The Koffee Pot, Manchester

This place is bloody brilliant, and here is why.

Breakfast
The Koffee Pot serves breakfast until 2pm daily. The full English will set you back £5.50 including a tea or coffee. Just about every component of my fry-up was lovely, so here is a thorough examination of what made it so.

1. Bacon
Quality is important here, you don't want the really thin cut stuff that exudes white foamy stuff when you cook it, then shrivels to virtually nothing. This is not that. It's thick-ish with plenty of piggy flavour, and is cooked just right so the fat has crisped up.

2. Sausage
A budget sausage lets down many a fry-up. This is a decent sausage; a thick, juicy, well-seasoned plain pork banger. Perfect for breakfast. I don't like excitingly flavoured sausages in the morning, anything with leeks, apples or heaven forbid garlic in it is inappropriate at this time of day as far as I'm concerned.

3. Black Pudding
It's hiding behind the bacon. A nice slice of Bury black pudding. The good stuff. No further comment required.

4. Egg
I'm open to any variety of egg on my breakfast, today I stuck to the classic fried. It was timed correctly, with a soft golden yolk and no trace of hideous snotty uncooked bits of white.

5. Beans
Certain purists will tell you that beans should not be included in a traditional full English breakfast. They are wrong. Essential tomatoey lubrication.

6. Hash Brown
An often optional extra, but perfectly welcome when fried properly, which this was. Nice and crispy. Undercooked hash browns that turn into a greasy mush on the plate are not pleasant.

7. Tomato
It's not exactly prime tomato season yet, but they managed to serve a grilled tomato with some sort of taste, so full marks here.

8. Toast
Two slices from a bog standard sliced loaf. No complaints here, this just works with a fry-up. Not buttered with butter though. I've said it before and I'll say it again, everything is better with butter.

9. Tea
Served in a mug, with the bag left in allowing the punter to choose the strength of their own brew. Good.

10. Condiments
HP sauce is positioned in large bottles on every table. Ketchup is also available if you're that way inclined.

I ate the lot rather too quickly, and sat back to read the paper basking in a warm, porkulent glow. The portion size was just right, I was fully satisfied without needing to resort to digestive hibernation. If you're exceptionally greedy they do a larger breakfast that is essentially two breakfasts piled on the same plate.

Tea and Cake
My first visit to the Koffee Pot was just for a cuppa. I'd planned to check out North Tea Power, but it was rammed to the rafters and I couldn't be bothered to wait for a table. Plenty were available down the road.

I ordered a mug of tea, then the dicussion with the nice chap behind the counter went something like this:

Me: Have you got any cakes or puddings or anything?
Chap: We've got this toffee cake (points to a large loaf of not very interesting looking cake half covered in cling film).
Me: (pause, waiting to see if there are further offerings) Ok then I'll have a slice of that.
Chap: I could warm it up with some custard for a quid if you like mate.
Me: Sounds perfect (assuming it's a quid extra on top of the usual cake cost).
Chap: That'll be £1.90 please.

£1.90 for a mug of tea, a large slab of cake and a lake of (I think) tinned custard. The cake was actually rather nice too. Good music playing in the background as well (a bit of Marvin Gaye).

If I was cool and lived in a converted warehouse flat in the Northern Quarter, I'd probably come here every day. Unfortunately I'm not and I don't, but it's probably a blessing in disguise as I'd get too fat too quickly from the all the fry-ups and cakes and tinned custard.

9/10

The Koffee Pot
21 Hilton Street
Stevenson Square
Manchester
M1 1JJ


http://www.thekoffeepot.co.uk/

The Koffee Pot, Manchester

This place is bloody brilliant, and here is why.

Breakfast
The Koffee Pot serves breakfast until 2pm daily. The full English will set you back £5.50 including a tea or coffee. Just about every component of my fry-up was lovely, so here is a thorough examination of what made it so.

1. Bacon
Quality is important here, you don't want the really thin cut stuff that exudes white foamy stuff when you cook it, then shrivels to virtually nothing. This is not that. It's thick-ish with plenty of piggy flavour, and is cooked just right so the fat has crisped up.

2. Sausage
A budget sausage lets down many a fry-up. This is a decent sausage; a thick, juicy, well-seasoned plain pork banger. Perfect for breakfast. I don't like excitingly flavoured sausages in the morning, anything with leeks, apples or heaven forbid garlic in it is inappropriate at this time of day as far as I'm concerned.

3. Black Pudding
It's hiding behind the bacon. A nice slice of Bury black pudding. The good stuff. No further comment required.

4. Egg
I'm open to any variety of egg on my breakfast, today I stuck to the classic fried. It was timed correctly, with a soft golden yolk and no trace of hideous snotty uncooked bits of white.

5. Beans
Certain purists will tell you that beans should not be included in a traditional full English breakfast. They are wrong. Essential tomatoey lubrication.

6. Hash Brown
An often optional extra, but perfectly welcome when fried properly, which this was. Nice and crispy. Undercooked hash browns that turn into a greasy mush on the plate are not pleasant.

7. Tomato
It's not exactly prime tomato season yet, but they managed to serve a grilled tomato with some sort of taste, so full marks here.

8. Toast
Two slices from a bog standard sliced loaf. No complaints here, this just works with a fry-up. Not buttered with butter though. I've said it before and I'll say it again, everything is better with butter.

9. Tea
Served in a mug, with the bag left in allowing the punter to choose the strength of their own brew. Good.

10. Condiments
HP sauce is positioned in large bottles on every table. Ketchup is also available if you're that way inclined.

I ate the lot rather too quickly, and sat back to read the paper basking in a warm, porkulent glow. The portion size was just right, I was fully satisfied without needing to resort to digestive hibernation. If you're exceptionally greedy they do a larger breakfast that is essentially two breakfasts piled on the same plate.

Tea and Cake
My first visit to the Koffee Pot was just for a cuppa. I'd planned to check out North Tea Power, but it was rammed to the rafters and I couldn't be bothered to wait for a table. Plenty were available down the road.

I ordered a mug of tea, then the dicussion with the nice chap behind the counter went something like this:

Me: Have you got any cakes or puddings or anything?
Chap: We've got this toffee cake (points to a large loaf of not very interesting looking cake half covered in cling film).
Me: (pause, waiting to see if there are further offerings) Ok then I'll have a slice of that.
Chap: I could warm it up with some custard for a quid if you like mate.
Me: Sounds perfect (assuming it's a quid extra on top of the usual cake cost).
Chap: That'll be £1.90 please.

£1.90 for a mug of tea, a large slab of cake and a lake of (I think) tinned custard. The cake was actually rather nice too. Good music playing in the background as well (a bit of Marvin Gaye).

If I was cool and lived in a converted warehouse flat in the Northern Quarter, I'd probably come here every day. Unfortunately I'm not and I don't, but it's probably a blessing in disguise as I'd get too fat too quickly from the all the fry-ups and cakes and tinned custard.

