Banyan Bar & Kitchen

The Corn Exchange, Manchester

Banyan Bar & Kitchen is one of the several modern restaurants making up the fusion of world cuisine that is the Corn Exchange in Manchester city centre. Formerly The Triangle Shopping Centre, when the Corn Exchange opened back in 2015, I made it my mission to eat at every restaurant in there. Slowly but surely, I’m working my way round. On Friday night, I popped into Banyan for a bite to eat before heading to the nearby arena to see the Kaiser Chiefs in concert.

It has a casual pub-come-bar feel, with a variety of seating areas, from high, breakfast-bar style seating, to spacious booths and more formal tables at the rear, backing out onto the ‘al fresco’ dining area on the inside of the Corn Exchange. We were seated in the bar section at the front, where many people were enjoying drinks and cocktails after work, or, like us, pre-gig. 

I’m not entirely sure how to describe the cuisine, as it’s a real mixture. There’s the traditional English pub grub in the form of pies and steaks, alongside burgers and lots of pan-Asian choices, including salads, skewers, sandwiches and deli-boards.

To start, I had Cajun spiced crab croquettes with lime sour cream. The texture was just about right, perfectly succulent on the inside, covered in crispy, golden breadcrumbs. They were very flavoursome, and the lime sour cream contrasted the Cajun spice, a cracking combo for a mouth that can’t handle spice, such as mine. They were, however, only small; another couple of croquettes on the plate wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Cajun spiced crab croquettes with lime sour cream

My dining companion had crispy duck spring rolls, served with oriental dipping sauce. The spring rolls were tasty but I feel that, much like pasta in an Italian, spring rolls are never quite the same outside of a Chinese restaurant.

The main course brought with it much deliberation. I wanted to try something different, so after mulling over the fish pie and a chicken skewer, I was as boring as ever and opted for a burger. Pathetically predictable, I know. 

It does, however, give me the opportunity to make direct comparisons, as burgers are something I’ve eaten a fair few of. The Banyan Burger was stacked with bacon, Monterrey Jack cheese, wholegrain mustard mayonnaise and barbecue sauce (I refuse to write it as BBQ, despite what the menu said), with an onion ring on the top. When it arrived, it looked small and dry, not the most appetising. It tasted much nicer than it looked; the beef was deliciously juicy, the cheese oozed out from underneath the meat, making for greasy fingers and rather messy handling. The truth is, I’ve simply been spoilt with out-of-this world burgers, piled high with decadent combinations of flavours, so a bog-standard one that looks like something out of a pub kitchen sadly doesn’t excite me anymore.

Banyan Burger, with crispy bacon, Monterrey Jack cheese, wholegrain mustard mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and onion rings, served with sweet potato fries

My dining companion’s spicy chicken burger looked much more impressive: a huge chicken breast covered in buttermilk batter, marinated with Cajun spices, served with Caesar mayonnaise and a pot of chicken gravy, introducing a taste of home alongside the exotic spice.

This was my first meal out since Lent began, and not being able to indulge in dessert was akin to torture. It almost feels like the experience is incomplete when I can’t end on something sweet. It didn’t help that the desserts were listed on the main menu, so I scanned over them, salivated, before deciding what I would have if I return at a later date.

As we reached seven o’clock, the volume of the music was cranked up and Banyan appeared to become more of a bar by night. It was lively without being too noisy, with swanky surroundings and it boasts an extensive cocktail menu.

The food was tasty and satisfying, albeit a little overpriced for what it was, my burger certainly not worth the £12.95 I paid for it. As we were grabbing a bite to eat before a concert, it served its purpose, as the service was attentive and the food arrived quickly. However, given its casual nature, I think it’s more of a lunchtime place, more suited to the middle of the day or a business lunch rather than a Friday night.

For more information and to take a look at the menu, visit:
https://arcinspirations.com/banyan-manchester