A few words to start us off...

The main purpose of this blog is to review spicy food establishments in Manchester - with a strong emphasis on those that are small, cheap, independent and open at lunchtime. Good starting points seemed to be the numerous Kebab Houses in Rusholme and the dozen or so Curry Cafes around the Northern Quarter area - and these thirty, or so, places were our first ports of call . Since then we've expanded our horizons geographically, but we’ve kept a definite curry and kebab theme going – anywhere worth mentioning which doesn't fall into our loose category (e.g. 'proper' restaurants or non-spicy food)  will have comments in the Other Food section. We've also added reviews of Pubs and other beer related matters. We're not CAMRA members but we definitely favour the traditional-type pubs and bars with real-ale – if you want positive reviews of trendy, corporate or chain bars you’re probably better off looking at different blogs. So why read this when there are numerous other half-baked opinions on the net? Well, we’ve got the same few people doing all of the reviews and we also compare like with like, so hopefully we’re consistent – we’ve got no agenda and aren’t trying to sell anything. We also go to places we don't like the look of and revisit places as regularly as we can - particularly those we might have caught on a bad day.  We'll also try to keep you up to date with openings, closures and other points of interest in our News section below, so keep looking in and tell us what you think by posting or Email us.

Have a look at our Recommendations

News & Recent Visits 

20/08/10
A last trip getting the measure of Qila Khyber. - I know we've been quite a bit recently, which has been to get a grip of the new place - however today was because our first 2 choices were closed at the time of our visit - Lahore Karahi and K2 Curry Lounge.

16/07/10
A little look in Al-Faisal.

16/07/10

Well, it turns out we were mentioned on Radio2 by Jim from Cherry Ghost - he's just been in touch. It also transpires that we'd conversed before about an Asian bakery in Levenshulme - small world - or rather city.  Cheers Jim and let us know how you get on with Dermot's recommendations in The Big Smoke.

14/07/10
It might sound a feeble excuse but we were yet to try the tandoor naan form Qila Khyber - so we did.

13/07/10
'Classics Week' continued with a trip to Yadgar and The Marble Arch - and an excellent one at that.

12/07/10
Back to the classics - Saajan today - as good as ever. Also, Rusholme Kebab House appears to have re-opened as Al-Safa, we'll get there as soon as we can.


09/07010
A first 'official' trip to Turkish Delight resulted in a very tasty kebab in Chorlton.

08/07/10
Our first time in Jerk Junction in Whalley Range. A very hearty goat curry dish made this a decent trip - washed down with a swift pint in Jam St. Cafe. This is the first West Indian place on the site.

06/07/10
Yet another trip to Qila Khyber. The curries change regularly, and there are some interesting dishes on. This time the karela keema and the gosht methi were new. The large banqeting hall/restaurant - called Manzil - next door has just opened. It's only open from 5pm, but the buffet is available here at a cost of £12.

05/07/10
We've decided to take the leap onto twitter.

05/07/10

Have we hit the big time? Jim from Cherry Ghost mentions an 'amazing' food blog celebrating Manchester kebab houses and curry cafes on the Dermot O'Leary Show on Radio 2. If it's us then ta Jim! If not, don't tell us!
If you want to listen the kebab chat is from about 27m 30s and lasts for roughly 90 seconds.

02/07/10
Another first visit. Janam is a kebab place in the centre of town, on Portland Street and right on the edge of Chinatown. An excellent chicken donner.

01/07/10
A quick return to Qila Khyber to try out the kebabs. Well worth the trip. This place seems to be a very good allrounder.
30/06/10
By semi popular demand we've done a new map with food and drink establishments on it. It covers a large area of the City Centre, Salford and Cheetham Hill. It doesn't go quite as far as Rusholme, but that's pretty easy to navigate and there aren't many pubs.

28/06/10
A completely new find and a bit of a gem by the look of it - Qila Khyber.

25/06/10
A return to form of the classic - This & That and a first visit to the new Marble Bar - 57 Thomas St.

24/06/10
This week we've been to Zam Zam in Rusholme - which is quickly becoming the kobeda destination of choice and after a few comments about how good it is a return to Lahori Kebabish in Cheetham Hill.