9/10

The Koffee Pot
21 Hilton Street
Stevenson Square
Manchester
M1 1JJ


http://www.thekoffeepot.co.uk/

Yadgar, Manchester

From a Leeds curry institution last weekend, to a Manchester curry institution this. The curry cafés of Manchester are a wonderful thing, and I wish we had them in Leeds as well. If you're not familiar with them, they all offer variations on the same theme. This being a basic, rather scruffy canteen serving pre-cooked curries, any choice of three on rice, usually for under a fiver. I've been to several of them, and have always been fed well for not much money.

On Friday night I chose Yadgar, one of the better ones on past experience. Here we have cauliflower, lamb and lentils. Unfortunately it wasn't great. On my previous visit to Yadgar I was quite impressed by the distinctive flavours of the curries, but this time everything seemed a bit muted and bland. The portion was rather stingy as well. It looks large, but it's mostly rice with just a smear of curry on top.


Nevertheless it fulfilled a need, my hunger was sated and it was still better (and probably more wholesome) than a fast food chain meal. Most of the curry cafés are scattered around the Northern Quarter, with a few in various other suburbs such as Cheetham Hill. For a comprehensive listing check out Flavours of Manchester. Which is your favourite?

5/10

90 High St
Manchester 
M4 1ES

 

Yadgar, Manchester

From a Leeds curry institution last weekend, to a Manchester curry institution this. The curry cafés of Manchester are a wonderful thing, and I wish we had them in Leeds as well. If you're not familiar with them, they all offer variations on the same theme. This being a basic, rather scruffy canteen serving pre-cooked curries, any choice of three on rice, usually for under a fiver. I've been to several of them, and have always been fed well for not much money.

On Friday night I chose Yadgar, one of the better ones on past experience. Here we have cauliflower, lamb and lentils. Unfortunately it wasn't great. On my previous visit to Yadgar I was quite impressed by the distinctive flavours of the curries, but this time everything seemed a bit muted and bland. The portion was rather stingy as well. It looks large, but it's mostly rice with just a smear of curry on top.


Nevertheless it fulfilled a need, my hunger was sated and it was still better (and probably more wholesome) than a fast food chain meal. Most of the curry cafés are scattered around the Northern Quarter, with a few in various other suburbs such as Cheetham Hill. For a comprehensive listing check out Flavours of Manchester. Which is your favourite?

5/10

90 High St
Manchester 
M4 1ES

 

Barbakan Delicatessen, Chorlton, Manchester

Barbakan Deli is a rather good bakery and delicatessen in Chorlton. Up until last Saturday I'd strolled past it a few times, and even had a glance inside, but had never actually made a purchase.

On weekends they have a barbecue (they call it that but it's actually a couple of huge frying pans over a gas burner) out the front serving an interesting selection of sausages and burgers including German bratwurst, Polish smoked slaska and lamb in both forms. I nearly walked straight past, put off by the long queue, but curiosity got the better of me and I joined the back of it. It doesn't always work out that way, but in theory very popular ought to equal good.

In this case, the mob were correct. I ordered a bratwurst with fried potatoes. The bratwurst was lovely;- a dense, bouncy, porky sausage with plenty of fried onions on the top. Presumably the bread was baked on the premises, as it was much more than an afterthought. It was a large, slightly chewy roll with quite a yeasty flavour. A genuinely good example of a classic hot dog roll. With a large dollop of dijon mustard the whole thing was great fun to eat. Shame about the potatoes though, they were rubbish. Underseasoned and undercooked, they were mealy in the mouth and tasted of little.

The bratwurst cost £2.75, plus an extra pound for the potatoes.  I'd probably give the potatoes a miss next time, but the sausage was great and more than big enough for lunch. Well worth a visit. If you're lucky you might be able to grab a seat on the terrace next to the barbecue.

8/10 for the bratwurst (but 3/10 for the potatoes)

67-71 Manchester Road
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Manchester
M21 9PW

http://www.barbakan-deli.co.uk/
 

Barbakan Delicatessen, Chorlton, Manchester

Barbakan Deli is a rather good bakery and delicatessen in Chorlton. Up until last Saturday I'd strolled past it a few times, and even had a glance inside, but had never actually made a purchase.

On weekends they have a barbecue (they call it that but it's actually a couple of huge frying pans over a gas burner) out the front serving an interesting selection of sausages and burgers including German bratwurst, Polish smoked slaska and lamb in both forms. I nearly walked straight past, put off by the long queue, but curiosity got the better of me and I joined the back of it. It doesn't always work out that way, but in theory very popular ought to equal good.

In this case, the mob were correct. I ordered a bratwurst with fried potatoes. The bratwurst was lovely;- a dense, bouncy, porky sausage with plenty of fried onions on the top. Presumably the bread was baked on the premises, as it was much more than an afterthought. It was a large, slightly chewy roll with quite a yeasty flavour. A genuinely good example of a classic hot dog roll. With a large dollop of dijon mustard the whole thing was great fun to eat. Shame about the potatoes though, they were rubbish. Underseasoned and undercooked, they were mealy in the mouth and tasted of little.

The bratwurst cost £2.75, plus an extra pound for the potatoes.  I'd probably give the potatoes a miss next time, but the sausage was great and more than big enough for lunch. Well worth a visit. If you're lucky you might be able to grab a seat on the terrace next to the barbecue.

8/10 for the bratwurst (but 3/10 for the potatoes)

67-71 Manchester Road
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Manchester
M21 9PW

http://www.barbakan-deli.co.uk/
 

Cod with clams, blood oranges with whipped yoghurt

I started writing this blog with the sole intention of recording my experiences eating out. I didn't want to write about my own cooking because I didn't think I had anything much to say. I think I've changed my mind. I'm a passable home cook and recording my regular weeknight dinners would probably be very dull, but once in a while I come up with something that I really, really enjoy. Last night's supper was one of these occasions, so I thought I'd share.

I bought most of the food for this meal in Chorlton. This is worth mentioning as there are several great food shops in this area. The seafood came from Out of the Blue, which is quite probably the best fishmonger in the North. The vegetables and lemons came from the Unicorn Grocery which stocks a wonderful array of fruit and veg at reasonable prices. They have beautiful, huge fat sicilian lemons at the moment, for the same price as ones a quarter of the size in Morrison's down the road.

Cod with clams

For the main course, a piece of cod with clams in a light broth and a few greens. The key to this dish is cooking every component for the minimum time possible, until only just on the verge of doneness. The fish should just flake into big white slivers, if it flakes into little bits it's overdone. The greens should retain their colour and texture, and the clams should be soft rather than chewy. The end result is light, but packed with briney flavour, as the clams give up a huge amount of liquid when cooked. You will have plenty of this broth left over, which is perfect mopped up with some crusty bread.

You will need (for 1):
a large piece of cod (or other chunky white fish. Hake would be good)
a big handful of clams
a large glass of white wine
some greens (I used spinach and purple sprouting broccoli, samphire would be good)
olive oil
butter
a lemon
salt & pepper
crusty bread

1. Set a frying pan over a moderate heat and add a little olive oil and butter. Salt the fish on the skin side. Place the fish in the pan skin side down and keep an eye on it. You can see the heat progress up the side of the fillet as the flesh changes from translucent to opaque.

