get this spot on.

(EDIT: In spite of the less than stellar experience, one has to wonder why the Modern has not yet found its way into the Good Food Guide when a number of dreary places within an hours drive manage to keep their place year on year)

Edited April 17, 2009 by Harters (log)