18/06/10
£4.50 for biryani + 3 curries is superb value. It's hard not to go to Top Quality every Friday.

17/06/10
Kabana on Back Turner St. - rice & 3 and a slightly smaller and cheaper option of seekh on chapatti.

14/06/10
Late night Tastemaster's and early morning Top Quality have been the recent trips. - Oh and a quick revisit to L'al Quila Express to check the lamb situation - we believe it's the best around, thankfully it was up to scratch.

07/06/10
Return to the classic Saajan Halal. Good as ever - and apparently open 11AM-6AM - crikey!
Weekend trip to Coriander too.

03/06/10
First return to Rusholme Chippy in 2 years and it hasn't changed.

27/05/10
It's been about 6 months since we went to Al-Madina, welcome return to The Crescent too. The revamped and more restaurant like Kebabish Original in Rusholme has priced itself out of our blog - £6.90 for a lamb tikka kebab is too much for our lunchtime jaunts.

26/05/10
Two iconic Manchester establishments in one lunchtime - This & That and The Marble Arch.

25/05/10
Another trip off the beaten track - to Barbakan.

 24/05/10
Brand new lunchtime venture - Taftan in Whalley Range.

18/05/10
For various reasons we've not been to many new places lately, however the usual haunts of Yadgar, Lahore Karahi and Top Quality have all been good.

07/05/2010
A trip to a completely new place - Venus Foods on Anson Rd (near the Rampant Lion). This Turkish kebab house was well worth the visit.

30/04/10
We decided to have a look in Withington as we'd been told there were good kebab and curry places - after a drive down the main drag found nothing open we carried on to an old favourite in Fallowfield - Saajan Original.

29/04/10
Long overdue trip to This & That 2

21/04/10 - 27/07/10 - A few visits.
Top Quality and Lahore Karahi rarely disappoint.

20/04/10
Really good trip to Zam Zam in Rusholme - limited time offer of £2.99 for a kobeda is a bit of a bargain.

As of yesterday The Bar in Chorlton has 8 hand-pumps, The usual beers are remaining, Pictish, Phoenix and 2 Marble, with 4 pumps to play with. Could be interesting and will make it the ale centre of the area.

19/04/10
Back to basics at Saajan Halal - usual high standard, fresh chicken seekhs were a welcome and unusual option.

15/04/10
Enjoyable return to Jaffa. Ruhsolme Kebab House seems to have closed again. However there's a new sign with the same name - so apparently it's reopening again, as the same establishment.

14/04/10
Long overdue return to Camel One.

05/04/10 
The Easter Break has been fruitful with good trips to Al-Faisal and Afghan Cuisine, the finding of a great new offer at Zam Zam Tandoori and first try of Taftan in Whalley Range - the pub front has been interesting too. Reviews on the way. Thanks for looking.

30/03/10 
A decent trip to Spice Kitchens in Rusholme.

25/03/10
Finally a revisit to Afghan Cuisine!

22/03/10
So far this week: Kabana in Cheetham Hill & Kabana in Town - yes they're related businesses and yes the guys are brothers.


19/03/10
We've added another Manchester Curry Cafe Map for Cheetham Hill and the Northern Quarter:

15/03/10 -
'DAMAS CAFE' opening soon, next to Zam Zam in Rusholme.

This week's visits: Saajan Halal, Top Quality, Darbar & Kebabish. 

12/03/10
This week: Lahore Karahi, Top Quality, Yadgar & Zam Zam Tandoori

10/03/10
Having trouble finding places?  Try the Northern Quarter Curry Cafe Map:

09/03/10
Since the new year these premises have been Dubai, Villa Pizza and now Soulav Restaurant

09/03/10
New addition - a Manchester & Salford Pub Map:

08/03/10
Interesting weekend - though all pubs and sundries. After a review last week Yianni's in Stretford has closed and is reopening as a Halal Venue called Aqsa.

04/03/10
Not great trip to This & That today - it's never bad and it's always a good place to visit, but the food's not pulling up any trees at the moment.

