Jem&I

[camdan]

Anyone have any experience of this place? I can't find any mention of it on eG, which seems a bit odd, so I apologise if I've missed it in another topic.

[Mrs Woman]

Not been personally but maybe best looking through the Manchester threads (there is a few if you search). And I'm sure Tom's been

[thom]

Hello there, yes I've been to Gem&I but probably not as recently as I should.

The chef-patron, Gem (O'?)Sullivan had a good track record in Manchester (The Lincoln et al) before setting up his own place and at Gem&I he has built the menu around some classic cooking with plenty of British dishes and a nice focus on local ingredients.

I ate there some time ago and although I couldn't wax lyrical about specific dishes I certainly recall being impressed with the standard of the cooking and the general experience. It was previously a very pokey little space but the relatively recent refurb makes it feel much more like a 'proper' restaurant.

The reason I say I probably should have visited more recently is because it came very close to winning a couple of the Manchester Food and Drink awards in the last year or so and one of the judges (Jonathan Schofield ex of City Life now of MEN) raves about it as one of his favourite restaurants.

All in all I would say it is a very decent 'local' restaurant which every surburbanite would love to have around the corner from them. Maybe not worth a major detour but if you find yourself in South Manchester I think you'd have a very nice time at Gem&I.

Just try to ignore the horrible pun of a name...

If you are in and around Didsbury I would actually steer clear of the village (except for Gem&I) and instead get a mile or so across town to West Didsbury. A more bohemian, creative, independent vibe (The Village is mostly chains) and in Lapwing Lane/Burton Road you have one of the best restaurant areas in Manchester.

Within about half a mile try Greens (top veggie), The Limetree (timeless French), The Assembly (competent wine bar), The Metropolitan (competent gastropub in a very nice space), The Katmandu (top Nepelase), The Gurkha Grill (very good Nepalese), Rhubarb (inventive modern British), Cachumba (SE Asian), Thai E-Sarn (good Thai with Elvis) etc etc. There is also a deli or two (including one on the site of the much-loved Bogda's R&M deli), an Asian grocers, possibly still a Japanese, and maybe an Italian place, a new tapas joint and a 'trendy' English cafe.

Phew... Enjoy!

Cheers

Thom

[Infrasonic]

<Delurk>

Ate here a couple of times very soon after it opened, and the cooking is great.

Since then it's had an expansion and got a bib gourmand.

Only slight criticism would be the service, which is inconsistent.

Varies between great and indifferent.

Greens and Rhubarb over in West Didsbury v.good as well (echo Thoms sentiments there)

HTH

I

Edited December 7, 2006 by Infrasonic (log)

[thom]

Doh, my opinions would probably have looked more credible if I had refered to 'Gem' as 'Jem' and his eponymous restaurant as 'Jem&I' rather than 'Gem&I' (where's a good sub when you need one...?).

Still an awful punning name either way.

Good point Infrasonic regarding the Bib Gourmand. The restaurant itself doesn't seem to have a website but Google threw up set of reviews on the MEN website and Sugarvine all of which were overwhelmingly positive.

Cheers

Thom

[Infrasonic]

No dedicated website, but they have got one of those Sugarvine ones.

http://www.sugarvine.com/manchester/minisi...restaurant=8106

Reviews on there as well (although not as good as the reviews you get here )

http://www.manchester-eating.com/59.htm for more.

I'll get the hang of this HTML formatting in a bit

I

Edited December 7, 2006 by Infrasonic (log)

[jayrayner]

If you are in and around Didsbury I would actually steer clear of the village (except for Gem&I) and instead get a mile or so across town to West Didsbury. A more bohemian, creative, independent vibe

←

Ah yes, West Didsbury: Didsbury's Latin quarter.

[Gary Marshall]

how fortuitious that when i arrived in manchester in '96 i went to look at a room in a shared house in west didsbury, and had a pint in what was then 'the nose' next to the lime tree. i thought straight away this looks the perfect spot for me.

When they opened a pizzaexpress just down the road that was it, i never ventured into the town centre on an evening all the time i lived there, everything i needed was 5 minutes walk away.

i hope the lime tree is still as good as i remember it, though at that time i thought i was being very adventurous eating exotic dishes containing the likes of 'seared duck breast'.

[thom]

Ah yes, West Didsbury: Didsbury's Latin quarter.

←

Yes, and it's full of minor celebrities too. You should write about it in OFM

Gary, I should have known a laid-back, alternative-lifestyle-leading indie-kid like you would have felt at home in West Disbury.

You're right about the Lime Tree, it's been an institution around there for years. I'd say it is still pretty damn good but that the rest of the local restaurant scene has caught up over the years so it seems less special.

Well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area, although it's worth booking as it has a very loyal audience who tend to pack it to the rafters most weekends.

Cheers

Thom

[Andy Lynes]

Just try to ignore the horrible pun of a name...

←

I think they should expand to a chain of 12 restaurants, all named after astrological signs:

Score Pea Oh! - a veggie restaurant with a particularly fine pea-based

signature dish

Pie Sees - a self service pie and mash shop

Can Sir - where all the food comes out of tins - for men only

A Quare? Re:Us - odd ingredients cooked by strange chefs

I'm sure between us we can come up with the other seven, then all we need is a business plan and an appearance on Kitchen Nightmares and we're away.

Edited December 8, 2006 by Andy Lynes (log)

[Basildog]

Lee(s) Bra

Wine sediment served in bras

[apshelbourne]

Verre Gault - watering hole for Millau reviewers

[RDB]

Le'0 - A french minimalist restaurant

[apshelbourne]

Capri Quorn - Italian Vegetarian

[Andy Lynes]

Sago Tarry Ooze - linger over your runny milk-based puding at this dessert only restaurant.

[apshelbourne]

TaurOoze - any flavour risotto you like, as long as it's got beef in it.

[Basildog]

Air Is !

No real food, just essences and vapours sprayed around you.

[BertieWooster]

Went there (Jem & I, not Air Is) end Oct. Booking on a Thursday could only get in at 6-30 on the Saturday. Our chef recommended it over GReens and the Lime Tree, but as I've not been to the latter in a reet long while, I can't compare directly.

Service was good (our usual rating of 'can they cope with the missus' non-dairy thing with politeness and efficiency?' was passed flying colours-style), the space is really nice (though the view is of a car park), and I think its slightly above Thom rating it as a good neighbourhood bistro. Worth making a trip out of central manchester once the holy trinity (Establishment, Harvey Nicks, River Rooms) have been done.

Sorry, back to the puns.

[camdan]

I went to Jem&I for lunch today - very good. For starter I had a fistfull of chicken liver parfait, with toast; then I had cod and chips which was the size of a good chip shop portion, and finally Eton mess which was about as big as my head. All in all a bargain at 20 quid.