New Yorker opened fairly recently on Portland Street in Manchester City centre, and thanks to the style of the building it's part of, it looks straight from New York City itself. Originally seeming to be named New Yorker Diner, it doesn't have a diner vibe, so instead is now presenting itself as American Street Food, serving burgers, waffles and chicken, gourmet burgers, and some other American sides too, as well as milkshakes and Belgian Waffles.


It doesn't have a huge range, but what it has it does well. As you descend the steps into the diner itself, it's got that industrial look that most of the Northern Quarter is doing at the moment, complete with bare brick walls, wood cladding, and filament bulbs. Definitely not the Ed's Easy Diner style 50's American diner. Also, it's not a full service restaurant, but in fact a counter-service place with a dining area.




The menu is simple but appetising, with some really tasty offerings and at a price that is very reasonable for Manchester City Centre, especially with some of the lunch deals available. I went to the counter and ordered the "American Boy" burger with fries and a Cherry Coke. The friendly staff member gave me a flashing/buzzing box similar to what you get when waiting for seating at big chain restaurants on a saturday night, and said it would buzz/flash when my meal was ready for me to collect. Handy.



The food was ready, and what I got was very tasty indeed. The burger, although not pink, was cooked through, but still juicy, and the trimmings were perfect, although the 'Brooklyn Sauce' built up spice pretty quickly for me, so I'd probably skip that next time. The fries were really good! Properly hot and crisp, and seasoned perfectly meaning the sachets of salt I picked up were never touched!

New Yorker is a simple affair, offering good simple food when you want it, at a good price. I'd go again :)


New Yorker
48 Portland Street
Manchester
M1 4QU
(0161) 228 3860
www.newyorkerdiner.co.uk

New Yorker

by on 14:16
New Yorker opened fairly recently on Portland Street in Manchester City centre, and thanks to the style of the building it's part of...
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Leaf on Portland Street hasn't been open long. It can't have been, because a tea room I haven't heard of? Really? Leaf also is really passionate about tea, which is something I like to see. Tea shops that don't just serve tea but are BIG on tea are welcome in a world of artisan coffee blend shops!



This is self evident when you first walk in. The space is huge compared to what you'd expect given the shop front, and due to the nature of the building has a very spacious New York Loft feel to it, complete with iron girder columns. As you walk in, there's a large display on the wall showing tea blends of all varieties and tastes, with jars of loose leaves for you to smell and read about. For a tea lover like me, this is very much a kid-in-a-candy-store moment!

I'm approached by a member of staff who I later found out was called Carrie (or Cassie? I'm so sorry I forgot!!), but who was superb, telling me about the tea blends, suggestions on ones to try based on my tastes, and enthusing about their ethos, telling me about upcoming free tea tasting sessions. A friendly and enthusiastic knowledgeable member of staff greeting you as you enter is always a damn good sign in my book!





I had a wander around to take some photos. The space is really huge, and Carrie told me that there was also a large basement area that was event space too. I took my seat and read the menu. It was nice to see a good array of teas in the menu too, as well as some delicious looking lunch and snack options. I was a touch late for breakfast, but the staff were accommodating enough to still allow me to have some granary toast and marmalade.

After discussing with Carrie about tea blends, I decided to go for a flavoured black tea, and went for Wild Cherry. This was brought over to me in a modern glass teapot baring the old adage of "Where There's Tea There's Hope" (I quite agree!) . The tea was delicious, but as it was also a black tea, I thought I'd try a little milk.

I went to the counter and asked Carrie for milk. At first she simply looked at me and didn't react, so I thought she hadn't heard me. Then I realised as her eyes widened that she was in fact trying to compute what I'd asked for without recoiling in terror. "With wild cherry?" she asked, aghast. She turned to another member of staff behind the bar and asked "can I have some milk... for this gentleman's Wild Cherry Tea...", informatively. The other member of staff bent backwards, "really?!" she asked in astonishment. I didn't take even the slightest bit of offence or insult at this, because this was clearly two people who enjoyed their tea, and knew their tea well! We laughed, and said how with it being black tea it could still work, similar had worked with various chai teas and lattes, so I gave it a try.



