Bar

There are some places that epitomise their location; Common in the Northern Quarter used to be a prime example. The NQ institution was one of my favourite places in Manchester to drink. Its quirky and artistic – if a little scruffy – decor was all part of the charm. To celebrate their 10-year anniversary they closed their doors for several …

I was surprised to receive an invite to the ‘reopening’ of The Alchemist in Spinningfields recently. I didn’t even know it had closed, much less that it was to reopen double its size and with a full food menu. Probably because Spinningfields isn’t an area I spend much time. I’d never eaten in The Alchemist before either, though I had been for cocktails …

There was nothing romantic about Valentine’s Day 2012 for me. The date of my worst ever experience as a food blogger at Taps in Manchester’s Great Northern. I swore I’d never return; something I stuck to for two and a half years, even when asked directly by the restaurant. When I did go back last month it wasn’t because I was asked …

Having enjoyed my first visit to Gorilla last year I’ve been meaning to return for ages, before a recent gig at the Academy I did just that. Located under the arches near Oxford Road station it’s shiny and loud inside, it was busy too but we managed to grab the last free table. As if trying to get rid of …

There seems to be a new restaurant opening every week in Manchester at the moment. Some are more exciting than others of course but one that caught my attention recently was ‘Cane & Grain’. They promised to bring ‘Rum, Ribs, Bourbon & Beer’ to the Northern Quarter, as a fan of all four I was naturally excited. Last week I was …

Last Wednesday I attended the launch of ‘Chalk Bar and Grill’ the latest addition to Didsbury’s ever growing dining scene. I didn’t actually intend on blogging about it, and this certainly isn’t a ‘review’ since all I ate were canapés. But since I enjoyed them so much and was impressed with the place in general I thought i’d share my photos …

People who know me now will find this hard to believe but until a couple of years ago I really wasn’t much of a gin drinker. In fact, I only got my first bottle at home last year. Since then though I can’t stop drinking the stuff, I’ve made some fabulous gin based cocktails and it’s now one of my favourite …

I love burgers but thanks to the Hard Rock Cafe, Almost Famous and especially SoLita i’ve eaten rather a lot of them lately. As I made my way to Gorilla Bar & Kitchen, a place I know is renowned for serving decent burgers but also has a much more varied menu I repeated “must not order burger, must not order …

I was recently invited to the Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester to sample their relaunched ‘Legendary Burger’ menu. I generally turn down similar offers for a variety of reasons but mainly because they’re often not places i’m interested in visiting. However, as a bit of a burger connoisseur and a fan of rock music I thought it would be an interesting opportunity …

I’ve had many a big night out in Liverpool which required a full English breakfast the next morning. Despite being a food geek (obviously) and if i’m honest a bit of a food snob, for some reason it has always been at the same old dodgy greasy spoon which makes the losers cafe on The Apprentice look like The Ritz. …

“Be prepared for a unique experience at the UK’s first self-service beer venue.” The words of the Taps website, not mine. Although I can confirm that my experience certainly was unique  i’m not sure it was in the way they intended when they came up with that statement. Yes it was the first time that I have sat at a table with …

After eating at fine dining restaurants for the past couple of days we decided we’d like something a bit more casual for our last day in Copenhagen. We were spoilt for choice as there are countless cafe bars in the city. We ended up at ‘Tight’ based on some fantastic reviews and it’s location very near to Christiansborg, home of …

After leaving Restaurant Krebsegaarden I literally stumbled upon one of the best cocktail bars I have ever visited. Bar 7 is tucked away on the same side street, i’m so glad that I happened to walk that way. Coming inside almost anywhere from the cold winter Copenhagen night would have been warming but Bar 7 felt especially warm. The decor …