03/03./10
Long overdue return to the reopened Rusholme Kebab House

02/03/10
Top Quality trip. £2 seekh a real bargain.

01/03/10
Quick trip to Saajan Halal. The small seekh on chapatti is great value and a superb kebab.

28/02/10
Sunday Nihari at Kabana.

26/02/10
Predictable maybe but we were in a rush and Top Quality is quickest place for us, as we can park outside and the food's ready on arrival - it was very good.

23/02/10
Just checking Lahore Karahi is as good as we thought - yeap it is.

22/02/10
Another first - Halal Bites in Salford.

18/02/10
First trip to Lahore Karahi was really good. It's encouraging to keep finding new places worth going to.

17/02/10
Decent quick trip to Top Quality was slightly more interesting than usual. £4.50 is now apparently a 'regular customer's' price. This is getting silly.

Evening trip to Tibetan Kitchen at The Bar is in the sundries section.

15/02/10
The building on Chapel street which used to be Copperheads has become Halal Bites - a halal cafe serving, amongst other things, a choice of 5 curries with rice for £3.95. We'll get down there as soon as possible. We made our first Didsbury entry today after I went to The Original Third Eye - however as a 'proper restaurant' and an evening meal it really isn't what we're about on here - so it's unscored and in the 'sundires' section.

11/02/10
An interesting and slightly incongruous trip to Adelphi Sandwich Bar. Thanks to your interest we were quoted on Saajan Halal's website recently (in their awards section). You'll be glad to know that we're staying anonymous so we don't get any preferential treatment.

08/02/10
Good straight forward trip to Top Quality - price strangely back down to £4.50.

04/02/10
Finally a return for curries at Marhaba - it was worth the wait, in both senses...By which I mean time and er... presumably tide?

Kebabish (Hilton St.) is apparently not doing curries anymore - a brief visit showed only kebabs with nothing written on the blackboard - any news much appreciated.

03/02/10
Very good trip to Lal Q'uila Express continues a good week for us.

After numerous attmepts to revisit Rusholme Kebab House we've fianlly been thwarted, at least in its current guise - it's now closed and due to reopen under new management.

01/02/10
Though weekend trips to Arian (Persian/Iranian, Chorlton) and Darbar (Pakistani/North Indian, Rusholme) were very good they're not really what this blog's about - so back to business: a return visit to an old favourite - Saajan Halal in Rusholme - or 'Saajan One' as we call it.

29/01/10
Finally a group trip to K2 Curry Lounge

28/01/10
There will be a Valentine's Beer Festival at Bar Fringe. This will run from 11th to the 14th of February. More details will follow when we get them.

27/01/10
Return to Al-Faisal today

25/01/10
Really good trip to Kobeda Place and Dubai appears to have become Villa Pizza - and we never even got there!

22/01/10
One of our reviewers went to the unpromised land of the Trafford Centre and made the costly mistake of trying out Shawarma Express. Over £7 for a small kebab - more of a wrap, fries and a drink was the expensive and unsatsfactory result.

21/01/10
For a quiet week we've done OK - another first: K2 Curry Lounge.

18/01/10
First visit to Lahori Kebabish 

15/01/10
Another long overdue return visit - Little Aladdin 

13/01/10
Long overdue Marhaba kebab trip

11/01/10
Last attempt at deciphering Tastemaster's lunchtime offer was pretty fruitless.  There's so much information in there - printed menu, official menu above the counter and hand-written signs. Tricky business with no real end result. Think we'll call time on that one - they definitely do a takeaway tray of half curry/half rice for £3.50 - whether that's only certain times of day is beyond our powers to ascertain.

06/01/10

Finally made a Tastemaster's kebab trip.

05/01/10

We're currently snowed out of work.  Difficult travelling conditions and bonus time off may well present some unusual opportunities -  that is going to your most local pubs and spicy food outlets. Why not give them a try?

04/01/10

In the interests of getting this year off to a good start we went to Top Quality this lunchtime.  It was really good, however there has been a price increase. Any Rice & 3 is now £5, from £4.50.