2. Whilst the fish is cooking prepare your clams and greens. The clams will probably need a rinse under cold water. For the veg I used spinach and purple sprouting broccoli. Samphire is even better, enhancing the briney flavour of the dish, but I couldn't get hold of any yesterday.

3. When the cod is about two thirds done (about 6-7 minutes for my piece) turn it over and fry flesh side down. Get two more pans on the heat, one to steam the greens and another the clams.

4. Pour a large glass of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc) into the clam pot and allow it to bubble for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol. As soon as the alcohol has burned off throw the clams in and put the lid on.

5. Check the fish. You want it just cooked through so that it flakes beautifully. If it's done transfer it to a warmed plate. If not turn it back over to finish off cooking skin side down. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness, mine took about 12 minutes.

6. Steam the greens, adding the broccoli first then the spinach a minute or two later. The broccoli should take around 2-3 minutes, the spinach no more than a minute or so.

7. By this time, the clams should be ready. They should only take 2-3 minutes or so. Remove the lid and have a look. If they have nearly all opened they are done so remove them from the heat.

8. Place the cod on top of your greens, pour on the clams and their delicious cooking liquor, season to taste (squeeze of lemon, pepper, salt probably won't be needed) and you're done.

Blood oranges with whipped yoghurt

For pudding, blood oranges with whipped yoghurt and honey. Another beautifully light, fresh, fragrant dish this. You can tell I was feeling healthy after the previous night's beer festival and curry (we went to Sheesh Mahal after the festival - review to follow) exploits. The deep, tart flavour of the oranges is offset by creamy, airy yoghurt and the sweet fragrance of honey.

You will need (for 1):
About 150ml greek yoghurt (full fat)
1-2 blood oranges
icing sugar
runny honey

1. First prepare the yoghurt. The purpose of whipping it is for the texture. As with whipped cream the yoghurt becomes aerated making it seem somehow lighter and fresher. Whip the yoghurt with a scant teaspoon of icing sugar and set aside.

2. Peel and segment one or two ripe blood oranges, removing as much pith as you can be bothered.

3. Place the segments in a bowl, keeping a couple to one side, then add the yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.

4. Squeeze over the juice from the remaining segments, and eat at once.

Cod with clams, blood oranges with whipped yoghurt

I started writing this blog with the sole intention of recording my experiences eating out. I didn't want to write about my own cooking because I didn't think I had anything much to say. I think I've changed my mind. I'm a passable home cook and recording my regular weeknight dinners would probably be very dull, but once in a while I come up with something that I really, really enjoy. Last night's supper was one of these occasions, so I thought I'd share.

I bought most of the food for this meal in Chorlton. This is worth mentioning as there are several great food shops in this area. The seafood came from Out of the Blue, which is quite probably the best fishmonger in the North. The vegetables and lemons came from the Unicorn Grocery which stocks a wonderful array of fruit and veg at reasonable prices. They have beautiful, huge fat sicilian lemons at the moment, for the same price as ones a quarter of the size in Morrison's down the road.

Cod with clams

For the main course, a piece of cod with clams in a light broth and a few greens. The key to this dish is cooking every component for the minimum time possible, until only just on the verge of doneness. The fish should just flake into big white slivers, if it flakes into little bits it's overdone. The greens should retain their colour and texture, and the clams should be soft rather than chewy. The end result is light, but packed with briney flavour, as the clams give up a huge amount of liquid when cooked. You will have plenty of this broth left over, which is perfect mopped up with some crusty bread.

You will need (for 1):
a large piece of cod (or other chunky white fish. Hake would be good)
a big handful of clams
a large glass of white wine
some greens (I used spinach and purple sprouting broccoli, samphire would be good)
olive oil
butter
a lemon
salt & pepper
crusty bread

1. Set a frying pan over a moderate heat and add a little olive oil and butter. Salt the fish on the skin side. Place the fish in the pan skin side down and keep an eye on it. You can see the heat progress up the side of the fillet as the flesh changes from translucent to opaque.

2. Whilst the fish is cooking prepare your clams and greens. The clams will probably need a rinse under cold water. For the veg I used spinach and purple sprouting broccoli. Samphire is even better, enhancing the briney flavour of the dish, but I couldn't get hold of any yesterday.

3. When the cod is about two thirds done (about 6-7 minutes for my piece) turn it over and fry flesh side down. Get two more pans on the heat, one to steam the greens and another the clams.

4. Pour a large glass of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc) into the clam pot and allow it to bubble for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol. As soon as the alcohol has burned off throw the clams in and put the lid on.

5. Check the fish. You want it just cooked through so that it flakes beautifully. If it's done transfer it to a warmed plate. If not turn it back over to finish off cooking skin side down. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness, mine took about 12 minutes.

6. Steam the greens, adding the broccoli first then the spinach a minute or two later. The broccoli should take around 2-3 minutes, the spinach no more than a minute or so.

7. By this time, the clams should be ready. They should only take 2-3 minutes or so. Remove the lid and have a look. If they have nearly all opened they are done so remove them from the heat.

8. Place the cod on top of your greens, pour on the clams and their delicious cooking liquor, season to taste (squeeze of lemon, pepper, salt probably won't be needed) and you're done.

Blood oranges with whipped yoghurt

For pudding, blood oranges with whipped yoghurt and honey. Another beautifully light, fresh, fragrant dish this. You can tell I was feeling healthy after the previous night's beer festival and curry (we went to Sheesh Mahal after the festival - review to follow) exploits. The deep, tart flavour of the oranges is offset by creamy, airy yoghurt and the sweet fragrance of honey.

You will need (for 1):
About 150ml greek yoghurt (full fat)
1-2 blood oranges
icing sugar
runny honey

1. First prepare the yoghurt. The purpose of whipping it is for the texture. As with whipped cream the yoghurt becomes aerated making it seem somehow lighter and fresher. Whip the yoghurt with a scant teaspoon of icing sugar and set aside.

2. Peel and segment one or two ripe blood oranges, removing as much pith as you can be bothered.

3. Place the segments in a bowl, keeping a couple to one side, then add the yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.

4. Squeeze over the juice from the remaining segments, and eat at once.

Dosa Express, Withington, Manchester (revisited)

I had a dosa craving on the way back to Manchester this afternoon so decided to pay Dosa Express another visit. After a rather substantial, pork filled breakfast (cheers Chris!) I opted to stay veggie and had a madras masala dosa.

The dosa was crisp and light and the spiced potato filling was soft and warming. The three chutney's on the side (coconut, coriander, tomato) were all fresh and tasty, and the sambar was better than on my last visit (less salty, more veggies in the portion). My only criticism is that it was a bit small for a dosa, they usually turn up hanging off the edges of the plate.

I didn't quite manage to stay vegetarian though, as I ordered these on the side. Oops. Two mutton rolls were fantastic, greaseless and crispy with a heavily spiced mutton and potato filling. I could eat these all day.

The bill came to £6.50 including a bottle of water. Definitely worth a visit.

19 Copson Street
Withington
Manchester
M20 3HE

They also have another branch in Derby.

http://www.dosaexpress.co.uk/

My last visit.