It was alright, but eh... better without the milk. The staff were right. I'll remember that next time. TRUST THE STAFF! This impressed me actually. It's nice to see somewhere with as much enthusiasm for tea as a lot of places have for coffee.

The toast and marmalade was tasty, and I was now thoroughly warmed up from the cold December air of Manchester. Carrie told me that as the tea shop was under offices, their heating pipes ran down through the tea shop, keeping it perpetually toasty warm. Handy! 



Before I left I  had a look at some Christmas gift sets they were selling, as well as a framed receipt, which on closer inspection I saw was their very first sale, their first transaction. That's a nice thing to commemorate and display, and shows a pride in what they're doing.

In short, Leaf is spacious, modern, pleasantly furnished and decorated and fairly priced for both food and drinks, as well as being run by a friendly, knowledgeable and efficient staff.

Well done Leaf, I'll be back soon!



LEAF
113-115 Portland Street
Manchester
M1 6DW
(0161) 883 1138
www.thisisleaf.co.uk

Leaf

by on 11:30
Leaf on Portland Street hasn't been open long. It can't have been, because a tea room I haven't heard of? Really? Leaf also i...
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Pie is life. Pie is love. I've never seen anywhere take their love of pie quite so seriously as this place. There are photos of pies, photos of things related to pies, pie related jokes, and even pies on the toilet doors and on photos in the toilets! Remember Pie-Face from The Beano? Everything in his life was pie focused and pie related and shaped. Welcome to Pieminister, in Manchester.



We visited on a cold Thursday afternoon in November, but as you walk into the small shop front in the heart of the Northern Quarter, there's a fantastic warm atmosphere, both in the steamed up windows from the warmth of the food and the people, but also in the cosy seating, everyone sat together chatting, relaxing, laughing, and munching on pies!

I've wanted to try Pieminister for a long time. Their pie menu on their website sounds amazing, and I wanted to try some as soon as I read it!

I visited with my partner, and we were quickly seated on a table by the stairs, and right by a cabinet showing all of the lovely pies available, behind which the staff were busying away in a small galley kitchen-cum-bar area. Even before we ordered, it was great watching all of the meals being assembled with good hearty portions and good quality stuff!



Looking at the menu, it's what you'd expect, but happily so. They do pies. Good pies. Lots of pies. That's what they do. Pies. There's also Festive Pies at this time of year, a few pie-similar light meals, and a superb array of traditional sides to go with pies. Pies pies pies!

So from the menu I chose the Free Ranger with minted mushy peas and gravy, whereas my partner opted for the epically named MOTHERSHIP, which is a pie (he chose Fungi Chicken) with creamy mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, minted mushy peas, crispy shallots, and gravy. It's enough to make a grown Northern man weep manly tears of joy!





Although there was a little bit of a wait (as it was very busy), the atmosphere was relaxed, warm, and comfortable, so it wasn't really much of an issue, especially when you'll have to simply believe me when I say it was worth the wait!!

Our pies arrived in those classic camping style metal bowls. The bottom layer was the creamy mash, with the pie sat on top of it, then the minted mushy peas dolloped lovingly on top of that. The meals go upwards, which given that my partner's meal also had crispy shallots and cheddar cheese, gives you the idea of why it was named 'The Mothership', our gravy was served in traditional chrome gravy boats on the side. I must admit I tried some of my partner's crispy shallots and I am DEFINITELY ordering those next time!!

The quality of the food was outstanding. The mash was perfectly creamy and traditional, the pies themselves succulent and tender, and perfectly seasoned, with just the right firmness to the pastry, wheras the minted mushy peas were good old fashioned nostalgia. All of these combined (along with a bottle of Fentimans Dandelion and Burdock) delivered the perfect homely, nostalgic, comforting dinner that perfectly accompanied a freezing cold November afternoon in Manchester.

Forgive the lighting, we were sat under a neon red sign!


The service was friendly, efficient and professional. We were met with smiles and helpful attitudes whenever we needed to ask staff something, right up to paying and leaving.

Pieminister, keep doing what you're doing, you're doing it so very very right, and I thoroughly look forward to returning again soon, by myself, with my partner, with my friends, and with my parents and family. I can't imagine anyone leaving your restaurant without a smile on their faces!