03/01/10
We've been a bit quiet for 2 weeks for obvious reasons. The Christmas break wasn't all that curry/kebab orientated, the only new visit being a rather expensive rice & 3 in Chappati Corner (Cheetham Hill). Another pretty poor trip to Hunter's was an after hours necessity. The only highlight was an excellent Saturday evening takeaway from Zam Zam (Chorlton) - which isn't really what this Blog is about, so we'd better get back to business.

23/12/09
With the weather and all it's been a quiet week - limited to more local takeaways - one professed to have more than 200 dishes on offer, which reminded me why I like curry cafes with half a dozen good ones.

16/12/09

Al Madina and The Crescent were both very good. The kebab being a welcome return to form. After a slow start this week has been a bit of a triumph.

15/12/09
Great trips to Yadgar and Fringe. They're regular favourites for a reason!

14/12/09
OK trip to This & That - we've not changed the high scoring review yet as there are always mediocre patches with these palces but we will if it doesn't perk up soon.

10/12/09
Return trip to Tastemaster's

An unfortunate story bout Yadgar's hygiene.

08/12/09

Up to scratch trip to Saajan Halal. No sign of the main man and the salad had probably seen better days but the other guys seemed to have things under control and done properly, which has not always been the case when left in charge.


The Beech Inn, Beech Rd. Chorlton was closed on Tuesday night - No real idea what this means although it has had various problems over the last year.

07/12/09
Sky Sports in The Crescent and a pretty dismal return to Hunter's BBQ have not got us in the festive spirit.

04/12/09
The Manchester Winter Ales Festival will take place at a new venue in 2010.

Top Quality has been excellent this week - two superb trips on Monday and Friday make it the current favourite - particularly as curries seem to suit the cold weather.

Dec 09 - early trips to Top Quality, This & That and Kabana have been interesting if not ground breaking. Has the Wheatsheaf closed?  12.35pm 02/12/09 - no signs of life at all.

26/11/09
Spice Kitchens trip.

24/11/09
Quick trip to Top Quality. Very quick and very good - chicken curry, chapatti and a meat samosa - £5. Just the ticket on a grim day.


20/11/09
According to the CAMRA website the Bury Beer Festival is cancelled.  We've had a post claiming otherwise but all other sources suggest it is:
http://www.robcamra.org.uk/

16/11/09
Abra-Kebabra on Wilbraham Rd. in Chorlton is now open. It apparently does kobeda, lamb and chicken kebabs.

13/11/09
Kashmiri Spice has definitely closed and is being replaced with Spice Kitchens. 

 
11/11/09
The Queen's Arms on Honey St. is boarded up.
09/11/09
Slight price increase at This & That, but nothing to cry about - rice + 2 meat, 1 veg and chapati up to £5. Not sure of the exact permutations but you get the picture.

Bar Fringe 14th Birthday Beer Festival starts 26th November. 


'Abra-Kebabra' looks set to open soon on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton - between 'four banks' and Morrison's - pretty much opposite 'Electrik'.  There is an Irish franchise of a similar name but with different spelling and logos - it's unlikely they're related. Given the all the places called Saajan and Kebabish it's anyone's guess as to what this place will be. A fair guess is they'll sell kebabs.

06/11/09
First Lunchtime visit to the refurbed Mark Addy.


05/11/09
Shahi Masala has opened on the premises of Royal Naz/Gogis in Rusholme.  There are skewers of meat under glass at the front so it appears to be a kebab house type venue - we'll keep you posted.

 Kashmiri Spice appears to have closed.

Turkish Delight

Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton.

First trip on 09/07/2010
This is an authentic Turkish kebab place right in the centre of Chorlton. The lamb shish kebabs are very good here, subtly flavoured and not at all dry. The chef's special is packed with donner, kofte (similar to seekh) and chicken mince. The special is a bit greasy, but the lamb donner meat is homemade (not the factory produced elephant's foot) and very tasty. The lamb kebab costs £4.50 and the chef's special is £5.20, so the prices are higher than you would pay in Rusholme. The salad is fresh, and the sauces are interesting - with a hot tomato sauce served with the chilli sauce and yoghurt. There is seating on the pavement at the front, and this is great place to eat on a nice day. The only slight issue is the packet bread. We were offered pitta or 'naan', and we opted for the latter. It turned out to be a tasty flat bread that was warmed on the grill.

