Chinese in Manchester

[Lenny]

I'm back in Manchester this weekend and craving a Chinese meal. I've been told the Yang Sing is a waste of time these days, and I've enjoyed Red Chilli a couple of times but beyond that I'm clueless. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[BertieWooster]

I'm back in Manchester this weekend and craving a Chinese meal. I've been told the Yang Sing is a waste of time these days, and I've enjoyed Red Chilli a couple of times but beyond that I'm clueless. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

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Personally I'd disagree on the Yang Sing, still think its very good. Course it is rather full of suits all the time.

[Ian]

Yang Sing lost its glow a long time ago - when they deliberately changed their focus to serving non-Chinese people. In other words, if you know anything about Chinese food, Yang Sing will be a disappointment.

[fisherman]

I still like Yang Sing and really like Red Chilli. If I was having a chinese in Manchester this weekend, it would be Red Chilli I reckon

[Infrasonic]

Wings is good if you want a "posh" Chinese (Glass temperature controlled wine store, servers with white gloves etc).

Other than that I would say that different places excel and fail on different dishes, so if you know what you like, let us know and will recommend accordingly.

As an example I really like Kwok Mans Blackbean dishes, and their mixed seafood chowmein can be stunning. Rest of the menu is fairly average, so I avoid it!

I

Edited January 8, 2007 by Infrasonic (log)

[thom]

Lenny,

My own recommendation would be to go back to Red Chilli once again. I really don't think there is a place to touch it in the city and although you've been there a couple of times surely you can't even have scratched the surface of the hugely extensive menu?

If you have you're a better man than me, or at least you have looser trousers. If you haven't there is an extensive thread on here where people outline their favourite dishes (Lamb Chilli Broth!) but generally I would say steer clear of the token Cantonese items and go off-piste with dishes, indeed ingredients, that you have never even heard of before, let alone eaten. The seafood stuff is particularly good.

Aside from that Yang Sing may have lost it's feel of authenticity but it is still no slouch. The A La Carte can be a bit pedestrian bit give them free reign to create a menu for a set budget and things improve or hit the dim sum which I still think it pretty good.

What else...? Wings is not bad if, as noted, a little stiff and formal and the rest of Chinatown itself is pretty much of a muchness. As noted you can find a great dish in a particular restaurant but the rest of the menu might be bleugh. I think the exception to the rule is probably the New Emperor. I haven't been there in a while but it always used to be a very passable traditionally Chinese restaurant and it also had a good wine list.

Oh, and Pacific was pretty good back in the day, albeit in a 'trying too hard trendy contemporary fixtures and white walls' sort of way. It seems to have absolutely dropped off the map though with no-one mentioning it recently so this may not be a good sign.

I'd avoid the other places dotted around the city centre such as Sweet Mandarin (though The Golden Ricebowl on Cross St has it's fans) but it may be worth trying the restaurants that sit above the various Chinese supermarkets on the outskirts of the city centre.

The Glamourous restaurant (the windows look out on to an internal multi-story carpark) on Oldham road is popular but I've never been convinced. The older and rather unfashionale Tai Pan on Upper Brook St is worth a look though. The food there can be great (and cheap) and as well as being popular with the Chinese community it is a home from home for academics and other employees from the University across the road.

Hope that helps and that you get your (monosodium-free) fix.

Cheers

Thom

[Rian]

I had dim sum at Yang Sing about ten days ago and it was very good - the tripe especially.

[Lenny]

Thanks, all. Back to Red Chilli it is, then. I can't pretend I'm all that disappointed.