Dosa Express, Withington, Manchester (revisited)

I had a dosa craving on the way back to Manchester this afternoon so decided to pay Dosa Express another visit. After a rather substantial, pork filled breakfast (cheers Chris!) I opted to stay veggie and had a madras masala dosa.

The dosa was crisp and light and the spiced potato filling was soft and warming. The three chutney's on the side (coconut, coriander, tomato) were all fresh and tasty, and the sambar was better than on my last visit (less salty, more veggies in the portion). My only criticism is that it was a bit small for a dosa, they usually turn up hanging off the edges of the plate.

I didn't quite manage to stay vegetarian though, as I ordered these on the side. Oops. Two mutton rolls were fantastic, greaseless and crispy with a heavily spiced mutton and potato filling. I could eat these all day.

The bill came to £6.50 including a bottle of water. Definitely worth a visit.

19 Copson Street
Withington
Manchester
M20 3HE

They also have another branch in Derby.

http://www.dosaexpress.co.uk/

My last visit.

Middle Kingdom, Manchester

Middle Kingdom is one of a growing band of restaurants in Manchester showcasing regional Chinese cuisines. The focus here is on food from Hunan and Szechuan provinces both of which have big, bold flavours and lots of spice. A good thing if you ask me.

The menu is extensive and doesn't specify which dishes are Hunanese and which Szechuan, but if you avoid the Cantonese section (usually there to keep any unsuspecting punters after a 'normal' Chinese happy) you should be fine. Here's what we ate:

Fried Dumplings

A platter of fried dumplings to start were fine specimens, quite thin skinned with a chunky pork & spring onion filling and good crispy edges.

 Lamb Skewers

I'm familiar with lamb skewers from eating at Silk Road, a London restaurant serving food from Xinjiang province in North-West China, and one of my favourite restaurants anywhere, ever. The meat on their skewers is interspersed with chunks of lamb fat that keep it moist, both meat and fat coated in a moreish dry rub of cumin, chilli and salt. You have to eat them fast while they're hot, as the fat is not so lovely when cold. Middle Kingdom's skewers were meat only, but still rather good. The dry rub was similar, with the addition of szechuan pepper to the mix. Delicious.

Aubergines with the flavour of fish

Aubergines with the flavour of fish (I think this dish is more commonly known as fish fragrant aubergine) doesn't actually contain fish, I believe it's so named because the seasonings used are the same as for cooking fish in Szechuan cookery. Whatever you want to call it, it's not a dish for the faint-hearted. The aubergines had been fried in a substantial quantity of oil, to which more oil had been added. The flavour was actually quite mild; sweet and garlicky with just a hint of chilli heat. The aubergines were nicely cooked, lovely and soft without being mushy or slimy. I probably wouldn't order this dish again though, as we struggled to make much of an impression in the portion due to the colossal oil quotient.

Duck on the bone with chilli and taro in chinese beer

This, for me, was the high point of the meal. Duck on the bone with chillis and taro in chinese beer. The duck had been braised long and slow in a beer based stock laced with generous amounts of chilli, szechuan pepper and garlic, rendering it beautifully tender and deeply flavoured. The level of chilli heat and the numbness from the szechuan peppercorns was just right and the mild peppers, pickled peppers and spring onions added a vibrant, fresh contrast. Not really a big fan of the taro pieces though, they're sort of like grainy, floury potatoes in texture, and added little to the dish flavour-wise.

A wonderful meal, and another great Chinese restaurant to add to the list with Hunan and Red Chilli. This sort of food is always great value as well. Prices on the menu can look expensive, but are anything but as the portions are always huge. Main courses in the £7-9 pound region will serve two, and anything costing over a tenner is probably family sized. Our bill came to £50 for two including service and three beers each. Stick to water and a feast will set you back about £15 per head. Service was also friendly and efficient throughout. Thoroughly recommended.

8/10

86 Princess Street
Manchester
M1 6NG

http://www.middlekingdomuk.com

Middle Kingdom, Manchester

Middle Kingdom is one of a growing band of restaurants in Manchester showcasing regional Chinese cuisines. The focus here is on food from Hunan and Szechuan provinces both of which have big, bold flavours and lots of spice. A good thing if you ask me.

The menu is extensive and doesn't specify which dishes are Hunanese and which Szechuan, but if you avoid the Cantonese section (usually there to keep any unsuspecting punters after a 'normal' Chinese happy) you should be fine. Here's what we ate:

Fried Dumplings

A platter of fried dumplings to start were fine specimens, quite thin skinned with a chunky pork & spring onion filling and good crispy edges.

 Lamb Skewers

I'm familiar with lamb skewers from eating at Silk Road, a London restaurant serving food from Xinjiang province in North-West China, and one of my favourite restaurants anywhere, ever. The meat on their skewers is interspersed with chunks of lamb fat that keep it moist, both meat and fat coated in a moreish dry rub of cumin, chilli and salt. You have to eat them fast while they're hot, as the fat is not so lovely when cold. Middle Kingdom's skewers were meat only, but still rather good. The dry rub was similar, with the addition of szechuan pepper to the mix. Delicious.

Aubergines with the flavour of fish

Aubergines with the flavour of fish (I think this dish is more commonly known as fish fragrant aubergine) doesn't actually contain fish, I believe it's so named because the seasonings used are the same as for cooking fish in Szechuan cookery. Whatever you want to call it, it's not a dish for the faint-hearted. The aubergines had been fried in a substantial quantity of oil, to which more oil had been added. The flavour was actually quite mild; sweet and garlicky with just a hint of chilli heat. The aubergines were nicely cooked, lovely and soft without being mushy or slimy. I probably wouldn't order this dish again though, as we struggled to make much of an impression in the portion due to the colossal oil quotient.

Duck on the bone with chilli and taro in chinese beer

This, for me, was the high point of the meal. Duck on the bone with chillis and taro in chinese beer. The duck had been braised long and slow in a beer based stock laced with generous amounts of chilli, szechuan pepper and garlic, rendering it beautifully tender and deeply flavoured. The level of chilli heat and the numbness from the szechuan peppercorns was just right and the mild peppers, pickled peppers and spring onions added a vibrant, fresh contrast. Not really a big fan of the taro pieces though, they're sort of like grainy, floury potatoes in texture, and added little to the dish flavour-wise.

A wonderful meal, and another great Chinese restaurant to add to the list with Hunan and Red Chilli. This sort of food is always great value as well. Prices on the menu can look expensive, but are anything but as the portions are always huge. Main courses in the £7-9 pound region will serve two, and anything costing over a tenner is probably family sized. Our bill came to £50 for two including service and three beers each. Stick to water and a feast will set you back about £15 per head. Service was also friendly and efficient throughout. Thoroughly recommended.

8/10

86 Princess Street
Manchester
M1 6NG

http://www.middlekingdomuk.com

Where to find the best Spanish food in the North?

I'll warn you now, by the time I've finished writing this post it may well have grown into a long and rambling eulogy to the joys of Spanish food.

I fell in love with Spanish food and the Spanish way of eating as recently as last year. I always had a sneaking suspicion that I was a fan, but had never really experienced Spain properly (Costa's notwithstanding) until I was lucky enough to spend two long weekends in Madrid and Valencia last spring.

