Cane & Grain only opened recently in Manchester's trendy Northern Quarter, and billed itself from the beginning as being a bar and rib joint, spread over several floors, including a tiki lounge.

I decided to pop in for lunch one day whilst I was in the city, and was pleased to see there were some tasty and very affordable lunchtime offers available, so I wandered inside.

The décor is that modern-hipster style of rough-and-ready, distressed paint and textures etc, but still spacious and colourful with art on the walls. Also it's not really related, but I love their logo!


From the lunchmenu I ordered the rib-roll and fries, which I thought for £5 was very well priced! I also ordered a lemon-lime Ting (£2 a can, but hey you can't win them all), which was perfect for the sunny hot day, which also prompted me to sit outside in their outdoor seating area, and people watch... which in the Northern Quarter is a bit more interesting than in the rest of the city!

The staff are young, friendly, and professional, which is pleasant and welcoming to those of us who might otherwise feel a little out-of-place in modern and dare I say "hip" places. Yes I said hip. Shut up.

My food arrived looking delicious, and served on a metal tray and with a metal mug of fries (hipster places don't like plates). The pork roll was succulent and tasty, served with red onions and gherkin slices. The fries were seasoned absolutely perfectly, with "tiki salt" according to one of the staff. They were hot, crisp, and very tasty indeed!


I only popped here for lunch during the day, and I imagine when it's busy at night and the cocktails are flowing in the Liars Lounge it may have an atmosphere different altogether, but I think it's one I'd be quite happy to check out sometime, as this came across as a friendly and good quality venue which I can imagine hanging out in with my friends.

I'll definitely be back for that fabulous lunch deal again! 7 quid for a large freshly made pork roll with seasoned fresh fries and a drink in the city centre is a steal!




Cane & Grain
49-51 Thomas Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester City Centre
M4 1NA
(0161) 839 7033
www.caneandgrain.co.uk

Cane & Grain

by on 19:57
Cane & Grain only opened recently in Manchester's trendy Northern Quarter, and billed itself from the beginning as being a bar ...
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Formerly The Urban Chocolate Co, Choc-la-Te is a charming and pleasant cafe on Westhoughton's Market Street, which specialises in chocolate by the in-house chocolatier, as well as offering tasty food and drink.

I walked into the little cafe, which was bright and fresh on a lovely sunny day, and was warmly greeted and given a big beaming smile by Tracy, the chocolatier and owner.

A very good policy!
I looked at the food and drinks menu, and the specials menu which offered summer drinks. As a tea lover, I was really impressed at the tea menu, which had a good variety of loose leaf teas to enjoy, from your standard English Breakfast to Darjeeling and beyond. I chose an Earl Grey with cornflour, which was very refreshing and tasty... but as I was sipping it, I spotted rose and bergamot black tea on the shelf... I'll definitely be trying that next time! The tea was excellent quality and even came with suggested timers for brewing times. I've not seen this quality or variety of tea offered outside of Manchester City Centre's tea rooms, but most definitely not for Manchester's prices!


The venue itself has a fabulously semi-modern design to it, with beautiful big 70s style geometrics on the walls and crockery, bright colours, and fun little signs. For a small (4 table) cafe, it didn't feel too small! They also sells their own chocolates, little gifts, and greetings cards, which are placed around the edges of the main dining area to catch your eye as you make inappropriate noises of appreciation about your chocolate fondue.

From the tasty and tempting food menu I chose a classic ham and cheese toastie, and as well as being offered my choice of bread, and whether I'd like fresh coleslaw or onion chutney, it also came with some crisps and a fresh side salad. I was even asked if I'd like dressing for said salad. I was starting to like this place, they had everything, and after I found out they also took cards as payment, AND had free wi-fi? Definitely a quick way into my good-books even before I've eaten!


My ham and cheese toastie was lovely and fresh, and very tasty, especially considering it was very good value considering the quality offered. This is the quality of a city centre venue but at prices reflecting the area. Westhoughton, you're very lucky to have them!


