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| The
Northern Quarter Restaurant - member's reviews |
"We
booked to go to the Northern Quarter for a special
Xmas treat as we had guests visting. The restaurant
was simple but stylish and I have no complaints
in terms of general service. The food was fantastic
but some dishes slighty over priced. I think the
choice would be problematic for groups of guests
with differing budgets as there wasn't anything
below £12.95 (apart from a veggie option)
for the mains. They didn't have any cheaper options
like other restaurants such as a pasta dish etc.
We
found the restaurant to be very cold as we were
sat right in front of the door which let a huge
draft in everything someone came it. This was
particularily annoying because people were going
in and out to smoke all the time.
When
we sat down, before being given the menu, therefore
without price reference, we were asked if we would
like some bread to nibble on whilst choosing our
food. We agreed and they brought a few slices
of bread and a small pot of olives which we didn't
request. When the bill came they had charged us
£5.00 for what we thought was complimentary
bread and olives. On complaining they said that
it is priced on the menu so we should have known,
but we hadn't had chance to see the menu when
we agreed. They really need to consider the impact
of such inefficiencies, and charging for bread,
really, what is that about? Bringing complimentary
bread is a simple touch in any good restaurant.
Overall
the food was excellent and the atmosphere relaxed.
I did enjoy my evening but I don't think I will
return as I felt the 'tight' attitude to be very
unpleasant!."
-
claudia, manchester - TRUSTED REVIEWER (8/12/08
- visited on a saturday evening)
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"A
group of 7 of us paid a visit to TNQ for Sunday
lunch, after a long hard search for somewhere which
did a decent Sunday roast, which is sadly, not the
easiest thing to find in town. After discovering
the £12 (+10% service) for 2 course option,
we decided that this would be a good idea.
Upon entry, the manager greeted us, he was very
friendly, very likable, and his vibe summed up the
restaurant perfectly. For the lunch service, it
felt more like an upmarket brasserie than a restaurant,
and we all had a great time. We had several mains,
varying from roast beef, roast chicken and salmon,
all of which were perfectly cooked and very tasty.
The beef was local, Cheshire rib eye, flavoured
with garlic and rosemary, and it was very good indeed.
The outstanding starter of the bunch was the Poached
Egg on Black Pudding, with Hollandaise and a balsamic
and olive oil garnish around the edge of the plate.
Simple, tasty, and lovely. The waitress mistakedly
came with an Eggs Florentine initially, which nobody
ordered, but the portion looked huge, so I kind
of wished that I'd put a claim to it! Next time,
eh?
If I had to be critical, I'd say that the side veg
of cauli cheese, brocolli and mashed carrot, shouldnt
all come in the same bowl, unless it has partitions
to stop then different vegies being mixed in. Also,
whilst we asked for our gravy in a gravy boat rather
than being readily put on the dishes, I think that
this would be a good idea to offer as standard.
Also, I found some of the veg and gravy a little
underseasoned, and there were no salt and pepper
mills on the tables, as is often the case in decent
eateries. This is of course, all personal preference,
and probably wouldn't bother most people though.
It was great to see an open kitchen, with the chef
and his 2 companions. I spent most of my time waiting
for the meal gazing into the kitchen, since this
is one of my passions, and the chef must have been
slightly worried that a big bald lad with a smile
on his face, was staring at him quite so much!
All in all, I found this a really nice, relaxed,
funky, friendly place to eat, with good quality
food, good friendly service. It fits the Nothern
Quarter perfectly, and another visit for dinner
is definitely on the cards, probably at one of their
advertised theme nights, as is another for a Sunday
lunch at prices like this. They even have a seating
area outside, over the road, which would be a great
place to grab a drink. The wine list, whilst we
all opted for a beer on the day, looked pretty good
aswell, and they had my favourite Cloudy Bay New
Zealand Sauvignon. I was gutted that nobody else
fancied wine for lunch. Killjoys!
Anyway, really good stuff, and its great to see
a small independent place with bags of character
and individuality, mixing it with the big, corporate
financed boys in town, in terms of food quality.
And, as with most independents, I really got the
impression that the manager truly cared, since it's
presumably his own money that's being won/lost here.
And, more importantly, as I said earlier, his personality
was reflected in this place.
Very good indeed. 4 stars out of 5"
- chris handley, salford - TRUSTED REVIEWER (27/8/08
- visited on a sun afternoon) |
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