Madrid was a revelation. I had planned it as a foodie weekend, with the intention being to explore the bars and immerse ourselves in the tapas culture. I went with high expectations, but never thought I'd be so blown away by the sheer generosity and variety of it all. Madrid bars generally offer a free tapa with every drink ordered and the range is astounding; - peanuts, olives, salt cod & chickpea stew, tuna pastries, manchego cheese, jamón offcuts, braised mushrooms, mussels in white wine, hunks of chorizo, open sandwiches topped with ham, cheese or pate, crisps, pork scratchings; - all of these things and more were served up with small glasses (cañas) of beer, beakers (copas) of wine or glasses of wonderful sherry rarely costing more than a couple of euros apiece and sometimes less. During an evening of barhopping the freebies were supplemented with paid for tapas or sometimes a larger portion (ración) of whatever tickled our fancy. In this way I ate some of the best ham (jamón ibérico de bellota), some of the best seafood (galician style octupus - pulpo a la gallega), some of the best spuds (patatas bravas done perfectly) and some of the best deep fried goods (wonderfully light croquetas de jamón or de bacalao) I have eaten in my life.

We didn't really dine in restaurants in the evenings, preferring to stick to the bar crawls, but did frequent a couple at lunchtime. Generosity, value and quality were once again to the fore, as many bars have a dining room (comedor) offering a set menu at lunch. In the most memorable of these I dined on a nourishing salt cod & spinach soup, a rich, reduced oxtail stew served with (proper home-made not frozen) chips, a large slice of custard flan, half a bottle of passable red and mineral water for the princely sum of eleven euros. None of the food was mindblowing, but it was all cooked on the premises, substantial and tasty. This kind of thing would amaze back home, especially for a tenner, but in Madrid it seems to be pretty much the norm.

Snacks and breakfasts were also in keeping with the rest, in that they were invariably delicious, readily available and great value. Freshly squeezed orange juice, crusty sandwiches de jamón, and of course the magnificent churros with chocolate (freshly fried long doughnut type things with thick, dark, bittersweet chocolate to dip them in), which the Madrileños like to eat in the early hours after a night on the town (slightly classier than your average doner..).

All in all, my brief sojourn in Madrid was nothing short of a foodie awakening. Valencia had a lot to live up to. The first potential pitfall was that the Valencia trip was a stag do, not usually the type of break associated with dining well.

I needn't have worried. It wasn't quite Madrid, but Valencia put up a pretty good fight, giving me reason to believe that any large Spanish city is likely to be worth an eating and drinking weekend. The food highlight of the visit was an outstanding beef chop (chuletón de buey), up there with the best steaks I've ever eaten, and this from a restaurant selected completely at random in the centre of town. Honourable mentions also go to the quality of lamb and pork purchased from the supermarket, the melting-fat deliciousness of a five euro plate of ham scoffed in a scruffy bar in the local town where our villa was situated, and a paella for twelve people served up in a seafront tourist trap that could have been expensive and dire, but was neither.

At this point, if anyone is still reading this, you may have realised that I rather like the food in Spain. You may also have recalled that this post is titled 'Where to find the best Spanish food in the North?', so you may reasonably be wondering why I have waffled on about Spain at such length. So, in a rather roundabout way, to Britain.

In Britain, we don't really do Spanish eating properly. Let us take tapas, as the majority of Spanish restaurants in this country tend to focus on the tapas theme. Tapas restaurants in Britain are not really like tapas bars in Spain. For starters most of them are restaurants, rather than bars, which rather defeats the object in the first place. I don't mind this, as Britain is not Spain. Unless there is some huge, unexpected cultural shift we are not going to have bars in the Spanish style in any significant quantity in British towns and cities. As I've already said, I don't mind this, as bemoaning this fact would be like complaining that you can't get a decent pint of cask ale on every corner in Madrid, i.e. a bit silly.

So if we are going to have to sit down and eat our tapas all in once place what we can do is focus on the quality and value of the food, and in this respect a lot of the tapas places in the UK seem to fit into two camps.

In the first corner is La Tasca and it's ilk. Fairly cheap, but mediocre at best food that I'm pretty sure all comes pre-packaged and frozen for assembly line reheating. I have been to La Tasca twice in the last year or two, neither occasion of my choosing. The first occasion was with a large group of blokes, and the party menu had been pre-ordered. What this means is that they bring out all of the food all at once, on huge platters. This bears no resemblance to tapas, it's basically just a massive, shit buffet (you know the sort of thing; - manky chicken legs and budget frozen garlic bread). The second occasion was after more than a few drinks, when one of our group had 50% off vouchers for the food. As expected it was all dull if not actively bad. I recall that the pork ribs came with a particular recommendation for being tender and delicious. The meat was indeed tender and fell off the bones, but unfortunately was drowning in a horrid brown, gloopy sauce tasting of sugar and artificial smoke-flavour. I am not a fan of La Tasca.

In the second corner is the increasing number of upmarket Spanish places that serve very good food, but at generally very enthusiastic prices. Now I understand that certain Spanish foodstuffs are very pricey because they are the finest, most exquisite of their type (yes I'm looking at you iberico ham), but this does not apply in all cases. Charging six or seven quid for a single scallop or a tortilla (it's just eggs!) is taking the michael however well executed the dish. These are the type of places where you will eat some delicious food, but leave feeling peckish and not even slightly pissed having parted with forty of your finest english pounds. I'm not really sure whether this type of Spanish restaurant has spread to the North in abundance yet, as I haven't sought them out since returning, but their numbers have grown rapidly in London over recent years.

So what am I actually looking for? Some sort of halfway house really. Good quality, well cooked, generous, unpretentious, good value Spanish food. Like in Spain. Sounds like a simple formula, but obviously isn't.

Here is a very short list of places that I have compiled from searching the web and reading a few reviews. I have only been to one of them, so I don't know whether the rest fit the bill or not.

Liverpool - Salt House Tapas

Manchester - El Rincon de Rafa

Ripponden - El Gato Negro Tapas

Leeds - El Bareto

El Rincon and El Bareto look like they are in the Spanish bar style, hence their inclusion. El Gato and Salt House are much more in the new, upmarket pricey mould but are included on my shortlist for their great value lunch deals. El Gato I know is great, because I went a couple of years ago at lunchtime and it was excellent, and Salt House is getting some fine reviews from some trustworthy sources.

All being well I'd like to visit those on my shortlist over the coming months, but would love to hear any comments or suggestions that anyone has to offer. I can't be jetting off to Madrid twice a year, got to satisfy the craving somehow...

Where to find the best Spanish food in the North?

I'll warn you now, by the time I've finished writing this post it may well have grown into a long and rambling eulogy to the joys of Spanish food.

I fell in love with Spanish food and the Spanish way of eating as recently as last year. I always had a sneaking suspicion that I was a fan, but had never really experienced Spain properly (Costa's notwithstanding) until I was lucky enough to spend two long weekends in Madrid and Valencia last spring.

