Date: Friday 18th October 2013
Website: http://www.jack-spratt.co.uk/
Woah! What is this? Second review in the same week? Well you know, I like to spoil you guys! Nothing makes me happier than hearing about the Nurbites taking one of my recommendations.
So the past few weeks, I've been entertaining myself with YouTube videos such as The best of Phil Mitchell and Eastenders Pow Remix. This got me thinking that I need to get back to my roots, allow all these American and Asian places, and review a classic British joint. What better than this little gem on John Dalton Street, Jack Spratt.
I've actually been here a few times before. It was the reasonable prices of their set menus and the cool, laid back atmosphere that always drew me back. The environment does make it out that it is fine dining, but at the same time gives that British pub feel. The food has also always been decent, and again they didn't disappoint.
Firstly, I must say, service is always impeccable. They act like its their own restaurant, like they want to be there, which sometimes I don't get the impression at some other establishments. The restaurant always have a specials board which the waiter points out, so always worth taking a look before choosing your dish. The set menu offered is priced two courses for £13 or three for £17. They then have a further monthly specials menu (not the board) where dishes are individually priced.
So we began with the home made bread, which comes with some butters and oils. One of the butter sticks was infused with chili which was pretty great. The main I ordered was the lamb belly, which I haven't tried before, with my wife ordering the steak. The portions were skewed, hers quite big mine not so big, so I had to take some of her food (she wasn't impressed). Firstly, the lamb belly, it is like nothing I have tried before. You could tell it was lamb, but the texture was very different, quite juicy. The steak was a very, very good steak. We also asked for some peppercorn sauce which the chef specially prepared for us, with no extra charge. The steak also came with some incredible chunky chips. The chips for sure gets the 'melts in your mouth' stamp!
When the meal was over we actually hung for a while longer, conversing over the candle light. The restaurant sets the mood for a perfect evening with the atmosphere, but is also complemented with delicious food too. If you asked me where to take a girl on a first date, this place would be high on my list. If you do manage to pull by using my recommendations, think of me whilst doing the dirty.
I know for sure that this little place will be a regular for myself. If not for a steak then perhaps a cheeky burger!
8.5 out of 10 rating.
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Friday, 25 October 2013
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Australasia - Season 2 Episode 4
Date: 22nd October 2013
Wagwan Nurbites!
Website: http://www.australasia.uk.com/
Apologies for being away for so long! Been very, very busy. From getting married in Chicago (via an incredible stag in Vegas) to hanging in Miami, and honey-mooning in Jamaica, I have for sure been well fed! The food on my trips has been incredible! But nothing is better than being back home to Mad-chester, the home of the Rolls Royce, the center of the universe. Manchester is the greatest place this earth has seen. Well not quite, but it is home!
Having dined at several great restaurants in Manchester recently, I thought I'd come back with a bang with a place many have heard about in Manchester. Australasia oozes class from their Louvre style stairway entry to the high tech DJ playing with what it seems a 40 inch iPad! We were sat in a booth which was excellent for privacy, giving the place the slight edge if you prefer the more intimate vibe.
The menu had 3-4 sections, sushi, smaller plates and bigger plates. The waiter liked to talk about waves, bringing the meal in 2 or 3 parts but we wanted it all to come together. We treated the restaurant like an Asian tapas bar and so we all ordered 3 dishes each planning to share everything. This was nice as it gave us like ten different small dishes to try. The drinks menu actually came on an iPad which was cool to browse through.
Before the food came, the waiter came over with a fresh piece of wasabi and grated a portion of it on our table. Never seen this from a restaurant so was a nice touch (although seemed like a lot of effort from his part!). When the food came out, just about fitting on our table, the first thing we noticed was presentation. It was impeccable! Everything looking delicious. I would show you pictures but I don't like to give away too much spoilers for you and ruin the experience.
From what I tried, the sushi was great, but for the price not spectacular. The beef skewers stuck out to me as a gem, very flavoursome. The squid tempura, and the prawn and wasabi mix were pretty average. The dish I had heard about most was the expensive black cod. We ordered two of them as it was something everyone wanted to try. It was great, but I'm not sure if it warrants the fame it gets. Sure it is quite different, something you would not have tried elsewhere, but for me it was not the 'melts in your mouth' experience.
Now onto dessert. Fans have probably realised I don't really have a sweet tooth, and due to my lack of passion for the sweet dishes I tend to shy away from talking too much about them. It was due to the also hyped Mango soufflé with coconut ice-cream and mango soup, that I left a little space for this. When the soufflé smothered in the 'mango soup' and the ice cream touched my lips, this was the highlight of my meal...possibly my week. It was just delightful. The explosion of flavours in my mouth, the textures complementing each other ever so perfectly. This was the elite of desserts.
