Vertigo Restaurant, John Dalton Street, Manchester

When I heard about the opening of Vertigo it was put on my list of restaurants in Manchester to go to for a special occasion. Ithaca, which was there previously, had also been on this list and had exceeded expectations when I had gone. The only problem with Ithaca was that it was at the upper end of the price range in Manchester which meant it was for the extra special occasions which just don’t come around often enough.

Back to Vertigo, and the other halves birthday was coming up which seemed like the perfect opportunity. Even better than that, a month before the big date they ran a deal on Groupon for their tasting menu – 6 course taster menu for two for £50, apparently down from £118.

I’m a fan of taster menu’s, a chance for the chef to show off and for the ‘taster’ to get small courses but all packed full of flavour.

The meal started well, restaurant seemed slightly quiet but it was mid week and did actually fill up as the evening wore on (and we got there at 8). Our waitress was friendly and easy going.

Starter was a tomato consomme which delivered on its promise of good flavour. Unfortunately though this was the highlight of the meal. I can’t even remember the other courses. They all sounded fantastic on the menu but in reality were just average. Flavours were lacking, the middle course of chicken was the size of a standard main and I could have cooked the chicken breast better than they did.

Had I paid full price for the meal the sense of disappointment would have been even greater. However, taking advantage of a special offer should not mean you get substandard food.

On top of this, booking the tasting menu in advance means they have as much time as possible to prepare it and make it perfect.

I walked in expecting 6 courses showcasing the best flavours and quality of cooking Vertigo had to offer. If I did then never go there and pay full price. There are many restaurants in Manchester that deliver far better food at reasonable prices.

I assume their aim with the Groupon offer was to introduce people to the restaurant so they came back. With me they failed and if what we had reflected what is cooked every night I can’t imagine many others would return either.

Please note rankings are reflective of what I would expect for that price.