Drinks (because I always start with drinks)

Odder Bar (Oxford Road): This sister bar to Odd in the Northern Quarter has plenty of good offers for poor students like myself. £5 will get you a small pizza and a pint for dinner. The pizza is pretty small, but if you’re just looking for something to munch on whilst having a few drinks, its way better than a packet of crisps. They’ve got a decent selection of beers and a very chilled atmosphere.

Socio Rehab (High Street, Northern Quarter): Every single person I’ve asked for Manchester bar recommendations has always had this place on their list, and for good reason. The service is a little slow, but if you’re not in a hurry, their drinks are really something special. The staff are amazing at what they do considering their cocktail menu has over 80 drinks and even an order of 5 or 6 drinks still comes out right. My personal favourite is the Mid-Week Roller. Drinks come out at £6.50 each, which is on the pricier side of Manchester, but still way cheaper than London.

Keko Maku (High Street, Northern Quarter): This place takes you back to a simpler, more relaxed time; your own little island in the middle of Manchester . Leave your worries at the door, there’s no room for them here. Drinks are generous in both size and alcohol content. Also, they have a rum club for £10 that’ll score you an invite to one of their brand-supported drinkfests every 6 weeks or so. I haven’t been yet, but it sounds like pretty good value to me.

Mojo (Bridge Street (Backside), just off Deansgate): A rock n’ roll cocktail bar. What more needs to be said? I picked this venue for a recent MBA student meet-up and about 50 of us descended on the place on a Tuesday…entirely dwarfing the other 15 or so other people. By midnight, though, quite a few other people had come along and the place was getting rather full. Apparently, on the weekends, Mojo is completely packed and it’s one of the best late night haunts in the city– when everything else is closing, the party continue here till 4AM. With a pretty extensive and reasonably-priced drinks menu (£2 Quilmes, wow) and a good mix of rock, pop, and even reggae, Mojo makes a great choice for either a large group on the dance floor or a few friends taking over one of their many booths in the back.

Coffee

Java (near Oxford Road Rail Station): My first stop in Manchester and on my way to school. They have free WiFi, decent food, and they can pour a real nice cup. I especially like their frappe’s for those balmy summer days in Manchester. Ha, who am I kidding? It’s just a nice place to sit and waste away a couple of hours and they’ve got flat whites on the menu too.

North Tea Power (Northern Quarter): Wayne and Jane run this little cafe tucked away in the Northern Quarter. Apparently they are the first in the UK to offer espresso tea. No flat white on the menu, but they are more than capable of making you one.

Restaurants

Well, to be honest, I haven’t really ventured out too much. I’ve got a list a mile long, but I’ll save that for my next post once I’ve actually had a chance to try a few.

By all means, if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments….I’m going to eat my way through the town over the next few weeks before the madness of the MBA really sets in.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Roast in Borough Market for a few drinks. This place exemplifies class without being even the slighest bit pretentious. You would feel just as comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt as you would donning your best dinner jacket. They’ve somehow managed to capture all the friendliness and charm of Borough Market and added the service and atmosphere you would expect from a fine dining experience. The entrance is not easy to find, but ask anyone and they can point you in the right direction…or just look up. The place sits right above the market with tall glass windows for terrific views of everything below. The high ceilings are all glass too, giving Roast a very airy and open feel which helps to achieve the welcoming atmosphere they’ve tried to create.

My first visit was, naturally, for the bar. After a long stroll through Borough Market, we were a bit thirsty and the drinks menu is really refreshing. Every drink uses the best ingredients, many of them sourced from the market itself. The list of drinks changes regularly…so there’s always a reason to go back? The Bloody Mary, though, is reason enough. I could go on about how they cater to your every taste, whether you’re in the mood for something sweet, sour, spciy or otherwise…but I think I’ll just let the menu speak for itself.

Fancy a Drink?

