ABEL HEYWOOD: PUB HANGOUTS (UK)

There's one thing that is in abundance in Mnachester, it is definitely pubs. There is always one watering hole somewhere in corner. Their food at times aren't amazing, they aren't actually known for that but at times some pubs serve delicious food. This pub in particular serve not only as a pub and a restaurant but also a boutique hotel. A boutique hotel are very popular at the moment, they are fashionable and they are in the popular part of the town.

Abel Heywood is located near Deansgate at the area famously known as Northern Quarter. It is this big red brick building, probably once a factory in the industrial age. The words Abel Heywood running across the middle of the tall building. It doesn't take very long to get there, and it is very near to Picadilly Station.

We were greeted by a large crowd as it was dinner time. The pub seemed to be a popular destination for many white collars who were socialising after work. The place was bustling with life and it was so crowded we had no idea how to get upstairs to where the restaurant was situated. Eventually we did find it and we were brought to our reserved places immediately.

There was a lovely bar at the front and we all ordered some cocktails. I had strawberry daiquiri and others were mojitos and cider. It was definitely spring with the festive feel from the drinks ordered.

We decided to share appetisers which were marinated fried chicken and fried cuttlefish. The fried chicken was very similar to the korean version which was sticky and sweet. There was some essence of ginger and lime, which some familiar asian spices.

 It was crunchy even though it was heavily marinated. The cuttlefish was delicious, salted properly and seasoned well. It wasn't so oily and actually was very light.

I had the lamb, harrisa rump of lamb with garlic and rosemary potatoes and grilled courgettes. It was delicious to say the least. It was done medium, still pink on the inside. It was marinated with harissa spices and it really went well with the potatoes and courgettes. I finished it really quickly. It has been awhile since I had such meat.

My friends ordered delicious meals and their meal were all wonderfully prepared. There was a seabass with vegetables and asian pork sliders on pieces of chinese white buns and some chili fries.

I would definitely recommend this place to whoever wishes to try good food with great atmosphere. The prices aren't exorbitant nor are they cheap but I think it's worth the meal.


Opening times:

Sunday	11am–11pm
Monday (Spring Bank Holiday)	11am–11pm Hours might differ
Tuesday	11am–11pm
Wednesday	11am–11pm
Thursday	11am–11pm
Friday	11am–12am
Saturday	11am–12am

Location: 38 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ 

This is Sharon, signing off this week's post. Stay tune every week for more posts. 

SIAM SMILES : THAI CUISINE (UK)

There's a Thai supermarket underground in China Town, hidden admist the other supermarkets on the street.  It's normally a supermarket but they have also a small restaurant inside. The space inside is very limiting, restricting to only a couple of tables.

This place isn't as famous as the other thai counterparts in Manchester. It's definitely considered a hidden gem. Only spotted by a those who read newspaper food columns or deferred there by a friend.

We ordered a few meals including a dish that is similar to hainan chicken rice. The rice is herb infused and with steamed chicken. It was a little hard on the top but either wise it was delicious to eat. The chicken was soft and not overcooked or undercooked.

We also have ordered papaya salad, which have crunchy peanuts adding to the texture. The young papaya was sliced into thin pieces along with carrots, cabbage, and tossed with a light salad sauce. I tasted connotations of chilli as well as fish sauce and lime juice. But that's as many as I guess.

There was egg noodles with crispy skin duck broth. The broth I think was the highlight of the evening. It was sweet from the duck and I nearly fainted from eating the duck meat slices with the egg noodles. The noodles were sublime, it was tangy not too soft and have the right texture to chew on. It was cooked to al dente.

There was also pork knuckles that were braised for hours, marinated with a good sauce. It was sweet and soft to eat with the herb infused rice. The soup that came along with the dishes was a good palate cleanser. I assumed it was chicken broth.

There was also crispy pork belly with rice. I hadn't crispy pork belly in a very long time, and it was so good to finally enjoy one. It came along with the rice and like the description it was crispy and crunches between your teeth.

Overall the meal was enjoyable, with a good drink of ice milk tea on a hot weather that was surprising in Manchester.

 Address: 48A George St, City Centre, Manchester M1 4HF

Opening times:Sunday       9:30am–7:30pm
                        Monday       9:30am–7:30pm
                        Tuesday      9:30am–7:30pm
                        Wednesday 9:30am–7:30pm
                        Thursday     9:30am–7:30pm
                        Friday          9:30am–9:30pm
                        Saturday      9:30am–9:30pm

This is Sharon signing off this week's food blog. Stay tune every week for more.

GUSTO ITALIAN RESTAURANT: ITALIAN CUISINE (UK)

Italian food is renowned wherever we go. It is a loved cuisine every where in the world. The pizzas, the pastas, all the popular food choices at beloved restaurants.

In Manchester, there isn't an exception. This restaurant is located near SpinningField, an area that is filled with many fine establishments from eateries to cute boutiques. It is very much a place for those who enjoy the finer things in  life as it requires a hefty wallet to enjoy it.

We went to Gusto, an Italian restaurant that has come to our attention. We can afford this place only because we were offered a discount of the bill.

The restaurant is well decorated, giving it an elegant and sophisticated feel to it.

We ordered appetizers of smoked salmon, deep fried calamari, and meatballs.

The smoked salmon was very light, and arrived chilled. It was tasty, had the feel of spring in it, and was dressed with a citrus mayonnaise dressing.