Scores out of 10
Meat 8.5
Bread 7.0
Salad/Sauces 8.0
Service/Setting 8.0
Average 7.9

Jam Street Cafe

Upper Chorlton Rd, Whally Range.

Jam Street is a cafe throughout the day and a bar in the evenings - although alcohol is available before noon. Located on the same block as the Hillary Step in Whalley Range, this is also not far from regular Chorlton haunts such as Pi and the Marble.

It serves a decent fried breakfast, and has a very limited dinner menu (usually just one dish called 'tea'). It only has one real ale on hand pump, and there is a bit too much emphasis on the quirky cafe side of things. However, there is a great beer garden at the front, and drinking here in the evenings is generally a pleasurable experience. Also, the shabby cafe look makes a change to some of the polished bars that have sprung up in Chorlton recently.

Jerk Junction

170 Manchester Rd - Whalley Range/Chorlton.

Visit on 08/07/2010
This place was formerly known as Rhythm 'N' Rice. It is very close to the junction of Upper Chorlton Rd and Seymour Grove - hence the name. The food in here is West Indian, with main courses that include Curry Goat, Jerk Chicken and Ackee & Salt Fish, Oxtail etc. The standard smaller and side dishes are the usual stuff: fried dumplings, patties, rice and peas etc. We went for the classic Curry Goat with rice & peas. It was superb - essentially rice and kidney beans cooked in coconut milk, the goat was on the bone, making it succulent and very tasty. The portions were large, and they justify the £5.50 price tag. We ate on the decked terrace area - which is a pretty good place to watch the world go by. The staff were pretty surly; it's hardly Starbucks - "can I get you guys a mocha-frappaccino" style service. In fact almost no words were exchanged at all - but this is fine by us and not all that different form the usual Curry Cafe experience, in any case the food more than makes up for this. We feel that this place is worth checking out - perhaps next time we'll try the jerk chicken and pork from the barbecue.

Janam

Halal Takeaway
Portland St

02/07/10
This one took us a while to get to at lunchtime, but obviously we had to get there as it's one of the more well known kebab places in the town centre. However, unless you work nearby it's not easy to get here before dark - well at least without paying for parking. 

Anyway - back to the plot. Janam has a mixed menu, primarily consisting of pizzas, kebabs and fried chicken - but they also do samosas, spring rolls, onion bhajis and a few other things. The kebabs seem to be somewhere between the Turkish and Pakistani types - not heavy on colourings and with the more Turkish type salad, but with fresh bread, not pitta - hard to classify really.

The service was good and quick, aided by the choice of chicken doner, which is already cooked. The bread seemed to be coming off a converyor belt-like production line at regular intervals, so although it wasn't cooked on the spot it was fresh. It was soft, pliable and tasty, but not overly doughy and a bit of a high point. The meat was mixed - a bit gristley but pleasant and moist - possibly a tad greasy but never mind. Salad and sauces were good, and there was an offer on meaning all kebabs came with a free drink or chips. £3.70 didn't seem too expensive given the town centre location - lack of seating might be an issue if you were banking on eating in. As a result Janam will probably never be a 'destination' venue - the food's not quite good enough to go miles out of your way for, and there's a good chance you won't be able to eat in. However, if it were more convenient, we'd eat from here more often.