At this point I realised that it would surely be a crime to come to a chocolate specialist and not partake, especially given that the quality of the food was so good! Tracy gave me a run-down of what cakes and bakes were on offer (and they all sounded incredible!), as well as which chocolates were available, which you could purchase for a price per individual chocolate, which is a genius idea!

I went for Turkish Delight, Limoncello, Salted Caramel and Passionfruit, which Tracy picked out of the display case using a special chocolate-handling glove! Very swish! They were given to me in a cute little teacup, and as you can imagine, they were absolutely sublime!



I will most definitely be returning here, not just due to it being close to where I live, not just because the chocolates are lovely and I want more and know I can get them boxed up for gifts,  not just because there's lots of other tasty chocolate gifts, not just because of the tasty food and the tea range which I definitely want to try more of, not just because of the friendly and happy customers and staff who gave the place a lovely atmosphere, nor the customer who highly recommended the chocolate fondue, and not just because of the idea of their afternoon teas...



...wait where was I?

...oh yes! I have to come back, because I've been told great things about their hot chocolate... the other things just happen to be a nice side-point! ;)

Go along. You'll love it.

Choc-la-Te
9A Market Street
Westhoughton
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL5 3AH
(01942) 817 443
www.urbanchocolateco.co.uk

Choc-la-Te

by on 16:16
Formerly The Urban Chocolate Co, Choc-la-Te is a charming and pleasant cafe on Westhoughton's Market Street, which specialises in cho...
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I fancied lunch one day, but wasn't sure where to go, so when I looked on TripAdvisor, the most popular rated place in Bolton right now is The Bank, which surprised me as I actually hadn't heard of it at this point!

So along I toddled, parked up nearby, and found the place which at first glance just looks like a "café", but trust me, it's really not, it's a fab restaurant which I never knew about, right on my doorstep here in Bolton!



We were warmly greeted by the owner, who tell us about the history of the place (it was actually a bank!), the potential plans and decoration ideas, and how the venue is still a work in concept, with a bright future. It's always nice to meet someone passionate about their business, and giving good customer service. The venue itself is in simple monochromatic colours with clean lines and modern artwork, but with a traditional chandelier in the centre, which contrasts nicely.


We ordered a classic cheeseburger and a gammon dinner. Both were cooked freshly to order, which is always a nice thing to experience in this day and age. The burger was juicy, in a glazed brioche bun, and the gammon was, to quote my dining partner, "the best gammon I've ever had!" (I'll agree, it melted in the mouth!), with perfect eggs... but for me the best was the chips! Gigantic triple-cooked crispy crunchy batons of loveliness! Some of the best chips I've had, with a real crunch to them, unlike some places that claim to triple-cook chips! I'd go here again just for the chips, quite honestly!


After an enjoyable and filling main course, we decided to take a breather so that we could order dessert! It seemed like a shame to skip dessert after such an enjoyable meal! After mulling over the dessert menu, my partner went for the home made apple pie with custard, whilst I opted for the more intriguing "love in a cup". 


The desserts were good! As though they wouldn't be! The 'Love in a Cup' turned out to be a very very chocolatey cake in a teacup, with fresh cream on top, very tasty, and perfect for the chocoholics out there! I even experimented by pouring some of the custard onto it to mellow it out a little, and that worked just as well! My partner and I decided it should be renamed, the "Oh My God That's Chocolatey!".

Overall, The Bank is offering superb food for extremely reasonable prices. I'll be there again, and recommend you give it a go sometime if you fancy somewhere where simple food is done very well indeed!


The Bank
616 Bury Road
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL2 6JA
(01204) 774 381
http://www.thebankcafebargrill.co.uk/

The Bank

by on 16:09
I fancied lunch one day, but wasn't sure where to go, so when I looked on TripAdvisor, the most popular rated place in Bolton rig...
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