Madrid was a revelation. I had planned it as a foodie weekend, with the intention being to explore the bars and immerse ourselves in the tapas culture. I went with high expectations, but never thought I'd be so blown away by the sheer generosity and variety of it all. Madrid bars generally offer a free tapa with every drink ordered and the range is astounding; - peanuts, olives, salt cod & chickpea stew, tuna pastries, manchego cheese, jamón offcuts, braised mushrooms, mussels in white wine, hunks of chorizo, open sandwiches topped with ham, cheese or pate, crisps, pork scratchings; - all of these things and more were served up with small glasses (cañas) of beer, beakers (copas) of wine or glasses of wonderful sherry rarely costing more than a couple of euros apiece and sometimes less. During an evening of barhopping the freebies were supplemented with paid for tapas or sometimes a larger portion (ración) of whatever tickled our fancy. In this way I ate some of the best ham (jamón ibérico de bellota), some of the best seafood (galician style octupus - pulpo a la gallega), some of the best spuds (patatas bravas done perfectly) and some of the best deep fried goods (wonderfully light croquetas de jamón or de bacalao) I have eaten in my life.

We didn't really dine in restaurants in the evenings, preferring to stick to the bar crawls, but did frequent a couple at lunchtime. Generosity, value and quality were once again to the fore, as many bars have a dining room (comedor) offering a set menu at lunch. In the most memorable of these I dined on a nourishing salt cod & spinach soup, a rich, reduced oxtail stew served with (proper home-made not frozen) chips, a large slice of custard flan, half a bottle of passable red and mineral water for the princely sum of eleven euros. None of the food was mindblowing, but it was all cooked on the premises, substantial and tasty. This kind of thing would amaze back home, especially for a tenner, but in Madrid it seems to be pretty much the norm.

Snacks and breakfasts were also in keeping with the rest, in that they were invariably delicious, readily available and great value. Freshly squeezed orange juice, crusty sandwiches de jamón, and of course the magnificent churros with chocolate (freshly fried long doughnut type things with thick, dark, bittersweet chocolate to dip them in), which the Madrileños like to eat in the early hours after a night on the town (slightly classier than your average doner..).

All in all, my brief sojourn in Madrid was nothing short of a foodie awakening. Valencia had a lot to live up to. The first potential pitfall was that the Valencia trip was a stag do, not usually the type of break associated with dining well.

I needn't have worried. It wasn't quite Madrid, but Valencia put up a pretty good fight, giving me reason to believe that any large Spanish city is likely to be worth an eating and drinking weekend. The food highlight of the visit was an outstanding beef chop (chuletón de buey), up there with the best steaks I've ever eaten, and this from a restaurant selected completely at random in the centre of town. Honourable mentions also go to the quality of lamb and pork purchased from the supermarket, the melting-fat deliciousness of a five euro plate of ham scoffed in a scruffy bar in the local town where our villa was situated, and a paella for twelve people served up in a seafront tourist trap that could have been expensive and dire, but was neither.

At this point, if anyone is still reading this, you may have realised that I rather like the food in Spain. You may also have recalled that this post is titled 'Where to find the best Spanish food in the North?', so you may reasonably be wondering why I have waffled on about Spain at such length. So, in a rather roundabout way, to Britain.

In Britain, we don't really do Spanish eating properly. Let us take tapas, as the majority of Spanish restaurants in this country tend to focus on the tapas theme. Tapas restaurants in Britain are not really like tapas bars in Spain. For starters most of them are restaurants, rather than bars, which rather defeats the object in the first place. I don't mind this, as Britain is not Spain. Unless there is some huge, unexpected cultural shift we are not going to have bars in the Spanish style in any significant quantity in British towns and cities. As I've already said, I don't mind this, as bemoaning this fact would be like complaining that you can't get a decent pint of cask ale on every corner in Madrid, i.e. a bit silly.

So if we are going to have to sit down and eat our tapas all in once place what we can do is focus on the quality and value of the food, and in this respect a lot of the tapas places in the UK seem to fit into two camps.

In the first corner is La Tasca and it's ilk. Fairly cheap, but mediocre at best food that I'm pretty sure all comes pre-packaged and frozen for assembly line reheating. I have been to La Tasca twice in the last year or two, neither occasion of my choosing. The first occasion was with a large group of blokes, and the party menu had been pre-ordered. What this means is that they bring out all of the food all at once, on huge platters. This bears no resemblance to tapas, it's basically just a massive, shit buffet (you know the sort of thing; - manky chicken legs and budget frozen garlic bread). The second occasion was after more than a few drinks, when one of our group had 50% off vouchers for the food. As expected it was all dull if not actively bad. I recall that the pork ribs came with a particular recommendation for being tender and delicious. The meat was indeed tender and fell off the bones, but unfortunately was drowning in a horrid brown, gloopy sauce tasting of sugar and artificial smoke-flavour. I am not a fan of La Tasca.

In the second corner is the increasing number of upmarket Spanish places that serve very good food, but at generally very enthusiastic prices. Now I understand that certain Spanish foodstuffs are very pricey because they are the finest, most exquisite of their type (yes I'm looking at you iberico ham), but this does not apply in all cases. Charging six or seven quid for a single scallop or a tortilla (it's just eggs!) is taking the michael however well executed the dish. These are the type of places where you will eat some delicious food, but leave feeling peckish and not even slightly pissed having parted with forty of your finest english pounds. I'm not really sure whether this type of Spanish restaurant has spread to the North in abundance yet, as I haven't sought them out since returning, but their numbers have grown rapidly in London over recent years.

So what am I actually looking for? Some sort of halfway house really. Good quality, well cooked, generous, unpretentious, good value Spanish food. Like in Spain. Sounds like a simple formula, but obviously isn't.

Here is a very short list of places that I have compiled from searching the web and reading a few reviews. I have only been to one of them, so I don't know whether the rest fit the bill or not.

Liverpool - Salt House Tapas

Manchester - El Rincon de Rafa

Ripponden - El Gato Negro Tapas

Leeds - El Bareto

El Rincon and El Bareto look like they are in the Spanish bar style, hence their inclusion. El Gato and Salt House are much more in the new, upmarket pricey mould but are included on my shortlist for their great value lunch deals. El Gato I know is great, because I went a couple of years ago at lunchtime and it was excellent, and Salt House is getting some fine reviews from some trustworthy sources.

All being well I'd like to visit those on my shortlist over the coming months, but would love to hear any comments or suggestions that anyone has to offer. I can't be jetting off to Madrid twice a year, got to satisfy the craving somehow...

Barburrito, The Trafford Centre

I don't really like shopping, it's not my cup of tea. My least favourite type of shopping is shopping in huge shopping centres. Despite this I find myself in the Trafford Centre from time to time, because it's near my house and sometimes I need stuff. Convenience is King.

Saturday lunchtime was such an occasion. I needed some stuff before heading off for the rest of the weekend. I don't think I've ever been in the Trafford Centre on a Saturday before (I usually pop in in the evening after work) and I don't think I'll be doing so again. The place was absolutely mobbed. Prizes for the busiest stores of the lot go to Hollister and Starbucks. Which says pretty much everything about why I don't like shopping.