The bar is very well stocked and you can immediately see that they take their drinks seriously. I wish I’d taken a picture of it, but there were plenty of unique spirits. They’re happy to serve up the classics (which I’m sure are very nice), but I suggest you work your way through their inspired drinks menu. Be nice to them and they’ll be nice to you, just check out our supposedly small margaritas, you know, just to taste them.

Now, I’ve only had the Sunday roast, so anything else on the menu is foreign to me, but this is a post about a place called Roast and I went on a Sunday…What did you think I was going to have? The meal was absolutely delicious. I started off with a nice light salad in preparation for the meat feast that was coming. I went for pork belly and it was (un)comfortably the biggest pork belly I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming…and consume I did. This was just another example of me eating far beyond the point of satisfaction and just across the line of gluttony. I’ll never learn.

The three course set menu roast on Sunday will set you back £30. Drinks are about £8. Ok, so it’s not cheap. It is seriously satisfying though, and certainly a place you could spend HOURS in. A friend told me I could simply write “Roast=Awesome.” and this post would be complete. I think it’s better summed up by saying it is just so satisfying on so many levels. Shockingly refreshing drinks, high-quality food from high-quality ingredients, and enough food to last all day…all in a fresh and inviting environment.

If it’s a sunny weekend, there’s probably no place I’d rather be than Roast. You might need to book a bit in advance, though, as they sometimes fill up on weekends. However, if you just happen to be strolling through Borough Market, it’s definitely worth popping in to their bar to lift your spirits with whatever the weekly special happens to be.

Bar Tip: I have to go back.

Tipster: I have to go back.

Restaurant Tip: This place gets two tips.

Tipster: It’s that good.

The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable. Most recently, I came here with one guy and a few girls and each of them immediate jumped an octave and squeaked “ohmygod its sooo CUTE!” (the guy included, it’s THAT cute). Random kitch adorns the walls along with all of my favourite Italian meats and cheeses. Downstairs there is a small lounge area with books on cooking, a couple couches and tables and a set of turntables (I didn’t see any records, but this would be a GREAT place to waste an afternoon over a bottle (or two) of wine and a stack of records). I walked in and, even though I’d only been once before, everything felt so familiar. I picked a table, laid my jacket on the back of a chair, placed the bottle of wine we’d brought on the table, and went back outside to wait for the rest of my party. The staff are exceedingly friendly and as soon as everyone had arrived, they rearranged the tables to seat our group of 5.

The menu is simple, but what they do, they do well. Both times I’ve been I started with the meat and cheese platter. This is a meal on it’s own and when we requested turning the platter into something slightly more vegetarian friendly, they simply brought out a larger portion with more cheese and vegetables. 5 people ate well and we had only chalked up £20 to the bill. Every time we started to run low on bread, another loaf appeared out of nowhere. Twice now I’ve been and both times I’ve had the gnocchi. This time was a simple mozzarella, tomato, and basil gnocchi which tasted very fresh and was a perfect compliment to the meat and cheese feast. Having had so much food to start with, three girls split two mains– something to keep in mind. If you’ve got an appetite though, don’t hesitate to get a whole pasta dish for yourself. Also, whilst they offer a few nice house wines, you are welcome to bring your own. None of us made it to dessert, but they all looked very nice.

For the 5 of us, the final bill came to £70. The service was casual, yet attentive; we never waited long for anything, and when I wanted the bill, I felt comfortable enough to walk up and ask them for it directly. On our way out, Gianfilippo came over for a quick chat and personally thanked each of us for coming.

We walked out perfectly satisfied and with, pardon the pun, big cheesy grins on our faces. We were just so taken with the place, the people, and the food that we found ourselves arm in arm, practically skipping down the road to Callooh Callay.

That’s the effect Bottega Prelibato has on you.

That, or the three bottles of wine we brought.

The Tip: TBC

The Tipster: Gianfilippo

Lastly, it is worth noting that I am not the first person to have reviewed this place. Apparently, it does quite well as a lunchtime delicatessen. Check out Cheese and Biscuits for a much more established and reputable blog than my own.

