Reviewing lunch time food and evening dining in Manchester's city centre
Cafe
Detox Retox, Mosley Street, Manchester
102 years ago
by Mister Tum
in Cafe
Moo Pie (steak and red wine sauce) + spring onion mash with gravy £6.55 (£4.90 with 25% opening discount)
The prospect of having just a pie by itself – or as they call it a “Lonely Pie” – was too sorrowful for me to consider, so I opted to ratchet up from £3.50 for a pie, to what would become £6.55 with gravy and a spoonful of Smash mashed potato. How those two ingredients amount to £3.05 is beyond comprehension. Even with an opening April 25% off promotion this was a costly sum for a fairly modest pie.
It turned out to be rather filling after the fact, but I would definitely skip the mash and gravy if I went back. The pie itself was very tasty: soft luscious pastry, luxurious and sweet red wine sauce, and stringy but generous beef. Apparently they have free wi-fi and newspapers although I was only privy to the glass of free water with lemon, which was still a nice touch.
They’re kind of putting all their pies in one basket however, because aside from pies, they also do sandwiches and salads, but not much else, despite having hot food capabilities. Having no real pastry-based competition in the city (sod off with your Greggs) maybe they think that this is enough.
The place kind of looks like a cross between a cafe/deli and a restaurant (with 4 tables, a mirror and minimalist ornamentation) and dining inside is a little unsettling because of the sparseness. And the menu is a little difficult to decipher, hence my getting stung for mash and gravy. Also, with only 4 inexperienced staff and about half that number in customers during lunch hour it doesn’t look like this place will be around for long. So if you feel the urge to try an unusually tasty pie in the city centre, look no further for a high-priced treat and get in quick. But if you’re looking for a heartier meal at a more reasonable price, the search goes on.
NB. At least one cow was terminally harmed at some stage during the making of this review.
Cafe Lloyd, 16 Lloyd Street, Manchester
02 years ago
by Mister Tum
in Cafe
Fish & Chips £4.70
Chish and fips, as you like it. Decent price, beats most other chippies in town for quality and economy and you get a big fat portion that’ll give you a reassuring heart burn for the rest of the afternoon, and will guarantee you a couple of afternoon visits with the Sandman if, for example, you work in a hot, fetid office, and on a day to day basis you feel like a crab being warmed up slowly in a pan of gradually boiling water.
Recommended for sunny summer days, get them chips out into Albert Square and try to enjoy them on one of Manchester’s lovely benches whilst avoiding being molested by the copious flocks of filthy sky-rats that plague city centre.
What do you mean, ‘that’s a pretty short review’? It’s fish and chips, what’s more to say? If they were no good I’d tell you, but they get the job done, okay? Alright?? And if you don’t like fish and chips you can go back to Europe and shove your French fries where the sun probably shines a lot more than it does in Manchester . . .
Grand Buffet, 48/50 Withworth Street, Manchester
12 years ago
Curry buffet – All You Can Eat/Eat All You Can for £8, includes refillable soft drink.
Curry, unlike say, Chinese food (or a platter of chicken drumsticks) does not lend itself well to the whole Scoff What You Can buffet deal. Reason being you reach your curry-consumption limit by filling up an awful lot quicker than you do when topping off your duck pancakes with rice + noodles + more rice + more noodles all smothered with miscellaneous meats and sauces. Which is odd, because they’re very similar dishes in theory. Meat, sauce, rice. Maybe it’s the spiciness of curry that brings you to a halt faster.
I found myself deep into my third plate of curry buffet when, embarrassingly, my body came to a complete stop and I was no longer able to feed. The curry sweats intensified as I briefly considered the possibility of me suffering a minor stroke there and then. Eventually I realised I was undergoing the curious condition of being “full”, whilst still having food on my plate. My “raised-in-the-80s” instincts kicked in as I thought of all the starving children in Africa and I anxiously endeavoured to at least finish all the meat remaining on my plate, but to no avail.
The food itself was actually good quality for a buffet, freshly made, loads of choice, all the old favourites: tasty chicken tikka massala, potent madras, beef and lamb dishes, veggie options, rices, naans, for some reason onion rings, poppadum-preaches, the works. Also included was the option to run along the drinks machine topping your beverage up with ginger ale, irn bru, coke, sprite and everything else into one eye-watering glass of George’s Marvellous Medicine.