Take Hollister first. This place seems to have stormed the high street with a very cunning marketing plan. This consists of doing away with the time honoured way of identifying your shop to the world, i.e. putting a sign up out front with the name of the shop on it, and building a sort of lean-to/shed out front instead, through which one must enter. The lean-to obviously acts as a magnet to the passing public, as there must have been about 40 of them queuing up outside it as I walked by. And what do you get when you are finally allowed to enter through this hallowed portal? Is it a bounteous, fragrant land of milk and honey? No, you get to buy an overpriced hoodie in the dark. Anyone know why it's dark in there? Me neither.

Hoodie in the bag, you can then go and queue for an equally lengthy amount of time at Starbucks. What joys await you there? Some shit coffee and the most tedious playlist in the world. They actually release compilations of the music played in their cafes, in case you want to recreate that Starbucks 'vibe' in the comfort of your own home. I can think of a better plan and it involves an idling car engine and a length of hosepipe.

Sorry, got a little sidetracked there. There was a point to this post. Honest. After queuing at Hollister and Starbucks for two hours I was feeling a bit peckish, so sporting my new hoodie and slurping on a frappachococino I headed for the main foodhall. I've been to Barburrito before and thought it was ok, definitely a notch up from the obvious fast food suspects, and more importantly it wasn't too busy, so I thought I'd give it another try.

I went for the slow cooked pork burrito with chipotle salsa. Rice, beans, salad, cheese and soured cream are all included as standard alongside your choice of meat and salsa. Guacamole is a rather steep 75p extra (I didn't bother).

It was nice enough, but could have been better. Can't fault the portion size, it was a big fat burrito, but contained a little too much filler and not enough killer. Rice was the most generous of the fillings, and who wants a rice sandwich. The pork was nice and moist, and the chipotle salsa was warming and smoky but not hot as advertised. The beans and cheese didn't seem to add much flavour-wise. £4.75 for the burrito and £1.50 for a bottomless soft drink.

A reasonable option, but I won't be rushing back. If you're in town I'd recommend giving Pancho's Burritos in the Arndale Market a try instead. Haven't been for a while but I seem to recall it being a better burrito and better value.


6/10

Barburrito
The Trafford Centre
Manchester
M17 8EH

http://www.barburrito.co.uk/

Barburrito, The Trafford Centre

I don't really like shopping, it's not my cup of tea. My least favourite type of shopping is shopping in huge shopping centres. Despite this I find myself in the Trafford Centre from time to time, because it's near my house and sometimes I need stuff. Convenience is King.

Saturday lunchtime was such an occasion. I needed some stuff before heading off for the rest of the weekend. I don't think I've ever been in the Trafford Centre on a Saturday before (I usually pop in in the evening after work) and I don't think I'll be doing so again. The place was absolutely mobbed. Prizes for the busiest stores of the lot go to Hollister and Starbucks. Which says pretty much everything about why I don't like shopping.

Take Hollister first. This place seems to have stormed the high street with a very cunning marketing plan. This consists of doing away with the time honoured way of identifying your shop to the world, i.e. putting a sign up out front with the name of the shop on it, and building a sort of lean-to/shed out front instead, through which one must enter. The lean-to obviously acts as a magnet to the passing public, as there must have been about 40 of them queuing up outside it as I walked by. And what do you get when you are finally allowed to enter through this hallowed portal? Is it a bounteous, fragrant land of milk and honey? No, you get to buy an overpriced hoodie in the dark. Anyone know why it's dark in there? Me neither.

Hoodie in the bag, you can then go and queue for an equally lengthy amount of time at Starbucks. What joys await you there? Some shit coffee and the most tedious playlist in the world. They actually release compilations of the music played in their cafes, in case you want to recreate that Starbucks 'vibe' in the comfort of your own home. I can think of a better plan and it involves an idling car engine and a length of hosepipe.

Sorry, got a little sidetracked there. There was a point to this post. Honest. After queuing at Hollister and Starbucks for two hours I was feeling a bit peckish, so sporting my new hoodie and slurping on a frappachococino I headed for the main foodhall. I've been to Barburrito before and thought it was ok, definitely a notch up from the obvious fast food suspects, and more importantly it wasn't too busy, so I thought I'd give it another try.

I went for the slow cooked pork burrito with chipotle salsa. Rice, beans, salad, cheese and soured cream are all included as standard alongside your choice of meat and salsa. Guacamole is a rather steep 75p extra (I didn't bother).

It was nice enough, but could have been better. Can't fault the portion size, it was a big fat burrito, but contained a little too much filler and not enough killer. Rice was the most generous of the fillings, and who wants a rice sandwich. The pork was nice and moist, and the chipotle salsa was warming and smoky but not hot as advertised. The beans and cheese didn't seem to add much flavour-wise. £4.75 for the burrito and £1.50 for a bottomless soft drink.

A reasonable option, but I won't be rushing back. If you're in town I'd recommend giving Pancho's Burritos in the Arndale Market a try instead. Haven't been for a while but I seem to recall it being a better burrito and better value.


6/10

Barburrito
The Trafford Centre
Manchester
M17 8EH

http://www.barburrito.co.uk/

Al-Safa, Rusholme, Manchester

The curry mile is a bit of a misnomer these days. A cursory glance up and down the Wilmslow Road in Rusholme will tell you that a rather significant minority (if not the majority) of the eateries on the strip are now from the Middle East rather than the Indian subcontinent. If the restaurant names are to be believed then I spotted Lebanese, Iranian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Afghan and Syrian places in a five minute wander. This is probably a good thing as rumour has it that most of the curry houses are actually a bit rubbish.

One of these Middle Eastern places is where I was headed, as I fancied a quality kebab. Following the recommendations of Flavours of Manchester I ended up in Al-Safa and ordered a single Kobeda (which I think are Iranian kebabs). As an aside, if you like curry, kebabs, beer, Manchester or any combination of those things than I strongly recommend you read Flavours of Manchester. I haven't been let down yet by any of their recommendations.

When the kebab arrived I was rather glad I hadn't ordered the double (which I nearly had) as the single was huge and far better looking in real life than the photo's on the menu display. The bread was light and crisp. The salad was fresh, varied and good quality, far from the limp afterthought it often is on kebabs. The meat itself was nicely chargrilled but of slightly dubious quality (ok lamb taste but a bit processed), and the accompanying chilli sauce was fiery.

At £3.50 it was a bargain. Great bread, great salad, great sauce. Meat not quite so great but what do you expect at those prices.


7/10

Al-Safa
40 Wilmslow Road
Rusholme
Manchester
M14 5TQ

Al-Safa, Rusholme, Manchester

The curry mile is a bit of a misnomer these days. A cursory glance up and down the Wilmslow Road in Rusholme will tell you that a rather significant minority (if not the majority) of the eateries on the strip are now from the Middle East rather than the Indian subcontinent. If the restaurant names are to be believed then I spotted Lebanese, Iranian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Afghan and Syrian places in a five minute wander. This is probably a good thing as rumour has it that most of the curry houses are actually a bit rubbish.