From start to finish, there is a lot to enjoy here.

Normally, I would start with the cocktails menu, only this time there isn’t one.

There are no real menus, in fact, nor are there any real waiting staff. All the ordering is done using a touchpad built into the table and food and drinks are brought to you as soon as they’re ready. A projector mounted above the table projects your virtual menu onto the table and this is where the fun starts. It may sound really gimmicky, but there is something a bit exciting about scrolling through the menu options and seeing each dish beamed down onto your plate.  It sparks conversation too; you’re each talking about what you want to order, who gets to order which dish, in what order you want them to arrive, etc. Changing the decor of the table is as simple as a few clicks. As soon as you’ve made your selection, the whole menu rolls up into an inobtrusive little circle on the table. It’s great to have some fun with it, but don’t let yourself get carried away. Changing the decor with a few quick clicks? Keeps things fresh and fun. Watching the crew at work on the “Kitchen Cam”? Blurry and pretty pointless. And a game of battleship? You’re in real trouble if you have that little to talk about that you resort to this. The whole system can really ‘bring something to the table’, but don’t let it detract from the enjoyment of everything else, especially your company.

With the novelty wearing off, we started off with a couple cocktails. The drinks are delicious and they really think of some interesting creations. As with everything else, fusion is the name of the game here. Your standard mojito is now a sake mojito. Fresh fruits make their way into most, if not all of the martinis: passionfruit, lychee, lemongrass and melon, to name a few. Their signature drink, the Inamo, is a refreshing and spicy blend of mandarin puree, spring onion, vodka and chili syrup. Careful, I ordered a Thai Sapphire expecting a manly drink, only to get an extremely fruit and pink conconction. It was still pretty refreshing, but not my kind of drink.

Over to food. Normally I go straight for the Berkshire pork neck with apple confit and chocolate sauce (you people who can’t mix your sweet and savouries can shove it…this is my favourite thing on the menu) but this time I’d come with a vegetarian who still eats seafood. Side note: I really dislike the word floating around for this, pesca-aqua-whatever. At least this meant we could still get the black miso cod, my second favourite dish. So we went through the interactive menus and ordered the following:

• Spinach and Mushroom Parcels: I really don’t like mushrooms in anything and I thought these were delicious. Wrapped up little gifts from the vegetarian gods.
• Tuna Tartare (pictured): Really nicely presented dish of “chopped tuna, sesame, herbs, truffle and soy” with a raw quail’s egg on the side which we mixed in right away. I imagine it improved the consistency, but I didn’t try it without it.
• Black Cod: Instant classic, and from what I’ve heard, very reminiscent of what you’d find at much more expensive restaurants like Nobu.
• Sashimi Platter: Larger than I expected, 15 sizable pieces of fish and an AMAZING wasabi dressing.
• Edame Beans and Crunchy Green Salad: I’ve lumped these together because they were both just side vegetable dishes. They are pretty standard fare, but the Green salad has a really nice sesame dressing and I think it goes well with everything else.

There’s not much else to say, really. I’ve worked my way through a bunch of the meat dishes, some of the seafood, and even a curry or two. On the meat side, the aforementioned Berkshire Pork Neck, the Hot Stone Ribeye, and the Wagyu Bavette could each get me to return. Everything just tastes very fresh and unique. It is so easy to get the whole fusion concept so terribly, terribly wrong, but this is a terrific and inspired menu that really shows that the genre can deliver.

Of course we had dessert and the European influence here is obvious. Apparently there’s a French pastry chef in the kitchen. We had the Vanilla Creme Brulee (see banner photo) and it did not dissappoint either. Extremely creamy and velvety. I would order it again on my next visit, but I am too curious to try the other dishes like the Thai Basil Pana Cotta.