Pieminister
53 Church Street
Manchester 
M4 1PD
(0161) 819 1279
www.pieminister.co.uk


Pieminister Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Pieminister

by on 23:00
Pie is life. Pie is love. I've never seen anywhere take their love of pie quite so seriously as this place. There are photos of pies, ...
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Retreat has two restaurants, Retreat Bolton and Retreat Adlington. At this point I'd been to neither, but decided to try Adlington for my partner's birthday, as it's nearer me and the newer of the two. It's in a former church, which is quite striking from the outside, but when you walk in, it really has that wow factor! It doesn't feel like a church at all, and has the feeling of some of the modern and stylish restaurants in Manchester City Centre, decorated with simple classic modern furniture, and light fixtures that both illuminate and decorate, forming decoration themselves. The venue is split onto two levels, the ground floor and a mezzanine, with an open centre, forming a minstrel's gallery.


As we entered we stood at the podium for a bit as the manager was on the phone presumably taking more bookings. I can't say I'm surprised either, the queues were there all evening with people eager to get in and dine! He was friendly and prompt though, and took us up the central staircase to the upper area, which was great for people watching!



Interestingly, it seems the kitchen is on the ground floor, but instead of installing a dumb waiter to such a small mezzanine area, there are two hidden staircases at the back of the area, allowing staff to covertly come and go to the kitchen without having to use the big central staircase. Nicely done.

When seated and given the menus, we had a browse, but were immediately grabbed by the Sunday Roast offer, which was three courses for £16... how can you turn that down?!

We ordered a couple of drinks, and for starters we chose a garlic bread, creamy garlic mushrooms, and tempura black pudding. Interestingly a chrome bucket-shaped frame was placed on our table. We later found this was to place the garlic bread on, so that it was elevated, and wouldn't take up as much table space when the plates were brought out. Very clever!



The garlic bread was subtly flavoured but good, with a grainy crunch, presumably from semolina, but it worked well. The black pudding was very good, and came with a very tasty cider and apple buttersauce, which really worked well with the black pudding. The creamy garlic mushrooms came on grilled ciabatta with pesto, and was too very tasty.

For our mains, as we'd both chosen the sunday dinner, we chose lamb and pork respectively.


My only criticisms with the dinners were that they presentation was a bit lacking, perhaps due to the size and shape of the plate, so everything looked a little lost and the gravy had slid around a bit, but that certainly was no deal breaker, as the food itself was very good. The vegetables in particular were perfectly cooked.

At this point we realised that we hadn't been introduced to our waiter, and this seems to be as the waiting duties are a group effort, with different waiters bringing dishes out or taking orders as and when needed, from a rather young staff. Some people might have a problem with this style of serving, but it worked well, and clearly works well for Retreat.

For dessert we chose what was simply listed as apple tart, and what was only listed as "shortbread and ice cream", which gives a rather bleak mental image. That's a criticism I would mention actually, the food quality and offerings are great, but the menu itself is ugly. It uses some very ugly fonts which you'd more commonly see in a pub or on a cafe menu, and I don't feel it suits the style of the place, especially as they use this font on their main logo. A little modernising and updating and their menu would be befitting of what they offer.



The desserts turned out to be really good! Why undersell these? I didn't have "shortbread and ice cream", (which gives the mental image of a shortbread finger stuck in an ice cream cone), I received thin shortbread discs with strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberry layers, and a scoop of nice quality vanilla ice cream. This was lovely, but sadly the menu didn't reflect this! The apple tart was also delicious and full of flavour.



The meal was a pleasant visit for a special occasion. The food and drinks were good, the service was friendly, food came out in good time, and the value was excellent. We'll definitely be back! Well done, Retreat!



 Retreat Adlington
19 Church Street
Adlington
PR7 4EX
(01257) 481894
http://www.retreatrestaurants.co.uk/

Retreat

by on 12:19
Retreat has two restaurants, Retreat Bolton and Retreat Adlington . At this point I'd been to neither, but decided to try Adlington ...
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L'Olivetto sits on an unassuming street in Mossley Hill, Liverpool. In passing you might think it was a coffee shop or the sort, but it turns out to be a real culinary jewel, and one of those rare ones... an independent Italian restaurant that does Italian food properly, and well.


