All Bar One Promises A Late One
All Bar One has re-opened after a refurbishment, looking remarkably like it did before it closed. Main difference is that the dining area on the northern area of the site is much bigger and filled with softer seating.
Confidential went in for a soft shell crab which sounded the business on the menu.
Seven minutes after ordering I was told all the crabs had already crawled down people's throats, so we had to have the sea bass instead. Then an order of gnocchi arrived as a tapas side rather than a main of gnocchi with pesto and the full works. The sea bass flesh was ok, the risotto it was plopped on was poor.
Worse still, everything took forever. For about ten minutes we watched as the fizz left the bottle of sparkling water we’d ordered as it sat on the bar winking at us ten metres away. Other people’s lager lingered longer on that cruel bar. An inflatable pig carried by a man on a stag-do slowly deflated.
Teething problems doesn’t come close. Why are all the staff clumped round a service till all the bloody time?
“Moral is,” said my dining companion, “give the staff a week’s more training if they’re not ready."
We waited for the bill. And waited. I’m writing this from All Bar One three days later.
Curiously there's the biggest clock in a Manchester dining venue hanging from the ceiling. Maybe the management see it as a threat.
L’Entrecote Sees Sense And Lowers Its Price
Walking around the city A-board hunting the other day, I saw this flirty number on Pall Mall. £17 makes more sense at L'Entrecote than £21 for a two course menu with no choice. It makes £4 more sense, £8 more sense for two. Review later this week, or rather a reappraisal after my review of 2012 here.
That's better
Pure Unadulterated Hardcore Pawn
Cocktail don't you knowDespite all the websites, I’ve missed out on Pawn. So it took an email from the PR of the place to make me aware of the existence of the Stevenson Square bar - full name Dusk til Pawn.
Sounds all right as well and the pictures they’ve sent are good. We’ll review it soon. Here’s some blurb:
‘Open six nights a week, the venue comes with a free-play jukebox, laid back decor, ambient lighting and comfortable seating'.
Bless the PR folk for telling us the latter - what seating not covered in nails then?
The venue has been created by Rebecca Race and Simon Ching. Apparently its ‘thing’ is the cocktail.
Race says: "We use ingredients a little different to the norm including crystallised stem ginger rum and fig Bourbon. We make our own candy floss and Bourbon vanilla frozen yoghurt for our cocktails. We’ve also introduced ‘Bloody Sundays’ with an additional menu of Bloody Marys from around the world to sample and share."
The site is a former shop, once home to a fortune teller. All Bar One could do with one of them - see above - to tell you when your meal may arrive.
Dusk til Pawn's beguiling entrance
Barca Returns
Maybe read this slowly.
Sugar Buddha, the bar from Deansgate Locks, which took over Beluga Bar on Mount Street but then sold it so that Velvet could run it instead, has acquired Bohemia in Castlefield, which was Barca ages ago, and changed it to Sugar Buddha but – breaking news - has now decided to call it Barca again. Capice?
Meanwhile Barca that was Bohemia that was Sugar Buddha that is to be Barca again held the regular Twitfaced event on Friday – the name is an unsubtle play, of course, on the common vulgar phrase 'shitfaced' meaning drunk as a skunk.
The result of the event was that as Friday became Saturday, lots of twittery media and PR people were so thoroughly networked out, cheek kissed and hugged to bits, they were completely 'shitfaced', and no doubt spent the following morning crouched in corners destroying all photographic evidence. Curious the paths alcohol steers us down.
Barca
Blue Pig On High Street Gets Cheeky
Wandering the Northern Quarter the other day I dropped into the Blue Pig. This is the attractively designed main food focus for Cleo Farman’s Odd chain of Manchester outlets. I enjoyed a quite glorious set of baked cod tails for £13.95 (although £11.95 would have been better). Fresh as daisies, the pair pictured at the top of the page, were sharply flavoured, well seasoned and sitting in a gorgeous stock with well chosen veg. My dish of the week. The hazelnut chocolate churros at £2.50 (I would have paid £3.50) were marvellous as well.
Some Swedish visitor's to Manchester enjoying Blue Pig
The Dulcimer Ale And Cider Festival 2013
On 6 May, Dulcimer in Chorlton is dipping its notional beard into the bibulous joys of ale and cider. Of course, the Wilbraham Road bar with its mix of folk music and earthiness already provides ales, but over the Bank Holiday weekend they’re boosting that into a festival. There’ll be over 30 ales, ciders and perries from more than 15 of the best micros in the UK including Brodie’s, First Chop Brewing Arm, Gwynt Y Ddraig, Hard- knott, Hawkshead, The Wild Beer Co, The Moss Cider Project, Thornbridge, Tiny Rebel.
An All Star Forever Manchester Burger – That’s Nice
All Star Lanes, the bowling and dining venue in the Great Northern, has announced a partnership with charity Forever Manchester (Manchester Confidential’s charity of choice).
Forever Manchester helps fund community groups and projects across Greater Manchester. All Star Lanes will be donating 25p from every burger sold in its retro American restaurant. The meat for the burger comes from Chorlton's ‘Frosty the butcher’ (WH Frost), via a Josper indoor BBQ and served in a toasted brioche bun.
The project was launched recently by the charity’s chief executive Nick Massey and All Star Lanes' general manager Angus Pride – who Confidential thinks sounds like he might be a burger himself. "Get me an Angus Pride burger, with extra fries, hold the mayo."
All Star Burger - filling, handsome and worth 25p to community funds as well
Weird Thing Of The Week – If You’re Not Taiwanese
Patrolling the city on Monday night I encountered ICFT on George Street. ICFT means ‘I come from Taiwan’. The place sells bubble teas and was doing a rare old trade at 6pm. Bubble teas are tea infused drinks that come warm, ice or sweet and in fruit or milk versions. Flavours such as lychee, grape, apple and so on can be added to a base of tapioca, coffee jelly and so on.
Interesting place, mad teas. Longer review to follow after I’ve tried more than the tapioca and passionfruit ICFT bubble tea which resembled mud at the bottom of a grave.
ICFT's tapioca and passionfruit sweet Bubble Tea in my garden
You can follow Jonathan Schofield on Twitter here @JonathSchofield or connect via Google+