The restaurant decor is very impressive, and is a must if you just want to hang out, or impress someone. I was a tad disappointed with the food, however I did give it incredibly high expectations. The dessert though made me leave the place on a high, and may be the thing that forces me to return again.
8 out of 10 rating.
Wagwan Nurbites!
Website: http://www.australasia.uk.com/
Apologies for being away for so long! Been very, very busy. From getting married in Chicago (via an incredible stag in Vegas) to hanging in Miami, and honey-mooning in Jamaica, I have for sure been well fed! The food on my trips has been incredible! But nothing is better than being back home to Mad-chester, the home of the Rolls Royce, the center of the universe. Manchester is the greatest place this earth has seen. Well not quite, but it is home!
Having dined at several great restaurants in Manchester recently, I thought I'd come back with a bang with a place many have heard about in Manchester. Australasia oozes class from their Louvre style stairway entry to the high tech DJ playing with what it seems a 40 inch iPad! We were sat in a booth which was excellent for privacy, giving the place the slight edge if you prefer the more intimate vibe.
The menu had 3-4 sections, sushi, smaller plates and bigger plates. The waiter liked to talk about waves, bringing the meal in 2 or 3 parts but we wanted it all to come together. We treated the restaurant like an Asian tapas bar and so we all ordered 3 dishes each planning to share everything. This was nice as it gave us like ten different small dishes to try. The drinks menu actually came on an iPad which was cool to browse through.
Before the food came, the waiter came over with a fresh piece of wasabi and grated a portion of it on our table. Never seen this from a restaurant so was a nice touch (although seemed like a lot of effort from his part!). When the food came out, just about fitting on our table, the first thing we noticed was presentation. It was impeccable! Everything looking delicious. I would show you pictures but I don't like to give away too much spoilers for you and ruin the experience.
From what I tried, the sushi was great, but for the price not spectacular. The beef skewers stuck out to me as a gem, very flavoursome. The squid tempura, and the prawn and wasabi mix were pretty average. The dish I had heard about most was the expensive black cod. We ordered two of them as it was something everyone wanted to try. It was great, but I'm not sure if it warrants the fame it gets. Sure it is quite different, something you would not have tried elsewhere, but for me it was not the 'melts in your mouth' experience.
Now onto dessert. Fans have probably realised I don't really have a sweet tooth, and due to my lack of passion for the sweet dishes I tend to shy away from talking too much about them. It was due to the also hyped Mango soufflé with coconut ice-cream and mango soup, that I left a little space for this. When the soufflé smothered in the 'mango soup' and the ice cream touched my lips, this was the highlight of my meal...possibly my week. It was just delightful. The explosion of flavours in my mouth, the textures complementing each other ever so perfectly. This was the elite of desserts.
The restaurant decor is very impressive, and is a must if you just want to hang out, or impress someone. I was a tad disappointed with the food, however I did give it incredibly high expectations. The dessert though made me leave the place on a high, and may be the thing that forces me to return again.
8 out of 10 rating.
Monday, 11 March 2013
Smoak Bar and Grill - Season 2 Episode 2
Date: 8th March
2013
Website: http://www.smoak-grill.com/
Hello all!
I have actually
been eating out pretty frequently recently, but unfortunately nothing really
was worth reviewing. Been to a few Indians but for some reason none give me a
spectacular experience, then of course I have been to Nandos many times too.
With regards to Indian restaurants, although sometimes food can be great,
they just can't get it right with the service. What needs to be done is
some serious training on dining etiquette for the staff. (Don't mean to broaden
the Indian dining, I just have had this experience at 4-5 restaurants in Central
Manchester/ Curry Mile.)
A restaurant I
should have reviewed was The Room on King Street but unfortunately for them I
just did not have the time to write the review. So all I'll say about it is it
is fine dining in a night club. Take what you want from that, but it was a bit
of a shock for me as I just wanted a quiet romantic meal at the time.
Smoak Grill is
located in the very nice Malmaison Hotel by Piccadilly train station. On entry
you will first notice the glass open kitchen. Some advice, if you want to have
an open kitchen then make it a glass kitchen. It is not a selling point of the
restaurant if the place stinks of all sorts of food. The only time you should
smell the food is when it is served in front of you. You want to tell people
about experiences at eateries, not let them gather your experiences from the
lingering smell stuck on your clothes.
