Revolution

Arch 7, Manchester Deansgate Locks, Whitworth Street

Throughout my Uni days, I heard the name ‘Revolution’ uttered more times than I care to remember. It’s a chain of bars that seems perpetually popular with students, so I was expecting it to be more a nightclub. The possibility of eating there had never crossed my mind.

On Sunday afternoon, we wandered over to Deansgate Locks for a leisurely lunch. Housed inside one of the iconic, converted railway arches, this particular bar is stylish and chic. With everybody sat outside on a glorious day, there was a lack of staff around as we walked into the quiet dining area, leaving us unsure as to whether we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait to be shown to a table. Once we were given some menus to peruse, we were similarly confused as to whether we were supposed to order our food at the bar. It’s safe to say the welcome could have been better.

Food wise, it’s a large menu with a selection of typical bar food. There are burgers, pizzas, hot sandwiches, steak, fish and chips; all the usual bistro favourites. It’s all very reasonably priced, and it’s worth bearing in mind that a decent selection of the menu forms part of a ‘2 courses for £10.95’ deal, which runs all day from Monday to Friday. If you’re more interested in nibbling than having a full meal, there’s a bar snacks section which can double up as tapas, with three plates for £14.

I had the Smokin’ Bacon burger – a beef burger topped with smoked cheddar, chorizo ketchup, streaky bacon, ‘smokinnaise’, crispy onions and Wotsits (yes, the cheesy orange puff crisps). I love a good burger and I’ve eaten a lot of exceptionally tasty ones, so I’m rather picky these days when it comes to what is, for me, the ultimate comfort food. The burger itself was average, cooked well but a little bit dry, but its accompaniments made for a tasty bite. The bacon, chorizo ketchup and ‘smokinnaise’ made for a meaty flavour and the garlic aioli with which it was served was delicious. I liked the sound of the Wotsits, but they were a bit soggy with all the moisture and subsequently didn’t add much in terms of flavour nor texture. The fries were served very well seasoned; I didn’t even need to add salt! As burgers go, it was nothing ground-breaking, but it was ideal for a casual lunch.

Smokin' Bacon Burger

There’s only a small selection of desserts. When there’s chocolate brownie and cheesecake on the menu, an ice cream sundae is generally not something I’d take a second glance at. That said, as it was a warm day I was in the mood for a thirst quencher.

The Chocolate Concrete Sundae was chunks of chocolate brownie sandwiched between scoops of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with salted caramel and chocolate sauce and topped with popping candy and Rainbow drops. Unusually, there was more brownie than there was ice cream, which was a welcome surprise and made my venture into the world of sundaes worthwhile. It came with a bourbon biscuit in place of a papery wafer too, which can only be a good thing. Thanks to all the hidden chunks of brownie, it tasted much better than it looked.

Chocolate Concrete Sundae

Revolution at Deansgate Locks is an ideal place for casual daytime dining, particularly if you want to combine it with cocktails in the sun. Relaxed and quiet, perfect for a catch up, but the staff could have been slightly more attentive.

It’s worth mentioning that you can sign up for a Revolution card, which will bag you to 25% off your food bill. Ask your waiter for the details.

Food and cocktail menus can be found online at: https://www.revolution-bars.co.uk/

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 28 May 2018

"I don't like meals for one. It's not that they make us feel lonely. I just don't think they're big enough."

Sarah Millican

The Yard & Coop

37 Edge Street, Manchester

The Yard & Coop is ‘the home of buttermilk fried chicken’ in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. One of the nation’s most popular guilty foods, a well-known red fast food joint is often considered to be the king of the golden-brown battered crispy chicken. Well, once you’ve visited the Yard & Coop you’ll be ready to pass on the crown, for this is undoubtedly the best chicken in town.

Billed as ‘proper good time food’, fried chicken forms the basis of the entire menu, be it on a burger, a kebab, an open sandwich or just on its own with a tasty sauce. The unique decor is barnyard-chic, with wooden tables and benches, orange plastic chairs and wooden tee-pees adorned with fairy lights designed to look like hen houses. It’s quirky, fun, very casual and it works.

The menu doesn’t take itself too seriously either. It’s loaded with poultry puns, advertising meals such as ‘the dirty bird’ and ‘the massive cock’, alongside ‘amaizeballs’ and ‘dirty greens’. Whilst their sense of humour suits the relaxed and friendly vibe of the interior, the food is in a different league.

There are several different ways you could approach the menu. Their signature dish is the bog standard, basic chicken and chips. You can build up your own plate: pick your chicken cut from breast, thigh or drumsticks (or halloumi for a veggie alternative), choose a sauce to go with it and pimp your fries. If you fancy something a little more exciting, there’s the ‘large plates’, and if nibbling is more your thing, there’s an array of side dishes.

I had the C-A-B (Chicken, Avocado, Bacon): buttermilk fried chicken breast on an open sandwich with smashed avocado, maple-cured bacon and siracha mayo, pea shoots and cherry tomatoes. There were two huge pieces of deliciously succulent and juicy buttermilk fried chicken. I’m never one to choose ‘chicken in a basket’ or ‘chicken pieces’ from a menu, as dry pieces of meat just don’t appeal to me, but The Yard & Coop offers a masterclass in perfect fried chicken. The skin was crispy and very well seasoned, but the meat inside was tender and fell apart when you cut into it. Coupled with oh-so-trendy smashed avocado and maple bacon, it was tasty and satisfying. The siracha mayo added a touch of spice which isn’t always ideal for a delicate tongue such as mine, but it wasn’t overpowering and only added flavour. With portion sizes on the decline across the country, it makes a change to be served a hearty plate of food which leaves you completely full and satisfied. Well worth the £12, plus an extra £1.50 for upgrading to sweet potato fries.

