Last month, we asked you to review a Piccadilly food and/or drink venue for a chance to win a meal for two at The Malmaison Brasserie. We are pleased to announce that the winner was Megan Brown, who wrote a review about RICE Piccadilly (below); congratulations to Megan! Piccadillymanchester.com would like to thank Malmaison for providing this great prize. Read on for Megan's review...
RICE Piccadilly has become our hangover haven. It rids you of a fuzzy head by bringing some spice your way, safe in the knowledge that you are going a good way to getting your 5- a-day, all served up from one New York-style noodle box.
The menu is vast, helpfully split into categories based on the grain. Not confining its cuisine to region, country or continents, RICE Piccadilly spans the globe, bringing an eclectic mix of classic rice and noodle combos with dishes from Jamaica, Thailand, Indonesia, South America, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Spain, India, Africa, Morocco and Canada. Phew! With such a variety, you can see why it’s a necessity to return in order to do the menu justice. My personal leaning is towards the crispy shredded beef – once you’ve tried it, it is hard to see past it, although the Spanish Chorizo and Chicken and Jambalaya truly deserve special mentions.
There is something comforting about having your food cooked before your very eyes and at RICE Piccadilly, you can sit and watch the staff conjure up the delicious dishes, or sit in front of the large glass panel windows, looking out onto Piccadilly Gardens, to watch the world go by. Having said that, this is not a place to linger; the ingredients are fresh but with the speed of a McDonalds, the food is fast. As you stand Starbucks-style at the counter waiting for your food, you may be tempted to add a tasty chilli pot on the side or be taken, as I am, with the bamboo spoons for the convenience of the chopstick shy.
Being conventionally located in the heart of Piccadilly means it is a perfect meeting point for lunch, a quick evening meal or to line the stomach before a night on the town. The portions are generous, as we found when we once emptied the cute cardboard noodle container onto a plate to see it piled high. There is a good selection of bottled soft drinks to accompany your food and also bottled beer, if you should so desire. I have always been too satisfied to eat a pudding, and too greedy to try just a salad but based on the mains I am sure they are worth sampling. Not only is RICE Piccadilly quick, tasty and convenient it’s also kind on the purse strings - a flash of the plastic, in the form of a Piccadilly Loyalty Card, you can get an extra £1 off your meal.
To check out RICE's menu, click HERE.