Beside the open
kitchen was a variety of steaks on display. This emphasises what the restaurant
was about. Great steak.
The room was
very dimly lit, with small candle sticks on each table. I liked the simple but
effective look however on our busy table some felt uncomfortable with that hazard.
As we all knew
about the reputation of the steak that was the main focus of the menu, however
at first we were a little concerned as the variety seemed to be pretty limited.
However we then realised they had a 'specials' board dominated by different cuts
of steaks which pleased us. The menu also had a few other dishes like ribs, cod
and a lobster thermidor (which caught my eye) but I didn't give them too much
consideration. Sides and sauces are ordered separately, for an additional
charge. If no sides are ordered with the steak, you literally are only getting
the steak by itself.
The waiter was
very friendly, coming to take your order with an additional chalk board in his
hand, which was different. He vastly explained all the specials, and had
sufficient knowledge of the steaks which improved the experience.
We ordered bread
to start with. It came in two rounds, the first coming with balsamic vinegar do
dip your bread into, the second (oddly) with a garlic mayonnaise dip, which
actually blended quite well with the bread.
If it wasn't for
the bread coming in two rounds, we would have thought that service was
incredibly slow for our main, some still thought this. It seemed everyone
either ordered a 250g fillet steak or the 400g sirloin steak on the bone at
similar prices. I really don't know how accurate the weight was as the fillet
steak was literally a quarter of the size of the sirloin. The ones who ordered
the sirloin were very, very happy. Meat binge!
I ordered the
sweet potato fries as the side which were incredible. The sautéed potatoes were
also gorged with great satisfaction too. With the sirloin steak, I got the
garlic butter on top.
The steak was
the best steak of my life. Cooked to perfection. Marinated perfectly. 28 days
aged. Clearly from well-maintained cows. Just incredible quality. Definitely not horse meat.
In conclusion,
it was a great evening. A tad expensive, all the extras like sides and bread
come at a cost, which gives me the impression the restaurant are trying to get
as much money from you as possible. However the steak was that good that I will
go back. I have still yet to go to Gaucho and Grill on the Alley, but for now
at least, the best steak in Manchester.
8.5 out of 10
rating.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Damson
Date: Wednesday 22nd February
Website Link
This is possibly the best restaurant I have ever been to.
Big claim I know, but this is most definitely a deserving one. This place is in a league of their own in terms of fine dining, everything was to perfection.
Located in my local village Heaton Moor (represent) this hidden British restaurant is snugly neighbored by a DVD store and a Fish and Chippy. So although the dining is high class, there was definitely no hint of snobbishness. The staff was very friendly, and what seemed like the owners, were very welcoming. I absolutely loved the decor inside. Largely using wine bottles to give the place character, the place oozed class. This place would be perfect for a candle light dinner with that special one, or to have an upmarket business dinner to impress a client.
We were given a A La Carte menu in a very posh binder, and also a separate set menu costing a reasonable £14.95 for two dishes or £17.95 for three. I personally could not resist some of the dishes from the A La Carte menu upping the price of my meal, but I was fine with that. Although the menu seemed a little limited, it seemed have classic favourites for all taste buds, from delicious sea-bass to a succulent sirloin steak. It also has fat chips as a side for ones that don't like to experiment. Also, attention cheese lovers, I saw a neighboring table order a selection of 10-15 different cheeses. The waiter brought all the blocks of cheese available over letting you choose which you fancy (if not all) and slices a piece for you to try. It looked like a very interesting thing to try one time.
They begin your meal with complementary home made bread accompanied by cubes of butter. They can also bring balsamic vinegar with the bread on request. For starter I went with the crab and parsley risotto, which simply said, melted in my mouth. At first glance, it looked interesting, with the risotto topped with a foamy broth, but it was simply fantastic.
For main I went with the shoulder of lamb (not on the online menu) accompanied with the saute potatoes with parsley and garlic. It was just wow. It was the best lamb I have ever had (sorry Mum). The lamb was unbelievably soft, with an amazing flavour. The potatoes were also great, coming uniquely sliced in a square, sandwiched a beautiful garlic sauce.
I also tried the salmon accompanied by fresh mussels, which was part of the set menu. The salmon was good, the mussels were simply spectacular. They were nicely soft and tasted wonderful.
The portions of everything were very generous. We were all very full after the two dishes, however we couldn't resist getting a dessert to complete our meal. I went for the chocolate and orange cheesecake. It was amazing. It possibly could have surpassed the cheesecake I had in Chicago. It had a scrumptious chocolate orange flavour, with both orange and chocolate sauce flowing out perfecting the taste, and honestly topping off my meal.
