Flamin Nosh, Stalybridge

I have driven past Flamin Nosh an enormous amount of times. I have had a stream of friends who have been employed there, and although it is practically on my doorstep it isn't somewhere I frequently patronise.

As group of 8 we visited on a Friday evening for a birthday celebration. We were greeted with friendly service, and comfy seats in the lounge style area, and were quickly seated at our table.

The interior is a pleasant burnt orange set up synonymous with Spanglish Tapas Bars, there is plenty of space between tables and is a warm, comfortable place to be.

The food is described as Mediterranean and the menu covers this nicely, however moves on to include Fajitas, which although certainly not from the Med, they are a popular choice with our group and clearly a clever addition to the menu.

I enjoyed my £4+ pint of Peroni, and ordered my food. Peri Peri Chicken Wings to start followed by a Mixed Grill. Service was provided by the Restaurant Manager who was keen and engaged in conversation, which is always better than the robot like service you quite often receive in non city centre restaurants.

The chicken wings arrived and they were the hottest things I have ever come across! After they had cooled a little I tucked in, and in short they were good! Since Nando's became the success it is, everyone seemed to have jumped on the Peri Peri bandwagon, but happily these wings held up to their own standards, they had a hint of spiciness and nice woody smokiness.

I ordered the Mixed Grill as I couldn't decide between some of the different dishes, and the grill seemed to included all the fun meat parts of the meals I was torn between. On the whole, I was disappointed with this dish. It was carte blanche for the chef to really show off his skills...but didn't. The lamb was lack lustre and had very little meat on it. The pork was better, and beautifully flavoured. The steak was chewy and pretty fatty. The chicken however was the saving grace...it was a masterpiece! Tangy, slightly charred and moist it was a delicious piece of meat, cooked perfectly. I wish I had ordered the chicken based main off of the menu, because of the whole dish was up to the standard of that piece of chicken it would have been awesome.

Good Points: Excellent, personal service. Chicken...brilliant Chicken! Atmosphere.

Room for Improvment: Could have done with a finger bowl with the chicken wings. The other meat on the mixed grill.

All in all Flamin Nosh was far better than when I last experienced it (which was many years back), and although it needs a little honing, this was a good dining experience, and I would certainly go back...and eat chicken!

I visited Flamin Nosh, 97 Stamford St, Stalybridge, www.flaminnosh.co.uk, on Fri 22nd July 2011

The Joshua Bradley

I have visited the Joshua Bradley a few times now, and after each visit I am left in two minds. Firstly, I really like the design of the place. The old mansion house has been stunningly converted into a pub and restaurant. The whole place feels a bit special, like you are visiting a very posh friend's stately home. It is how ever no way unwelcoming or snooty. On the other hand though, the service has always been very amateurish. Often waiting a long time at the bar, and in one case some fat bloke acting as a Maitre ` D was straight out rude.

Today however the Joshua Bradley was quiet, it was 3.30pm on a Monday afternoon. We were greeted by a smart young man who took us to our seats and was super polite throughout. Sitting in the Orangery is splendid place to eat. Bathed in natural light, but without the intense heat often found in conservatories, you are surrounded by neutral greens and beiges, a relaxing, comfortable place to be. Through the windows is the expansive patio area, complete with rope swings for the kids and there's even a bit of a pond if you venture to the far end. This is a great spot for people watching. There is a nice mix of families, men who look like they have raided their son's wardrobe, and Giro WAG's complete with Johnny Choo heels and DnG sunglasses!

We had bread, oil and balsamic to munch as we looked at the menu, the oregano focaccia was particularly tasty, and the white bloomer was light and very floury, I made a real mess...and loved it!

Starters were a Game Terrine, and Stilton Mushroom Bake. My terrine was superb. It was light and smooth like a parfait, but contained the huge sweet, gamey flavours you would expect from a dish containing venison, pheasant and partridge. I enjoyed this dish a lot, and it was nicely complimented with onion chutney and toasted pieces of the oregano focaccia. Although Anna enjoyed the Stilton Mushroom Bake, I thought it was very average. Button mushrooms in a bit of a cheese sauce wasn't to my taste. Personally I think this dish would benefit from using some more interesting flat or field mushrooms, and beefing the sauce up with more garlic and some black pepper.

For the main event Anna had Cajun Chicken and Choritzo Penne, a dish both of us had tried before, and one we both new was a winner! This is a brilliant fusion pasta dish. There is a decent heat provided by the Cajun spices, but this is mellowed by the comforting lipid rich sauce. This is a generous serving too, and although our waitress (or server as the place insists on calling their waiting staff) looked a little surprise when we asked for the plentiful leftovers to be bagged up, the kitchen did box it up for us to enjoy later.