C-A-B

Whilst my friend opted for the Yard and Coop’s signature, the standard chicken and chips, we also ordered a side of deep fried stuffing balls. These were no Aunt Bessie-style stuffing balls. They were three times the size, containing sage and onion, chestnut and sausage meat. They were rich and creamy, doused in juicy gravy, not in the slightest bit dry.

Deep Fried Stuffing Balls

They’re not exactly big on desserts – a couple of regularly-changing specials is as far as it goes. As were we full up after our main courses, we decided to take a stroll and had coffee and cake later in the day instead.  

The Yard and Coop is all-round inclusive, with a kids menu offering a main course and a dessert for just £5 and a 10% discount for students. There’s also a selection of £5 lunchtime specials which change along with the monthly specials, and a vast drinks menu which includes a fine selection of cocktails, gins, soft drinks and milkshakes.

They even offer you a free Uber ride home. See the website for details. 

https://yardandcoop.com/

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 21 May 2018

"Calories: Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night."

Anon

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 14 May 2018

"I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren't in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets." 

Dolly Parton

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 7 May 2018

"I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks." 

Totie Fields, American comedian

Afternoon Tea at West Ivy

2 Rock Place, Bury

If you know me by now, you’ll know that there are few things in life I love more than a good old fashioned afternoon tea. Saturday 21 April happens to be not only the Queen’s Birthday (her proper one, the day she was born) but also National Tea Day. So it was only fitting for us to indulge.

However, West Ivy’s take on afternoon tea is far from traditional. There wasn’t a sandwich or scone in sight. Instead, you’re served a sewing box full of an eclectic mix of savoury and sweet treats. Make sure you’re hungry, as it’s a feast worth saving yourself for.

The savoury bits are so complete that it’s almost like tapas rather than afternoon tea. There are three chunky halloumi fries served with a sweet chilli dip, making a perfect combination. Halloumi is very fashionable these days and is the number one choice among my veggie friends. With its squeaky texture, I’m not sure what its appeal is, but, even as a meat-eater, it’s got me well and truly hooked.

Another trendy super-food also appears in the box: avocado bruschetta, topped with cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced radish. The avocado was tasty but the bread had gone cold by the time it was served, making it slightly chewy and difficult to bite through.

Next up: posh cheese on toast. Far from throwing a few slices of cheddar and a slice of Warburton’s toastie loaf under the grill, this was brie and caramelised onions on sourdough. It was deliciously tasty but the toast had gone cold, which let it down slightly. The rich and creamy soft cheese needs to be kept piping hot in order to prevent it from solidifying again.

The savoury course was completed by a Cajun chicken salad; a small bowl of spicy, succulent chunks of chicken tossed in salad leaves and dressing. All accompanied by a bowl of French fries, served with the skin still on and seasoned to taste. It was a conglomeration of flavours which kept you excited as you as you worked your way through the four miniatures.

The savoury selection

In a traditional afternoon tea, after the sandwiches comes what I like to call ‘the in-between bit’: the scones. Not savoury but not completely sweet, it adjusts your palate and builds up to the grand finale rather nicely. In this case, there’s no intermediate, you skip straight from the salty fries to the sugary sweet treats.

There’s also very little cake, but plenty of alternatives to fill the gap. The piece de resistance is the salted caramel cheesecake – of which we received two very different sized pieces. Cheesecake is my ultimate favourite dessert, so I don’t appreciate feeling like I’m being diddled. The flavour and texture was delicious nonetheless.

There was a giant toasted marshmallow sandwiched between two chocolate brownies on a skewer. The brownies were nice, with delicious chocolate fondant in the middle, but a giant marshmallow isn’t exactly the most exciting choice for an afternoon tea. It’s all sugar and no flavour. Thankfully, there was a Hershey’s chocolate dipping sauce, supposedly to accompany the two mini doughnuts and strawberries, but it complemented the marshmallow very nicely. As for the little doughnuts, they were nothing special and comparable to a tub of supermarket miniatures. The bucket of popcorn needs little explanation.

Unexpectedly, the Pink Unicorn Shake was a highlight of the sweet course. Containing a mixture of fruits, it tasted like Skittles in a glass. Topped with an old-school pink and white flump, the like of which I hadn’t seen for years, it taps into the magic of the unicorn craze without being too sickly. Although I’m not generally a believer of mixing savoury with sweet, I would recommend sipping on your milkshake as you work your way through the savoury course. Trust me, it works better than combining it with the marshmallows and brownies and, if you want to avoid leaving feeling sick, it’s the best way to avoid a sugar overload.

Sweet treats

The whole lot is £19.95 per person, including a choice of tea or coffee. It’s at the higher end of what is average for an afternoon tea, but although the savoury food justifies the price, sadly the sweet does not. You can add a glass of candy floss prosecco for an extra £3, which turns a magical turquoise colour when the candy floss is added to the bubbles.

Having eaten at West Ivy previously, I love the food and the staff are attentive and friendly. I applaud them for doing something different with their afternoon tea. The savoury side offers top notch alternatives to finger sandwiches, but the sweet needs to be improved upon. Having an afternoon tea without a scone is like having a roast dinner without roast potatoes – there’s a vital part missing.

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