As you can see, I cannot recommend this place more highly. It makes me proud that this is in the village I grew up in, and hopefully encourages other places to follow this marvelous eatery. The only reason I cannot give this (or any restaurant) a ten is because I refuse to think my dining experience has peaked. So now it seems the Dining Gods have given me an important task, to hunt for a place to surpass this fine dining in Manchester.
9.5 out of 10 rating.
Website Link
This is possibly the best restaurant I have ever been to.
Big claim I know, but this is most definitely a deserving one. This place is in a league of their own in terms of fine dining, everything was to perfection.
Located in my local village Heaton Moor (represent) this hidden British restaurant is snugly neighbored by a DVD store and a Fish and Chippy. So although the dining is high class, there was definitely no hint of snobbishness. The staff was very friendly, and what seemed like the owners, were very welcoming. I absolutely loved the decor inside. Largely using wine bottles to give the place character, the place oozed class. This place would be perfect for a candle light dinner with that special one, or to have an upmarket business dinner to impress a client.
We were given a A La Carte menu in a very posh binder, and also a separate set menu costing a reasonable £14.95 for two dishes or £17.95 for three. I personally could not resist some of the dishes from the A La Carte menu upping the price of my meal, but I was fine with that. Although the menu seemed a little limited, it seemed have classic favourites for all taste buds, from delicious sea-bass to a succulent sirloin steak. It also has fat chips as a side for ones that don't like to experiment. Also, attention cheese lovers, I saw a neighboring table order a selection of 10-15 different cheeses. The waiter brought all the blocks of cheese available over letting you choose which you fancy (if not all) and slices a piece for you to try. It looked like a very interesting thing to try one time.
They begin your meal with complementary home made bread accompanied by cubes of butter. They can also bring balsamic vinegar with the bread on request. For starter I went with the crab and parsley risotto, which simply said, melted in my mouth. At first glance, it looked interesting, with the risotto topped with a foamy broth, but it was simply fantastic.
For main I went with the shoulder of lamb (not on the online menu) accompanied with the saute potatoes with parsley and garlic. It was just wow. It was the best lamb I have ever had (sorry Mum). The lamb was unbelievably soft, with an amazing flavour. The potatoes were also great, coming uniquely sliced in a square, sandwiched a beautiful garlic sauce.
I also tried the salmon accompanied by fresh mussels, which was part of the set menu. The salmon was good, the mussels were simply spectacular. They were nicely soft and tasted wonderful.
The portions of everything were very generous. We were all very full after the two dishes, however we couldn't resist getting a dessert to complete our meal. I went for the chocolate and orange cheesecake. It was amazing. It possibly could have surpassed the cheesecake I had in Chicago. It had a scrumptious chocolate orange flavour, with both orange and chocolate sauce flowing out perfecting the taste, and honestly topping off my meal.
As you can see, I cannot recommend this place more highly. It makes me proud that this is in the village I grew up in, and hopefully encourages other places to follow this marvelous eatery. The only reason I cannot give this (or any restaurant) a ten is because I refuse to think my dining experience has peaked. So now it seems the Dining Gods have given me an important task, to hunt for a place to surpass this fine dining in Manchester.
9.5 out of 10 rating.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
La Casona
Date: Thursday 26th January
After hearing positive feedback about a Tapas restaurant/ bar down my road (Heaton Moor), I thought this would be a good place to be next on my hit list. It is a nice little family run restaurant which was exactly what I was in the mood for.
On entering the Spanish gentleman welcomed and escorted us to a table, giving us the menus. The place was small, but had a decent amount of seating, and decorated simply but elegant. When we arrived the restaurant was pretty quiet, but we have heard that on prime nights it can fill up pretty quickly.
The waiter advised us to order six tapas dishes with bread, between the two of us. This ended up being too much food for us, however it would comfortably feed a party of three. When the food came, I was so impressed. The beef strips were nice and tender with a wonderful pepper corn taste. The lamb meatballs gave an explosion of delicious flavour into my mouth.And the seafood selection cooked in egg batter was delicious; with the calamari (fried squid) being the best I've ever had, including when having it abroad. All the dishes we ordered pleased our palates, except for the seafood dumplings, which were too flavorless for my liking.
We had a Hi-Life Diners Club card, giving us 50% discount off the menu, making the meal very cheap. Even without this card though the prices are still reasonable, however the very nice waiter said he was not going to stamp off the card, meaning we can use this offer again next time.
