Greater Manchester Restaurant Guide

“Daintier dishes than in more traditional Chinese restaurants, but of superb quality” help draw the smart crowd to Wing Shing Chu’s “elegant” city-centre Cantonese, praised in particular for its “immaculate service”. It’s “certainly not a cheap choice”, but there are no complaints about the prices. “We alternate the banquets and are never disappointed”.

Patrick Hannity’s “top-notch” Didsbury brasserie has been “the model of consistency” for more than 30 years. “It retains the perfect combination of great food with fantastic wine and brilliant service in a vibrant atmosphere” and – though somewhat overshadowed nowadays by flashier openings elsewhere in the city – still has a fan club who consider it “Manchester’s best”: “a bit of a schlep so we only go on my birthday, but I wouldn’t go anywhere else”.

“Yes I know, it’s Stockport but… WOW!” Sam Buckley’s “splendidly hipster” bare-brick-walled converted Victorian warehouse with open kitchen and a tasting-menu-only format has taken the foodie world by storm since it opened in late 2016. On most accounts it fully lives up: “the hipster foodie intensity might be a turn-off for some people but the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff and sheer quality of the food make it a wonderful experience”. “The pace is leisured and slow, focused on the kitchen and with the chance to chat and absorb; there’s great music; plenty of chef-based action, and without a doubt it has killer appeal to anyone wanting to be immersed in food and watch a talented team”. And “you leave feeling sated, but in a really good way, from the beautifully judged surprise menu”. Well, that’s the unqualified version anyway. But there are also a number of reports which are supportive but with reservations: e.g. “there’s a lot of ambition on show at WTLGI, and I think their determination to pare back to the basics and tell a story with their food means that their regularly changing menu will sometimes hit, sometimes miss; for us it mostly missed, but I can see the potential; we were no doubt unlucky in attending on one of the coldest days in the year, and our expectations were sky-high because of stellar reviews and travelling specially from London, but this was just too austere and worthy” (or as another reporters said: “so pure you have to be an expert to appreciate the subtlety and get joy from it”). Still, everyone agrees that although it’s a little “earnest”, “they try very hard to look after you well”. And even most critics feel: “I wish them well, because they are outstanding in some aspects and genuinely different”.

“A beautiful space filled with beautiful people (yes, Manchester has them too!)” – D&D London’s 19th-floor newcomer at the top of No 1 Spinningfields, “has stunning views of the city and a soundtrack to match” (and also a “fabulous outside terrace”). But “as well as being a see-and-be-seen destination, it’s a genuinely great restaurant”, and although the odd doubter feels “it’s not sure what it’s trying to be, top class restaurant or destination bar” or says “its London backers have brought London prices to Manchester” – on most accounts Aiden Byrne’s “very accessible” cuisine is repeating the success he found at Manchester House. STOP PRESS: In November 2018, just as it was all going so well, it was announced that Aiden Byrne has stepped down, for reasons that are not yet clear.