As you walk in, it strikes you that the space is larger than it looks from outside, with slate floors and tables in similar tones with simple wooden furniture, but the restaurant is dominated on one side by the giant ornate wooden bar, which takes the centre stage. The rest of the restaurant is decorated in shades of olive (a natural choice, with "L'Olivetto" translating to "The Olive Grove"), but is rather minimalist, meaning that it can feel a little stark. I think if the tables had simple white tablecloths, or if there were some curtains or plants, it would make the venue feel a bit more cosy, and would absorb the echo a little bit. Not to say that it's not pleasantly decorated, with some fab quirky decorating features!




The bar also had some great little additions that you might not think about. There is a glass containing reading glasses, for those who inevitably forget to bring theirs and have to squint at the menu, as well as two variations of a loyalty card, one for the daytime crowd, promising free coffee and cake, and the other for the evening crowd, offering a free bottle of house wine. A nice touch!

The menu is split into several options, including a lighter meals section, set meals, and general a la carte. The tables also have promotions on them, mentioning how each night there is some variation of a special offer, such as 20% off on tuesdays, and a half price bottle of prosecco with your meal on "Fizzy Fridays". The prices generally are very good too, considering everything is made fresh to order.


We chose to start with Funghi Impanali, breaded mushrooms which gave a good crunch before giving in to some incredibly tasty and juicy mushrooms that had been sauteed in garlic butter. When somewhere can take something as simple as breaded garlic mushrooms and make it truly tasty and impressive, that's a good sign!


For our mains, I chose the Pollo Saltimbocca from the light lunch menu, which comprised of chicken fillets wrapped in parma ham sautéed with olive oil, garlic and sage. I accompanied this with a couple of side dishes of Patate Saltate, which is potatoes sauteed with onions, garlic and parsley but which visually was a bowl of absolutely mouth watering looking little roast potatoes! They were crunch and delicious and very moreish! I could eat a whole bowl of them for a snack! I also had the spinach tossed with onion, garlic and parmesan, My main and sides were delicious, and I was really impressed with both the taste and the price.



My partner opted for the classic Spaghetti Carbonara; spagetti with diced pancetta in a rich cream sauce with parmesan, he was also given the option to add additional chicken to the dish, which he did gladly. For his side, he chose to try the zucchini fries, which came with a garlic aioli for dipping, and which were unsual but pretty tasty! We'd seen them appearing a lot in trendy restaurants, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to give them a try (try them, seriously!). My partner was completely taken aback by the quality and flavours of his pasta, and was singing its praises and making happy noises throughout. We've been to Rome and Pisa and eaten *actual* Italian food, and he didn't sound as impressed then as he did by this meal! Well done, L'Olivetto!



We were given dessert menus, but had already been sneakily noseying at the cake chiller cabinet in the corner of the restaurant, and had made up our minds already! I chose to go for the cherry crumble, served cold, with cream, and my partner chose to go for the triple chocolate gateaux. We were both smitten with our choices, which were delicious and great quality. We were told they were from an actual nearby Italian bakery, keeping the Italian flavours going throughout. Some of the desserts were prepared freshly in house too... we'll try them next time!


The service was friendly and professional, the food was absolutely superb and of a great quality and value, and the venue was bright, modern, and spotlessly clean. It was also nice at the end of my meal to see that they had a selection of teas available, so I had an Earl Grey to round it all off. Perfect.




If you're near Liverpool, go along and give them a try, they're really worth it. We decided that we'd be happy enough to drive over there from Bolton if we fancied a nice meal and experience, because that's one thing they really delivered. Bravissimo, L'Olivetto!

L'Olivetto
193-195 Rose Lane
Mossley Hill
Liverpool
L18 5EA
(0151) 724 5169
www.lolivetto.co.uk

L'Olivetto

by on 17:23
L'Olivetto sits on an unassuming street in Mossley Hill, Liverpool. In passing you might think it was a coffee shop or the sort, but...
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