"Room restaurant and bar has always been a favourite of our's. The grandeur of the building certainly sets it apart from most other places in town, the detailing of the dining room reminiscent of the type of banqueting rooms you'd find in historic palaces. Equally, the food is impressive and certainly fit for a Queen.
Classic British dishes given a 'Room twist' have helped win the restaurant 2 AA Rosettes, the highest accreditation to be found in Manchester city centre, and it certainly was great on our latest visit. The starter of Pot Roast Pigeon was lovely and well complemented by the foie gras and little cup of game tea.
The 10oz Ribeye Steak (£21.50), asked for and served medium rare, was a lovely cut of meat served with a peppercorn sauce and excellent chips. We've been to a few places that pride themselves on their steaks and haven't lived up to the hype, but this was a good, well cooked Ribeye.
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Prices are reasonable for food of this quality and there's some fantastic offers to be had too. We took advantage of the 50% off deal on Restaurants Of Manchester during January and February, which proved excellent value for money. Drinks are also reasonably priced for the city centre, especially for such a good cocktail bar.
Service was great, our waitress was friendly, efficient and guided us through the menu, something she had probably come well practiced at as meals at Room are cooked with a twist. There was an issue with their phone lines at the end of the meal meaning that paying by card wasn't an option temporarily, but the waitress handled it professionally yet friendly until the issue was resolved.
Although the restaurant could do with being a little bit brighter, certain tables seem to get less of the light than others from the floor to ceiling windows and gigantic light bulbs, our only real issue with Room is the acoustics. You have a very good restaurant with one of the best bars in town all in the same large room. The music played reflects the bar well however does nothing to complement the restaurant. The balance just doesn't work, especially late at weekends, when conversation between diners is easily drowned out by the DJ's set. |
When we visited, the Head Chef was Pete Taylor who had secured Room the award of 2 AA Rosettes, the best in town. He left for London a few days later, passing on his whites to Senior Sous Chef, Nick Dawson, in an appointment that was chosen by himself. With that in mind, we're not sure who was responsible for the meal we were served but full credit to whoever it was, regardless.
Overall though, Room is an ideal restaurant for that special occasion, an impressive first date venue that's equally able to impress your Gran and Granddad with its opulent surroundings. Overall this is certainly a restaurant and bar that we will (and do) return to over and over. There's so much more of the imaginative menu to discover." - Nick, Restaurant Of Manchester (12/1/12 - visited on a Wednesday evening) |
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food |
price |
service |
smartness |
overall |
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"very impressive" |
"reasonable" |
"professional" |
"stunning but loud" |
"one of our favourites" |
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