The kicker, however, was the price. £8 is far too much for what it is – you can get a nice meal for that in city centre. Maybe Grand Buffet works best as a one-off treat when there’s a few of you wanting a spicy curry fix, or maybe if you’re in the middle of an all day session and need sustenance quick; and with a sort of out-of-the-way cafe ambience, it suffices but doesn’t impress.
Philpotts, King Street, Manchester
02 years ago
Meal: Cumberland Sausage & Egg on Brown Toast
As a matter of principle I would normally avoid Philpotts, they rob you blind for the sandwiches, the till-tender should be wearing a mask pointing a gun at you whilst you are paying. On this occasion, with my cupboards bare and a case of the early morning munchies I decided to give Philpotts a try (it is in the same building I work in after all so convenience was key).
After three minutes of walking round in a daze trying to find the tiny breakfast menu I finally succeeded in locating it and was happy with the choices on offer. I decided to plump for the Cumberland sausage and egg on brown toast (Healthy option!). Impressed that they actually cooked everything apart from the sausages there and then.
The breakfast was excellent, the bread was nicely toasted, eggs cooked to perfection with plenty of brown sauce. The only thing let that the meal down was the Cumberland sausages (which I think were just regular sausages) that were over cooked and had been sat out under the heat lamps too long.
This particular Philpotts was a nice place to eat the meal, quiet and calm atmosphere and the staff were helpful enough.
Overall there are other places that do better breakfast meals for the price, but it has changed my opinion of Philpotts slightly. The meal was very satisfactory for the price.
Giovannis Deli, New York Street, Manchester
02 years ago
Meal: Hot Big Beef Panini (Beef, mushrooms and cheese)
I expectted a lot from this meal and ordered with anticipation and excitement, oh how wrong I was. Although the panini was hot and of a substantial size to quench your appetite for the afternoon, the beef was over cooked and had become rubbery making it hard to chew. The cheese and mushrooms were a nice touch which gave the meal added taste if a little greasy.
The service was good and the staff were pleasant enough. You can see the food being prepared which is always a thumbs up in my book and the surrounding are nice if you would like to eat in.
I would recommeded a hot panini from Giovannis, due to the size and variety, but stay clear of the beef!
Giovannis Deli, New York Street
12 years ago
Meal: Baked Potato with Tuna Mix and Cheese
Having only ever had a breakfast barm from Giovannis I looked forward to sampling their main menu.
I opted for a baked potato with tuna mix and cheese, the mix involved chopped pepper and onion.
The meal was very nice indeed, the potato was cooked just how I liked with a slight crisp to the skin while still soft and fluffy in the middle. The tuna mix was equally nice and the grated cheddar cheese topped it off nicely, although there was quite a lot of it.
A thoroughly enjoyable meal and I would definitely recommend it and have it again.
Katsouris Deli, 113 Deansgate Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 2DJ
02 years ago
by Mister Tum
in Cafe
Peri peri chicken on granary with cheese from the carvery.
Sadly the peri peri chicken wasn’t up to much at the usually very agreeable Katsouris. The lacklustre serving spread too thinly over a granary barm became dry very quickly, so, drinkless and disappointed I battled through to the waterless end with a solitary tear of mild disappointment attempting but failing to form in my eye (due to my being parched – did I mention it was dry?). Garlic chicken sizzler this was not. Still more satisfying than the standard city centre fare though. Luckily my eating buddy ordered something too awkward to understand (no butter on bread or something stupid) so the friendly staff also bent over backwards to ensure that we were compensated with some free cakes too! A vanilla and a brownie: both pretty much did what you’d expect, no miracles but satisfaction was par for the course. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but you might get a free pudding if you’re a difficult git.
Katsouris Deli, 113 Deansgate Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 2DJ
02 years ago
by Mister Tum
in Cafe
If you’re feeling exotic, adventurous, pretentious, or your just plain from Didsbury, Katsouris is a delightful deli of the Greek style. The good Greek style.
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