Feeling butch, I had ordered a Mixed Grill, with a medium rare steak, and Pepper sauce. Surely something of greatness. I received a mixed grill, well done steak and no sauce. My server went back tot he kitchen and managed to get some sauce, but she needn't have bothered. It was pleasant but nothing special, there were peppercorns in their, but somehow their flavour had remained trapped inside their hard shell, and this was a creamy sauce, with some peppercorns in. My over cooked steak was actually really nice! The gammon was tasty with enough saltiness to make the peas taste super sweet. The best bit however were the sausages. They were great, dense, meaty and perfectly seasoned.

The Joshua Bradley is Hydes Brewery's flagship pub. It is easy see why. It is visually stunning, a hugely successful design concept. From what I can gather, £2,000,000 was invested in creating the place. The result is very good, but not £2mil good! If I have visitors and we need some good food, I would not hesitate to bring people here, but what they need to do is invest in some quality training and refine their cooking, just a little and take this place from very good, to £2million good.

I visited The Joshua Bradley at 3.30 on 18/4/11. The Joshua Bradley, Stockport Rd, Gee Cross

The Market Restaurant

The Market Restaurant promotes itself as being the 'Original Northern Quarter Restaurant', and is a quaint and simple restaurant nestled in the Northern Quarter. It looks tranquil and inviting, and the peering in through the window is reminiscent of a period drama country cottage.

On arrival we were greeted by a very young looking waiter and were escorted into an empty dining room. An empty dining room always puts me off, however we were quite early, 5.00pm, as we had tickets to the Ballet latter that evening. However we took our places and were given the menu and drinks list.

The menu is very small, very simple and very British, a sign that the Chef must be proud of his skills, and can make beautiful food out of simple, locally sourced goods. As we studied the menu, I ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumé from the youthful waiter. He returned looking rather pleased with himself and gave us a 2008 Pouilly-Fumé from their recent wine tasting event and reassured us it was far better than the 2009 on the menu and we could ave it at the same price. Fantastic! Anyway, the wine was crisp, cold and delicious.

Food. Starters were a chicken liver pate, and duck and cranberry salad. The pate was magnificent! Thick, tasty and hearty, served with toast and a rocket salad. It was smooth and tasty and not at all metallic or overly rich. This was well matched with the peppery rocket. The duck in he duck salad was served cold and thinly sliced. It was not at all fatty or chewy, but flavoursome and rich. This was countered with the acidity of the berries and the crispness of the salad. A very simple but accomplished dish.

We both ordered the Fillet of Beef to follow. This was looked awesome. A large seared beef fillet served on rosti potatoes with top and tailed green beans. The fillet cut with no drama, with a reassuring ooze of succulent juices. The peppercorn and cognac sauce was packed with pepper flavours and happily wasn't too creamy. This was finished with a sprinkle of bright pink peppercorns, that gave a refreshing kick. I can't praise the meat highly enough, and was certainly one of the top 3 steaks I have ever had. There was not a piece of fool left uneaten on my plate. No chewy bits of fat, no stray burnt bits, no thick bean skins. The window in which we were sitting was adorned with awards stickers. It was easy to see why this restaurant is steeped with these accolades.

So impressed was I with the quality of the food so far, I ordered dessert. Something which I very rarely do. We were presented with a White Chocolate Cheese Cake, an Almond and Ginger Tart and a Trio of Cheeses. Even though I am not a fan of desserts, these were magnificent. The White Chocolate Cheesecake was rich and sumptuous, the Tart was was mellow and cut with warming ginger. All this with 3 British Cheese, Somerset Brie, Blue Stilton and fittingly Lancashire ended a faultless dining experience.

The Market Restaurant is the quietly confident jewel in the mish mash that is Manchester's Northern Quarter. The food is unashamedly simple, and executed to an exceptionally high standard. This place couldn't come more highly recommended.

I visited The Market Restaurant around 5.00pm on 16/10/10. The Market Restaurant, High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester.

Thomas Restaurant & Bar

Thomas Restaurant and Bar opened in March 2010, and up until this weekend I had not yet payed a visit. I first noticed it on a night out a few weeks back, and was immediately impressed with its stark and bold image. However, this was not an occasion organised by myself, so we walked past.

On my first visit I was initially struck with the design of the place, a huge double floored ceiling, masses of concrete style tiles, plum and olive seats and dark leather sofas. Thomas' exuded all the aspects of cleanliness, light and airiness currently being shoved down our throats by style programs. Fantastically these aspects work beautifully and entering the bar is like entering a Tardis. The huge distance up to the ceiling gives a strange sense of relief after the small bustling streets of Manchester's Northern Quarter.