I will close by saying that after one bite, there is no way you could mistake this place as just a restaurant with a good gimmick. As interesting and cool as the whole ordering/interactive dining experience is, it is the food that will keep you coming back. The prices aren’t cheap, but I always walk away feeling like I got good value for money. There isn’t much to say about the service, because they tell you up front that dishes will come about 15-20 minutes after you order them, and that pretty much holds true. That said, you can always flag down a waiter if you need anything else.

Tip: PINCHITOtapas, WC1 (I don’t need any convincing, I’m practically a regular at the EC1 branch)

Tipster: Anthony, Manager

Let the games begin.

Meat is all around me. At Rodizio Rico, skewered towers of meat bombard you from all corners of the room. Our server comes up and asks if we’ve been before. Two out of three of us had been and we knew what to expect. The third made sure to bring his appetite, doing his stomach stretches with a burger at lunch. The waiter tossed three coasters onto the table, green on one side, red on the other. Green side up and the floodgates are open. Red side up when you need to catch your breath (or you’re on your last breath).

“Eat as much as you can,” he says.

Don’t worry, we knew what we were getting into long before we stepped foot in the door.

We’re wearing sweatpants, we’re here for excess.

You start by having a look at the buffet. I think I saw some salad and fruits, but that just takes up valuable meat space. The rest of the buffet is either fried, meat, or maybe fried meat. Rice with chicken. Fried vegetables with sausage.

Round 1

All in all maybe 10 different dishes, only one or two of which contain only vegetables. I load up 3/4 of a plate full, leaving a corner of the plate for the first wave of meat. I figure I can eat my way around the buffet starters and make more room for meat as the night goes on.

One by one, the carvers march over to our table. Lamb, rump steak, top side of beef, beef with cheese, beef shish, pork, sausages, chicken hearts (!). You get through them all and nothing has had a chance to settle. The food ranges from good to great, but more than anything, we’re driven by the mantra “Eat as much as you can”. Back to the buffet, but only to keep the palate fresh for more meat. A glass of wine helps too. That glass is on the coaster, pinning it to the table green side up.

Another plateful. More skewers. We’ve lapped ourselves and we’re back on lamb. We’re starting to have to make some tough choices; we can only accomodate our favourite meats now. I’m not full yet, but I can feel the food starting to weigh me down. Can’t stop, keep it coming.

Defeat.

Another plate down. The room’s going blurry and my head is spinning. I can’t make eye contact with any of the servers because Ithink they can sense my weakness. I surrender, I’m waving the white flag, I’m…turning the coaster from green to red. Take pity on me, I’ve just eaten my weight in meat.

We all say there’s always room for dessert. I’ve never known this to be more true than at Rodizio Rico. As full as I was, each meat skewer taunting me as it went by, I still thought dessert sounded pretty nice. A nice, light, and very sweet, mango custard was just what I needed.

Dinner, dessert, and a glass of wine come to just over 30 with service. Carnivores, eat your heart out.

The tip: Preto

The tipster: The man in the suit and tie…who, it turns out, doesn’t eat meat.

The Tip: Osteria Antica Bologna

The Tipster:

(Photo courtesy of LondonTown.com)

Thursday night is one of my favourite nights to go out. Friday mornings are one of my least favourite mornings to go to work. It was my job to organise a work night out, or “team building exercise” as I preferred to call it. The “grill” portion of Dollar Grill and Martinis is pretty good value for what you get. Around the table everyone walked away satisfied with their burgers and steaks that all came in between £10 and £15. About £20 total after we’d washed it down a nice glass of Malbec. We then proceeded downstairs to really kick the night off with the other house specialty, the Martini. They have a really wide range of spirits and, being a vodka martini man, I started with Ciroc before moving on to the less-traditional Akvinta vodka from Croatia. The beer selection was limited, but unique: Viru (Estonia), Moritz (Spain), Blue Moon (USA), Deus (Belgium), and both light and dark Bath Ales from here in the UK.

Drinks tend to be on the pricier side at about £8.50 for a martini. We had about 5 before the night was out.

Favo(u)rite American Hangout : The Big Easy
Tipster: Brett Newmark, Operations Manager