Scores out of 10
Meat 7.5

Bread 8.0
Salad/Sauces 8.5

Service/Setting 6.5

Average 7.6

Coriander

Indian/Bangladeshi Restaurant
Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton.
(Definitely a sit-down restaurant - so it's in the sundries section.)
Coriander is quite unique in the Manchester curry scene.  It feels different to the other places, it’s a little bit out on a limb rather than being in a bustling area, it’s relatively serene inside, it’s not Pakistani and professes to make healthy food. If you really want to know what they claim to do there’s a hell of a manifesto on their website:
http://www.corianderchorlton.co.uk/
If any of the staff have read it remains to be seen, however the food was different from the usual stuff and much less oily.  The flavours were different too, with more citrus to them, whether this is a traditional Bengali thing we can’t say but to have something genuinely different in a city of very similar places is a welcome thing.
Now the important part… - The popadoms were good with different accompaniments than usual and more Indian vibe to them.  The tandoori stuff was differently spiced and very tastey – though it didn’t have that sizzle or steam of meatly freshly pulled form the grill, but it wasn’t tough and didn’t taste microwaved, perhaps it was partially cooked then finished off. In either case this was a bit misleading as the waiter was asked if it was cooked freshly and he said yes. However it was nice. The prawn and mushroom curry was a little bit disappointing, tasting of not much other than tomatoes and this vague citrus flavour that was in the other dishes. ‘grandmothers beef’ was good – slow cooked in coconut with chana daal.
Bread and rice were good - not much else to be said on the matter.
I’d return here, it’s different and you don’t leave feeling sluggish, oily or semi-dehydrated with excessive salt.  If the food were one notch better it’d be a real favourite. Recommended in this part of town though. There’s 20% discount Sunday afternoon and some deal on a Thursday too.

Ning

Oldham St.
This is a Malaysian and Thai restaurant in the Northern Quarter - close to the Frog and Bucket. Ning has a very good set menu deal that allows you to have two courses (from a restricted menu) for £12.95. The place looks great - with hanging lanterns and bright pink wallpaper along with black tables and simple chairs. The menu has some interesting dishes on it, particularly the Malaysian part. The chicken murtaback is an excellent savoury pancake, and the Basil Padprik is a very tasty stir fry. The service is good, and a large range of Asian beers is available. Ning is a decent restaurant that offers good food at reasonable prices.

Taftan

Upper Chorlton Rd, Whalley Range.

24/05/10
Taftan is a bit of an oddity, it’s one of those Asian places that tries a bit of everything, which can make it off putting for those who just want Asian food. It advertises pasta and pizzas along with fried chicken and more conventional curries and kebabs. We partook of the £3.50 lunchtime offer of curry and rice. Chicken was the curry of the day and it was actually rather good – on the bone in a very authentic, ‘home-cooked’ tasting, sauce. The rice was just plain boiled. We also tried lamb parathas for £1 each, which was an eating experience somewhere between having a wrap, samosa and a pasty all at once. Not unpleasant but just a bit greasy, being strangely rich and yet pretty flavourless. Not particularly recommended. Ordering takeaways in the evening can be a bit of an ordeal over the phone, however they can also yield pretty good food if you stick to the karahi dishes and grills. Taftan is yet to gain our full confidence, there’s a bit of a hit and miss vibe about it, but we’re willing to persist for a while at least and see what it settles into. Currently it’s one of the better options around here – and it’s open all day.

Venus Foods

Anson Rd.

May 2010 visit
This is a kebab place attached to a Turkish supermarket. The lamb doner is excellent. It's freshly made - as opposed to the prepackaged elephant's foot - and has a nice savoury flavour.  The staff here refer to the doner as a shawarma, although it is doner on the menu. The bread is thick and tasty, and not of the the packet pitta variety. You get plenty of decent salad, and the chilli sauce is nice with a bit of a kick to it. On the down side, they do not serve yoghurt with the kebabs, and the place is also pretty expensive at £4.90 for donner kebabs. However, the food is worth it, and we will be back to try (amongst other things) the kofta kebabs.

Scores out of 10
Meat 9.0
Bread 7.5
Salad/Sauces 7.5
Service/Setting 7.5
Average 7.9

Little Yang Sing, The

George Street, Manchester
There's plenty of information about the Yang Sing and Little Yang Sing on the web - fires, relocations - yadda yadda.
In short this is a good, old style, Hong Kong/Cantonese type place. It does all the old favourites, nice Dim Sum, duck and pancakes and all the usual main courses. It's not subtle, it's brightly coloured and not much like like 'authentic' Chinese food - neither is it cheap. However, this type of cuisine has found a place in the hearts and on the palates of British diners and the folk at the Little Yang Sing know how to give people what they want.  It's not really our sort of place in that it's a bit too fussy and expensive for a lunchtime 'gnosh up' and the food's a wee bit too sweet and 'MSGy-fied' to really cut it as a top notch evening destination. However a few visits have proved it a reliable place for providing good versions of Chinese 'classics' - it's less 'chilli-fried lizard gizzard' and much more 'sweet and sour prawn balls' - which is often a relief.