Some may find a venue like this hugely pretentious, but, we were greeted by a chap who warmly asked us if we were here to eat or drink. Having seen the "Cocktails" sign on the A-board outside, we were here for drinks. The barman invited us to pull up a seat at the bar, which was brimming with premium spirits, and a selection of draft brews, and gave us a drinks menu. As we studied the menu I noticed the barman pull out an almost frozen San Miguel glass from the fridge and began to pour a customers drink. The chilled glass was a nice touch, but I wonder if this is always possible, especially on a busy weekend evening.

There were a dozen or so cocktails available, all modern twists on the classics, but we were told we could order our favourites even if they were not on the list. I ordered a Thomas Manhattan, and Anna a Porn Star Martini.

The Manhattan was delivered in an icy Martini glass and was brimming with boozy overtones. The large slosh of Woodford Reserve Bourbon was cooled, but not weakened with a generous serving of Grant Burge Tawny Port. The whole ensemble was sweetened with a dash of Maraschino.

The Manhattan was tasty, and powerful, a real recommendation for fans of a bracing drink.

The Porn Star Martini looked filthy, good filthy and to top things of was presented with a shot of Prosecco. This Martini was thick and tasty, the Vanilla Vodka added strength and sweetness and the Passion Fruit added an acidity that ripped through it, keeping the whole drink zesty.

Whilst enjoying our drinks, we were discussing the array of premium spirits behind the bar, which the barman noticed. After asking us about our preference of spirits he presented me with a slug of 18 year old Japanese Single Malt, on the house. This was a lovely gesture, and a clever one. the Whisky was smokey and powerful, different to some of the lighter Japanese Malts I have tried, and certainly worth another visit to try with some of my whisky drinking friends.

After enjoying our drinks, and chats with the bar man, it was time to leave and I asked for the bill. Wonderfully the waitress made an error in our favour and gave us back £10 more change than she should have. After a quick moral dilemma we decided to be honest and gave the cash back, after all the drinks were fabulous and the service was brilliant.

One bone if contention was the male waiter who appeared just before we left. An arrogant looking chap, parading round like a peacock, was the antithesis of the man who served us. As he strutted about he chewed like a injured Pit Bull with a caramel. I don't mind chewing gum, its far better than bad breath, but munching away like that looks bad and the sound is highly irritating.

Chewing aside, our experience at Thomas' was fantastic, cool design and strong drinks, a great combination.

I visited Thomas Restaurant and Bar around 4.30pm on 16/10/10, Thomas Restaurant and Bar, Thomas St., Northern Quarter, Manchester.

Walrus, Manchester

Walrus is trying to be cool. Happily, this has worked. It is a sea of colour, material, and glass. The glass is the first thing you encounter as you try to enter the bar/Japanese canteen. A glass door in a curved glass corridor makes for quite a disorienting entrance, but once you navigate this you are presented with a ludicrous orange and purple striped floor, quirky tables and chairs, and globe shaped light shades. All leading to a fantastically stocked bar, where we were greeted with a smiling, cheerful barman.

Whilst browsing the drinks menu, the barman reassured us that we weren't limited to the menu, and they would happily construct a drink for us, a good sign that these folks know what they are doing. I ordered a Mojito, which didn't appear on the menu, and the barman set off for Rum, ice, lime and mint. Anna ordered a Love Deluxe, the menu doesn't tell you the ingredients, just the flavours. The Love Deluxe was touted as chocolate, mint and hazelnut.

My Mojito was created without any drama, and was a solid example of the cuban cocktail bar staple. The barman told me it was only his second weekend, and he was still learning the menu. As he looked around for the ingredients, he quickly reassured me that he knew what he was doing, and the next drink proved this. The Love Deluxe involved much more attention than the Mojito. White chocolate syrup, white spirits, and Frangelico were shaken and sieved into a funky shaped glass, and a simple linear design was stenciled over the creamy drink with sprinkles of chocolate and hazelnut. It looked fantastic, and more importantly it tasted fantastic. Creamy, but not at all sickly, with a sweet vein of chocolate and a savoury kick from the hazelnut. As good as my Mojito was, the Love Deluxe was better.

Walrus is a stunningly designed space, colourful and vibrant but in no way ugly and intrusive, the service was friendly and attentive, and the final product was accomplished and most importantly tasty. Highly recommended for an afternoon cocktail, and I am certainly interested in trying their Japanese cuisine.

I visited Walrus around 4pm on 16/10/10, Walrus, High St, Northern Quarter, Manchester.