Piccadillymanchester.com has been asking you to send in reviews of a Piccadilly food and/or drink venue; the review deemed the ‘best’ will win a meal for two at Malmaison’s Brasserie (pictured).
Below are a couple of the entries so far; if you think you could do better, don’t forget to enter HERE.
Kro Piccadilly
Even though it looks like an airport lounge, Kro Piccadilly always seems to be bustling. My boyfriend and I were in town for some weekend shopping and thought we’d pop in for lunch.
The menu was different from the last time I ate there, and definitely had more choice. I chose the Thai chicken salad and my boyfriend had the special of sausage and mash, which seemed a bargain price at £5.95 – much less than you’d expect to pay for a meal in the city centre. Whilst waiting for the food, the bar seemed to get busy with weekend shoppers like us; many were only there for drinks though and we didn’t see that many people eating, so it was difficult to understand why our food took so long; we were probably waiting about 20-25 minutes. When it arrived though, the salad looked great and the sausage and mash was a hearty portion.
In terms of taste, my salad had quite a lot of soy sauce on it; great if, like me, you love it, but if you’re not a big fan probably best to steer clear of it. Only criticism for the salad is it’d be no good for someone with a big appetite – I didn’t feel totally full after finishing it and it felt more like a snack. It was much better as a lunch meal than an evening meal. Boyfriend wolfed down his meal; apparently the mash was lovely and the sausages full of flavour.
Overall, a good meal for us at a reasonable price. The venue itself is more functional than cosy; it wouldn’t be a great choice for a date, but for a mid-shop rest, we were more than happy with it.
Aimee P, Manchester
City Café
I visited the City Café in City Inn with my friend on a Thursday evening. My friend had eaten in there before, unlike me, and had recommended it highly.
What struck me first was the lovely restaurant area; it was bright, clean and much grander than I was expecting it to be. Luckily it didn’t come with a grandly-priced menu and I was pleased to find the staff friendly and approachable. Our waitress brought a basket of bread that was absolutely delicious – nutty, seeded, plain – there was plenty of choice! We chose two courses from their a la carté menu; crab spring rolls and a asparagus hollandaise to start, with fish & chips and chicken & tomato tart as mains.
The Café was relatively quiet when we dined, considering it was in the evening. I think a lot of those eating were guests from the hotel, so they must have some difficulty in getting non-guests to dine there. Fortunately that meant the food arrived quickly; my spring rolls had just the right amount of spice and the tangy sauce they came with was scrummy. My friend’s starter seemed to go down a treat, although she commented the hollandaise overshadowed the asparagus slightly. The staff were attentive, but not intrusive and were more than happy to offer more bread and top up our drinks without fuss.
The mains arrived and my fish and chips looked, and smelt, fantastic. The fish batter was tasty, but it was the fish itself that made the meal; plenty of it rather than it being all batter. I’d have preferred regular mushy peas to minted, but aside from that it was lovely! My friend’s chicken & tomato tart looked nice, but the portion size was a little small. She was definitely envious of my meal!
I am so pleased my friend suggested City Café; the atmosphere was more relaxed than I had initially expected it to be, the staff were really good at their job and best of all, the food was delicious. I can definitely see a return trip is on the cards...
Lisa T, Manchester