Leo's

Barolw Moor Rd, Chorlton.
This is a nice little Italian restaurant. The food is a bit more interesting than the standard pizza and pasta dishes, although some of these are available. There is an emphasis on red meat and fish dishes, and for this trip the fillet steak was excellent and the lamb ragu was one of the best Italian meals I've eaten. The place does get very busy, and they have a tendency to cram people in a tiny bit more than is necessary. The staff are friendly and attentive, but the service was a little slow. The prices are not too high - three courses, two bottles of wine and two coffees came to £85. The decor is nice and simple, with plain wooden tables large windows at the front and lots of wood around the bar. Leo's is well worth a visit.

The Wheatsheaf

Oak St., Manchester

A minor refurb and the addition of two hand pumps has breathed a bit of life back into The Wheatsheaf.  It’s always been alright for a quiet game of pool and a pint of Guinness but the addition of the ale and a bit of a (sympathetic) spruce up has just tipped it over the edge into somewhere worth going, rather than just ending up. The Wheatsheaf stands out in the area as a place which is neither too young and trendy nor too rough or dodgy. Places like the Bay Horse are too far one way and Gulliver’s too far the other (don’t get them mixed up). It’s in the Smithfield bracket of a decent boozer, but is still not one to go to for a particularly lively night. Which suits at least one of the reviewers here very well.

Duffy's Bar

Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton.

Duffy's is an unusual bar. This used to be Uluru, and we suppose it's now an 'Irish themed' Lees pub - although there isn't much that's Irish about it beyond the name - certainly not the landlord. It seems a little strange to us to have a 'tied house' themed - as to an extent the brewery already is the theme. Normally themed pubs are either independant venture like O'Shea's or 'standard pubs' which happen to have a landlord or lady of a particular nationaility. Perhaps there's more to this than we can tell at first glance. Anyway...  There are four handpumps offering real ale, including one guest beer - which was Timothy Taylor on both occaisions. The place has polished wooden floors and a lot of football related memorabilia on the walls - both United and City, which again implies brewery rather than personal influences. The decor is a throwback to the 70s, with white plaster alcoves and artexing on the walls and ceiling. The small space outside is on the main road, and it is not a particularly pleasant place to sit. It doesn't feel like a new bar at all, and it's a slightly odd addition to the drinking scene in Chorlton given the usual offerings. However, if we're lucky it'll remain a good solid boozer and a nice change from the trendier more youth orientated bars.

Atlantic Fish Bar

Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton.
This is probably the best chippy in Chorlton. The portions are huge, with the fish being particularly large. The fish and chips are well cooked. The cod and haddock are coated in a crispy batter and the chips are nice and firm. The place is very clean and bright, and the staff are helpful. The massive servings are not very expensive, and we would be happy to recommend this place to anyone with a big appetite.

The White Lion

Liverpool St.

Difficult one this, it’s not trendy (loads of silly haircuts and tight jeans), which is a plus – and not rough (feels like a fight will break out any second) - that’s another plus. So has it become the promised land of just a decent, normal boozer? Well, not quite as the beer’s pricey and there are fruit machines and big teles.  I think you could analyse yourself in knots about this place (which is also a Chinese takeaway, to add to the confuciun). Best not to bother. It’s a decent old style boozer with a few hand pumps, tellies, fruit machines – nice old big bar, massive beer garden and two menus – English and Chinese. To explain a bit, the couple who run the place are English and Chinese, hence the mix of cultures, not that that’s a bad thing in this case. Also the Landlady is a vociferous and friendly character. We wouldn’t go miles out of our way to come here, but if you’re around and about it’s another decent boozer on the list.