One of these Middle Eastern places is where I was headed, as I fancied a quality kebab. Following the recommendations of Flavours of Manchester I ended up in Al-Safa and ordered a single Kobeda (which I think are Iranian kebabs). As an aside, if you like curry, kebabs, beer, Manchester or any combination of those things than I strongly recommend you read Flavours of Manchester. I haven't been let down yet by any of their recommendations.

When the kebab arrived I was rather glad I hadn't ordered the double (which I nearly had) as the single was huge and far better looking in real life than the photo's on the menu display. The bread was light and crisp. The salad was fresh, varied and good quality, far from the limp afterthought it often is on kebabs. The meat itself was nicely chargrilled but of slightly dubious quality (ok lamb taste but a bit processed), and the accompanying chilli sauce was fiery.

At £3.50 it was a bargain. Great bread, great salad, great sauce. Meat not quite so great but what do you expect at those prices.


7/10

Al-Safa
40 Wilmslow Road
Rusholme
Manchester
M14 5TQ

Dosa Express, Withington, Manchester

A new place in my quest for South Indian food in the North. Dosa Express wasn't on my radar when I posted on this subject a few weeks ago, and I can't recall how I discovered it earlier this week (must have been from obsessively googling 'south indian food dosa Manchester' during a bored moment). But discover it I did, and I was immediately tempted as it seemed to be the kind of casual place you could pop in for a cheap bite on your own, rather than a more full on dinner with wine and mates or a date kind of place. Exactly what I was after this evening, so I headed on over for an early tea.

As I suspected it's a very no frills type of place, certainly not one for a first date. A couple of other tables were occupied despite the early hour. I ordered a portion of Medhu Vada and the chicken meal special, with a can of 7-up and a bottle of water to wash it down. Yes, a bottle of water. The first thing I do in pretty much any restaurant is ask for a glass or jug of finest corporation pop, fresh from the tap, but I had already spotted a sign on the wall saying 'No tap water for hygiene reasons, bottled water 50p' and couldn't be bothered arguing. Weird. I normally get a bee in my bonnet about the whole refusal to serve tap water thing that some restaurants still do, as it's often an excuse to sell you the bottled stuff at a ridiculous mark-up. At 50p they're hardly going to be raking it in though. Perhaps there really is a 'hygiene reason'. What are they getting from the taps? Is it unusually filthy in this part of Manchester? Are they importing it from Chennai for authenticity? What about the food then? Have they washed the salad in bottled water? I certainly hope so if I can't drink the stuff from the tap for 'hygiene reasons'.

Sorry, rant over. Here's the food:

Vada, chutney's and sambar

Vada are spiced, doughnut shaped fritters made from lentil flour. When freshly fried they can be very nice, and when pre-fried, left to cool then warmed up in a microwave they can be stodgy and horrid. Fortunately these were in the former group, nice crispy edges and a soft centre. They were a bit underspiced (chilli, mustard seeds, curry leaves, black pepper, onions are the usual suspects) but pleasant to eat with the accompanying chutney's (coconut, coriander, not sure about the orange one) and sambar.

Chicken gravy, rice, poppadum, salad

Chicken curry/gravy close-up

The highlight of the meal was the chicken curry (or gravy as it's sometimes known at South Indian places). The other components of the meal special (poppadum, salad, rice) were ok but the curry itself was excellent. It had a real depth of flavour, with cardamom and cloves being particularly prominent, and a slow building background chilli heat that had me shovelling in rice to cool the fire. Really good stuff.

The bill came to £7.26 including a 20% discount on food. I think the discount was because it was before 6pm, this was only mentioned at the till and didn't seem to be advertised anywhere in the restaurant. Service was efficient but dour until I was about to leave when the waitress came over all smiley. Must have been glad to see the back of me.

Overall I liked Dosa Express. The food is good and I'll be going back to try the dosai and the mutton curries. The no tap water thing is a little strange, but they're hardly profiteering on the bottled stuff so I can live with that.


7/10

19 Copson Street
Withington
Manchester
M20 3HE

They also have another branch in Derby.

http://www.dosaexpress.co.uk/

Dosa Express, Withington, Manchester

A new place in my quest for South Indian food in the North. Dosa Express wasn't on my radar when I posted on this subject a few weeks ago, and I can't recall how I discovered it earlier this week (must have been from obsessively googling 'south indian food dosa Manchester' during a bored moment). But discover it I did, and I was immediately tempted as it seemed to be the kind of casual place you could pop in for a cheap bite on your own, rather than a more full on dinner with wine and mates or a date kind of place. Exactly what I was after this evening, so I headed on over for an early tea.

As I suspected it's a very no frills type of place, certainly not one for a first date. A couple of other tables were occupied despite the early hour. I ordered a portion of Medhu Vada and the chicken meal special, with a can of 7-up and a bottle of water to wash it down. Yes, a bottle of water. The first thing I do in pretty much any restaurant is ask for a glass or jug of finest corporation pop, fresh from the tap, but I had already spotted a sign on the wall saying 'No tap water for hygiene reasons, bottled water 50p' and couldn't be bothered arguing. Weird. I normally get a bee in my bonnet about the whole refusal to serve tap water thing that some restaurants still do, as it's often an excuse to sell you the bottled stuff at a ridiculous mark-up. At 50p they're hardly going to be raking it in though. Perhaps there really is a 'hygiene reason'. What are they getting from the taps? Is it unusually filthy in this part of Manchester? Are they importing it from Chennai for authenticity? What about the food then? Have they washed the salad in bottled water? I certainly hope so if I can't drink the stuff from the tap for 'hygiene reasons'.

Sorry, rant over. Here's the food:

Vada, chutney's and sambar

Vada are spiced, doughnut shaped fritters made from lentil flour. When freshly fried they can be very nice, and when pre-fried, left to cool then warmed up in a microwave they can be stodgy and horrid. Fortunately these were in the former group, nice crispy edges and a soft centre. They were a bit underspiced (chilli, mustard seeds, curry leaves, black pepper, onions are the usual suspects) but pleasant to eat with the accompanying chutney's (coconut, coriander, not sure about the orange one) and sambar.

Chicken gravy, rice, poppadum, salad

Chicken curry/gravy close-up

The highlight of the meal was the chicken curry (or gravy as it's sometimes known at South Indian places). The other components of the meal special (poppadum, salad, rice) were ok but the curry itself was excellent. It had a real depth of flavour, with cardamom and cloves being particularly prominent, and a slow building background chilli heat that had me shovelling in rice to cool the fire. Really good stuff.

The bill came to £7.26 including a 20% discount on food. I think the discount was because it was before 6pm, this was only mentioned at the till and didn't seem to be advertised anywhere in the restaurant. Service was efficient but dour until I was about to leave when the waitress came over all smiley. Must have been glad to see the back of me.

Overall I liked Dosa Express. The food is good and I'll be going back to try the dosai and the mutton curries. The no tap water thing is a little strange, but they're hardly profiteering on the bottled stuff so I can live with that.


7/10

19 Copson Street
Withington
Manchester
M20 3HE

They also have another branch in Derby.

http://www.dosaexpress.co.uk/