This place left a very positive impression on myself, making me leave a generous tip on departure. I am really chuffed that this gem is just walking distance from my house and will surely be using this place to entertain guests or to give myself a deserved treat after a hard days work.
8.5 out of 10 rating.
After hearing positive feedback about a Tapas restaurant/ bar down my road (Heaton Moor), I thought this would be a good place to be next on my hit list. It is a nice little family run restaurant which was exactly what I was in the mood for.
On entering the Spanish gentleman welcomed and escorted us to a table, giving us the menus. The place was small, but had a decent amount of seating, and decorated simply but elegant. When we arrived the restaurant was pretty quiet, but we have heard that on prime nights it can fill up pretty quickly.
The waiter advised us to order six tapas dishes with bread, between the two of us. This ended up being too much food for us, however it would comfortably feed a party of three. When the food came, I was so impressed. The beef strips were nice and tender with a wonderful pepper corn taste. The lamb meatballs gave an explosion of delicious flavour into my mouth.And the seafood selection cooked in egg batter was delicious; with the calamari (fried squid) being the best I've ever had, including when having it abroad. All the dishes we ordered pleased our palates, except for the seafood dumplings, which were too flavorless for my liking.
We had a Hi-Life Diners Club card, giving us 50% discount off the menu, making the meal very cheap. Even without this card though the prices are still reasonable, however the very nice waiter said he was not going to stamp off the card, meaning we can use this offer again next time.
This place left a very positive impression on myself, making me leave a generous tip on departure. I am really chuffed that this gem is just walking distance from my house and will surely be using this place to entertain guests or to give myself a deserved treat after a hard days work.
8.5 out of 10 rating.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Don Marco
Date: 10th January 2012
On entry to this fine Italian restaurant, instantly it felt like you stepped in a different county, walking onto the cobbled streets of old town Europe. You walk into an alleyway with outdoor seating and heaters provided, but for my taste it is only suitable to sit there with a warmer climate. Interior deco was classy with good lighting to set the mood, but once sat down it felt cramped, however it didn't ruin the evening.
Now onto the food. We started with, in my opinion the most under rated dish ever, home made bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. However this was not complementary as with my other experiences of Italian dining. This was eaten with the Antipasto Don Marco, a sharing platter of various sea foods and Italian appetisers. This was fantastic, letting you try a variety of dishes, and the portion was generous. My favourite was the king prawns in buttered source.
For main, I ordered the sirloin steak in peppercorn sauce. My friends ordered the Tagliatelle con Pollo, the Lobster Ravioli and the skewered prawns with scallops and saffron rice. My steak was cooked to perfection (medium rare) however I wasn't a fan of the sauce. Too much pepper for my liking. my favourite by far was the Lobster Ravioli and I am for sure going to order on my next visit. The basil and tomato sauce blended perfectly with the lobster, plus you got some prawns on the side to spoil you even more!
The service was great, very friendly, leading us to treat the place like a homely atmosphere letting us relax and enjoy each others company once we had eaten. The pricing was also reasonable, in fact cheaper than other Italian restaurants in Manchester, but the quality is still high.
This was in fact my second visit, but for sure not my last. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
8 out of 10 rating
On entry to this fine Italian restaurant, instantly it felt like you stepped in a different county, walking onto the cobbled streets of old town Europe. You walk into an alleyway with outdoor seating and heaters provided, but for my taste it is only suitable to sit there with a warmer climate. Interior deco was classy with good lighting to set the mood, but once sat down it felt cramped, however it didn't ruin the evening.
Now onto the food. We started with, in my opinion the most under rated dish ever, home made bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. However this was not complementary as with my other experiences of Italian dining. This was eaten with the Antipasto Don Marco, a sharing platter of various sea foods and Italian appetisers. This was fantastic, letting you try a variety of dishes, and the portion was generous. My favourite was the king prawns in buttered source.
For main, I ordered the sirloin steak in peppercorn sauce. My friends ordered the Tagliatelle con Pollo, the Lobster Ravioli and the skewered prawns with scallops and saffron rice. My steak was cooked to perfection (medium rare) however I wasn't a fan of the sauce. Too much pepper for my liking. my favourite by far was the Lobster Ravioli and I am for sure going to order on my next visit. The basil and tomato sauce blended perfectly with the lobster, plus you got some prawns on the side to spoil you even more!
The service was great, very friendly, leading us to treat the place like a homely atmosphere letting us relax and enjoy each others company once we had eaten. The pricing was also reasonable, in fact cheaper than other Italian restaurants in Manchester, but the quality is still high.
This was in fact my second visit, but for sure not my last. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
8 out of 10 rating
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