Cask

Cask has been around a few years - it's a pretty decent place really, managing to straddle the gap between lively and too trendy reasonably well. Ironically, given the name, there's no real ale - which in our view is a bit cheeky. However there's a decent range of continental lagers on tap and in bottles. Not a regular venue for us, due to the lack of the bitter, but certainly one of the better places of its type - along with The Temple.

City Arms

Kennedy Street, Manchester
The City Arms is a welcome oasis in the city centre desert of decent real-ale pubs. It's one of the few old pubs that's managed to retain its identity, keep real ale and not become gimmicky. There's not tons of seating and it's (unsurprisingly) pretty popular - so don't expect a table. However, if you're in that part of town it's the only decent old style boozer and well worth a visit. A real gem and the best pub for quite a distance around it.

Gulliver's

Oldham St.

Gulliver's is an old stlye pub which is very differnt from the more modern and trendy bars in the Northern Quarter. There's no real ale but on the plus side there's loads of Karaoke. It's OK when nobody's there but when it's busy Karaoke and scuffling seem to be the major pursuits. If you want a change from the more expensive trendy bars this might be somewhere to visit but that's about the only recommendation we can make.

Buffet City

Portland Street, Manchester

This place does pretty mediocre, standard chinese takeaway type stuff. It's kind of like being in a MacDonald's too - big, bright and noisy. So why go? Well, you eat as much as you want for £5.50 a head. Like the other all-you-can-eat-buffet type deals the emphasis is on quantity and price being high and low (in that order) - which is undeniably attractive to those with big appetites and not a lot of cash. After 6PM the price hikes up to £8.90 and more expensive items, such as duck, become available for the evening trade. There's not much to say about the place other than the obvious - if you want better food go elsewhere and pay more. If you've not booked anywhere, you're starving, aren't that bothered about quality and want feeding quickly this is not a bad option and certainly preferable to most fast food outlets.

Charango

Barolw Moor Road, Chorlton.

Third time lucky May 2010
Saturday night and this time it makes sense - good food, plenty of 'atmosphere', the staff were efficient and friendly, the place very busy and even the lone ale was OK - this time Wainwrights.  It's never going to a favourite of ours but that presumably isn't their intention - if you're into this sort of place or just like new things you may well have a good evening here. - That's quite enough Charango-ing for us for a while.

Revisit April 2010
After ‘Anonymous’ below praised the place so highly we decided to go back to check – a younger member of the team dragged ‘Grandad’ back to Charango on a Wednesday evening – long after he should have been in bed. It was much quieter than the Friday, unsurprisingly – though there were a few tables of people chattering away. In fairness the menu looked pretty decent though the beer situation was poor. Down to one ale which was actually bad – freezing cold with a coagulating head, vaguely sour and poorly kept, which at £3 is a bit daft. It was the Dulcimer beer, Blonde on Blonde.
Clearly this isn’t a place for the beer drinker so there’s no point going on about it. It seems the sort of place for dressing up a bit, sipping cocktails with ‘the girls’, sharing tapassy-type nibbles and having salsa lessons – none of which is our bag. Though being on the side of the road that gets sun in the evenings and having the large outdoor area means this place will almost certainly be rammed all summer.
Assuming it's one group of people (or person) in charge of both Dulcimer and Charango, their differences make more sense - presumably Dulcimer's covering the 'folky beery' end of things and they're hoping Charango is seen as a bit more dressed up and cosmopolitan. If the naming convention is stuck with I'm looking forward to their third venture - 'Banjo', in which toothless red-necks drink burbon all day. Perhaps Chorlton's not ready for that one.

Original blurb...
This was, until recently, Ostara. It is now a Latin themed bar named after a small South American instrument. The place is noisy due to the loud music playing, and it was very busy when we were there. There is a large outside terrace, which was also well used.

On the plus side, the lighting in the place is subtle and low - which works well with the red painted walls. There is also one real ale on handpump, which is unusual in bars like this. The place is more set up for drinkers than Ostara, which was much more of a restaurant (serving seasonal British food) than a bar. The outside space will also be a bonus in the summer.

I'm not sure such a bar is necessary in Chorlton. It feels gimmicky because of the theme, and it is certainly far from an ideal venue for a few quiet drinks.