BACK of the net as they say. This should have been an easy victory as we set out our stall to frustrate the kitchen with our hunger for the game...er, meal. It was end to end of the menu stuff with the 23-year-old proving he had a good engine. The waiter had quick feet for a big lad. We didn't want pints of beer, so it was a meal of two halves. And at the end of the day...er... it got dark. Then we had to find where we'd parked the bus.
Scholesy's pudding was so British and hearty when you cut it a Union Flag popped out of the top and voice said, "Cor blimey guv'nor." I could eat another right now.
Ok, ok, time to blow the final whistle on football cliches. Although they are unavoidable in Cafe Football, even the plates carry them. But somehow this never jars or appears strained, it all fits.
I like Cafe Football.
This surprises me as 'sports bars' tend to be vile. I'm thinking Walkabout on Derby day.
Nor have I had good experiences in stadium restaurants. If anybody can find a single redeeming feature of the food in United's Red Cafe or Liverpool's Boot Room then I'd doubt their sanity. The word stodge doesn't do justice, although there was the wonderful moment while taking some Norwegians to Liverpool FC a few years ago when the club's menu advertised three courses with a pudding of 'moose'. We had one elk of a time with that.
Squid and ShrimperWhen I recently reviewed Hawksmoor it was the confidence that impressed. The management have a very clear picture of how the restaurant should be run. It's the same at Cafe Football. The menu from Executive Chef Brendan Fyldes has been well thought through with a smattering of jokey references to football but providing quality and value at the heart of it. Think TGI Fridays for the food but with far more variety and far more skill.
Starters of chicken in a basket (£5.95), salt chilli squid (£7.95), ribs (£5.95) and the shrimper (£7.95) were models of their ilk. The chicken in a basket was perfectly cooked, zingy, crumbed beautifully with a cracking blue cheese dip. The squid was again timed just right with a fine lime aioli, the coriander with the rack of ribs gave a lift to the dish while the shrimper was the sort of prawn cocktail every 1970s' Berni Inn would have yearned for.
Chicken in a basketThe Scholesy's steak pudding (£9.95) came with a moist and gentle pastry, a rich gravy and a fine splodge of mushy peas. It was so British and hearty when you cut it a Union Flag popped out of the top and voice said, "Cor blimey guv'nor." I could eat another right now. The fish and chips (£13.95) were good but unsurprising, the homemade tartare sauce was a winner.
The secret to the Beast (£14.95), two burgers, pulled pork, jalapenos and so on was the superb mac and cheese. The house special from the 'Terrace Food' section was the sausage roll (£12.95). This contains pork shoulder, black pudding and Dijon mustard with very sturdy and very good homemade baked beans shot through with pulled pork. Clever and satisfying that one.
A vimto trifle (£5.95) was a trifle to which my late grandmother, the Queen of Trifles, would have given her blessing. The layering of custard and jelly and cream was just right. A sticky toffee pudding (£4.95) also received a thumbs up.
I drank a bottle of Brightside Brewery's Manchester Skyline ale. It worked well with this type of food, a sturdy drink for sturdy food. There's wine, champagne and cocktail choices as well.
The dining room has an American diner feel and there's a view of the stadium. Service is friendly and efficient. It's all good really, especially the food. Cafe Football's nosh manages to cater for families with kids of all ages, and adult groups with impressive ease.
Vimto TrifleI find the phenomenon of what the Class of '92, Messrs Neville, Giggs, Scholes, Butt and so forth are doing wholly admirable. Local boys who had a talent and made money putting cash back into the city that gave them their opportunity. Hotel Football, their other property investments including Booth Street and the former-Stock Exchange in Manchester city centre, alongside Salford City FC, are all projects which appear to have no downside.
I can't think of another example of footballers doing this, to this extent. Of course they want to make money out of the majority of their ventures and that's grand too as long as they're employing Greater Mancunians, spreading their wealth, boosting the city's prestige and reputation. Stewart Davies, the General Manager, after the meal explained how the hotel was getting involved with local schools and he wants to do far more of this.
"There's a football pitch on the ninth floor. I want that used by the whole community. I want the hotel to be part of the local community."
We ran off some of the meal up there, two of my boys and me. I think I won. Well, it was a moral victory, they scored more goals but that's just details right?
You can follow Jonathan Schofield on Twitter @JonathSchofield or connect via Google+
All scored reviews are unannounced, impartial, paid for by Confidential and completely independent of any commerical relationship.
Food: 8/10 (calamari 8, chicken in a basket 8, sausage roll and homemade baked beans 8, the Beast 7.5, fish and chips 7, Scholesy's pudding 8, vimto trifle 8, sticky toffee pudding 8)
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
The Beast