Deep fried calamari wasn't very oily but crispy and seasoned well.

The meatballs covered with spicy meat sauce, that was mixed with grand pradano and a type of italian bread. It was seasoned well, the sauce was delicious with it.

I had a pasta that was with tomato sauce and shredded duck. The meat was cooked well, and not dry at all. It went really well with the pasta and the dish wasn't very heavy at all.

The pizzas were cooked in a brick oven, the sides of it flaky and a little burnt, but we didn't mind. We had one called caprino, with goat's cheese, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, caramelised onions, pesto ,mozeralla and rockets, The dough in the middle was a little undercooked, but over all delicious and well made.

For dessert we had tiramisu, a classic. To be honest this was what my day. The coffee was well integrated into the sponge of the tiramisu and the cheese layers. It was soft, and creamy, not overwhelmingly and was delicate to eat.

I would recommend Gusto as a place to eat for dinner but the price is a little steep for the dishes they carry. The atmosphere is certainly enjoyable as it is a lovely place, with good service and beautiful presentation of the food.

Opening hours: 

Sunday to Thursday - 12pm to 12 am

(Kitchen closes at 10pm)

Friday 12pm-12am, 

(Kitchen closes at 11pm)

Saturday- 12pm to 12am

(Kitchen closes at 11pm)

Location: 

4 LLOYD STREET, 

OFF DEANSGATE, 

Manchester, M2 5AB

United Kingdom.

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This is Sharon signing off on this week's episode. Tune in next week for more.

SWEET MANDARIN: CHINESE CUISINE (UK)

Sweet Mandarin is an award winning restaurant, having won many coveted prizes including the AA Rosette, the F word which is a Gordon Ramsay Local Chinese Restaurant competition, and the chefs, sisters, also served the Prime Minister and Premier Li. They have published a cooking book and is sold in their restaurant here in Manchester and also on Amazon.

Their journey is shown on their website and also in their memoirs which is also available to be bought online. The restaurant is located in northern quarter between the many bars and restaurants. Northern Quarter in Manchester is known for being where the young will venture to. It's abundance of cafes, bars and restaurants make it a busy hub of interesting cuisine, merchandise and services.

Sweet Mandarin was right across from a Mexican themed bar. It was a rainy day, a day when we were celebrating our friend's birthday. It wasn't so bad as we got to hail a cab for the journey down to the northern quarter. We were meant to go to this pizza joint, but it was closed for renovation and we had to look about in the rain to find another place to eat, and we stumbled upon Sweet Mandarin.

It wasn't very big place but the atmosphere was warm with lanterns hanging above and oriental screens planted about. The waiters were friendly people and we greeted immediately at the door. The place didn't need a reservation and we were placed to a table.

I discovered halfway through the meal that one of the people who served us was actually one of the sisters, the very owners of the restaurant. I was surprised to find her face on the menus before us, with her sister behind the bar making drinks.

We ordered a platter of dishes, my friend being a vegetarian and I myself loving tofu, had some vegetarian dishes, and the birthday girl also ordered
some other meals as well. She loves meat. We decided on vegetarian fried rice, vegetarian appetizers, braised tofu and mixed vegetables, lemon chicken, and a creative new dish that puts a spin on the classic peking duck.

The vegetarian appetizers were vegetarian spring rolls, salt and pepper mushrooms, with seaweed. The fried rice was served with mixture of vegetables, like cabbage leaves and chestnuts. It was a well seasoned, taste great served hot and with the claypot tofu, which had braised tofu and vegetables, cabbage leaves, spring onions, ginger, onions and mushrooms. The claypot had a healthy portion of vegetables and tofu, with a generous amount of gravy.

The peking duck, which is called crispy aromatic duck on the menu. It was exactly as named. Crispy, with the duck dried to the bone, along with the skin, which had been marinated for a whole day with a blend of spices. It was served with pancakes, thinly sliced cucumbers and spring onions, and sweet bean sauce. This is all wrapped neatly into a roll and eaten by hand. It was crispy and though dry, you could still savor the taste of the spices left in the duck.

My friend who has never tried the peking duck found it to be delicious and ate most of the duck, to my amusement.

The lemon chicken had crispy skin and the lemon sauce has all the elements of a lemon sauce, not sweet like most chinese restaurants would do it but enough to complement the dish.

We also had drinks with the meal. A bunch of cocktails which were named after the zodiac. I had one in the year of the pig, which I was born in and my friends decided on monkey. Mine was lychee infused vodka, lychee juice, fresh lemon and a splash of ginger juice. The monkey was spicy ginger infused beer, lime and vodka. They were both delicious and best of all hid the taste of the alcohol.

I really recommend this place for those seeking chinese cuisine in Manchester but it is fairly pricey. The whole meal had a higher price than expected but I think it was worth it.

Location:
19 Copperas St, 
Manchester, M4 1HS,
United Kingdom

Phone:+44 161 832 8848


Opening hours:

Sunday

12:00 - 14:30

16:00 - 23:00

Monday

12:00 - 23:00

Wednesday

12:00 - 14:30

16:00 - 23:00

Thursday

12:00 - 14:30

16:00 - 23:00

Friday

12:00 - 14:30

16:00 - 23:00

Saturday

12:00 - 14:30

16:00 - 23:00

For more information go to this website:http://www.sweetmandarin.com/



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This is Sharon signing off on this week's episode. Tune in next week for more.