O perfil de reddragon

Finally made my first trip in here after passing it and looking in enviously on several previous occasions. Brought a couple of out-of-towners in who enjoyed their pie, mash and mushy peas and toasted chicken and cheese sandwich respectively – a cup of detox tea and an Aretha Franklin smoothie also went down well as well.

I was eating light and had a “healthy” flapjack which was a little tough but oh-so-tasty, had to take half it home for tea later! Had a perfectly brewed pot of peppermint tea too…

Yes it’s a touch pricey but they can get away with charging a bit of a premium in the Northern Quarter as they were pretty busy when we were there. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly so if they’ve had problems previously (as in earlier reviews), they seem to be doing a lot better now. Lots of Mr Scruff merchandise (including plenty of his tea!) if you’re partial to that kind of thing.

Probably won’t make this a regular haunt but as an occasional treat this is well worth looking at.

A Manchester institution on the edge of Castlefield in the shadow of the Hilton tower, Dimitri's is always busy, and having visited on a few occasions it's not difficult to see why.

Dimitri's is at it's most fun when you're there as part of a group. On the menu, skip past the slightly expensive tapas and main course list, and go straight for the "Kalamata Plata" mezes combos - available in Vegetarian, Meat and Seafood options, it's best to go for a combination of two or even all three of these (depending on how many people you're with), and then be prepared to have every inch of your table taken over by bowl after bowl and plate of delicious Greek food; from meatballs to couscous to falafel and houmous, it's all there - you'll be stuffed afterwards!

If you're looking at somewhere for a birthday celebration or a staff night out, you could do a lot worse than Dimitri's, I'd definitely go again : )

Overpriced patisserie/café just off Deansgate opposite Kendals - there's something wrong in the world when a pot of tea and a Danish comes in at over a fiver, and they charge nearly £2 for a couple of pieces of toast!

In it's defence, it's very well turned out and the bread and pastries they sell look fresh and tasty, but the staff didn't seem particularly interested in serving us that quickly, and if you're paying that much, I think that's the least you should expect.

I'm not sure I'd go there again...

Quick, clean and reliable but a massive rip-off - it's clearly designed to fleece tourists, £16.90 single or £28.80 return for a 30 minute journey, they must be raking it in!

It was actually cheaper for me to get the train from Manchester to London, and not a whole lot more to get Easyjet flights from Gatwick to Germany, so I feel like I got stung on the way...

It's also no longer true about a discount for Easyjet customers - you can still get the tickets (and other train tickets) on the inbound flights but they are at full price nowadays.

Based on the site of the former celebrity haunt Establishment and more recently occupied by the slightly odd Karim's, Rosso is part-owned by Rio Ferdinand, and it's probably the United connection which explains the name.

Entering the large Athenaeum-style room (many buildings nearby have a similar decor), we were seated fairly quickly, but disappointingly we were given a booth rather than a regular table, meaning the five of us were all crammed round one side of the table. We managed to get one extra chair but were told there were no more available - indeed the restaurant could do with losing four or five tables as it's just too crowded in there.

To start, I had a duck salad which was good if unspectacular, other starters such as minestrone soup, duck terrine and carpaccio of beef went down well.

I had a fillet steak with black truffle mash for main course which was delicious, the steak was beautifully done. Again, other main courses went down pretty well.

And then finally the acid test in any good restaurant, my favourite: Creme Brulée. Unfortunately, Rosso failed on this count, the cream had not set properly which is pretty sloppy to be honest (literally as well as metaphorically!). To compound this, the "sorbet" they served to one of our group contained milk which made it inedible. In fact there's a distinct lack of non-creamy desserts on the menu so I'd be very careful if you have any lactose intolerances.

Service was efficient if not particularly friendly, and I always think it's cheeky to add a 10% service charge, you should be allowed to choose what to tip...

Like the earlier review, I really wanted to love this place but it could and should be so much better.

Rio, have a word will ya?

More of a pub restaurant than a pub, the Didsbury is nonetheless warm and welcoming with a good variety of ales on tap.

They have a varied menu with such choices as Beef and Directors Ale Pie, Lamb Kleftico and Thai Red Snapper, plus they have good lunch and teatime deals if you're on a budget.

You can sit round the fire in the winter, and then there's a huge beer garden out front to enjoy in the summer - it's popular with staff at the office blocks and the university campus nearby, but it's also suitable for families too.

Well worth a visit...

Funky little restaurant on the main road in Monton village, Blacksticks is on the site of the former Bistro 221 restaurant.

I was there recently for a family meal and was impressed by how quickly we got served, we got drinks straight away and then they gave us just the right time to choose from the menu.

I started with a tian of prawn, crab and fennel marmalade which had the ingredients bound together in a cylindrical shape, didn't know what to expect when I ordered it but was very tasty and not too filling.

For main, I had the pan fried duck which came with greens and a potato rosti, plus I'd ordered some fat chips on the side. The meat was pink and full of flavour and was a very tasty meal.

I was a bit full after that but treated myself to a slice of chocolate cheesecake for afters, and was pleased that was quite light and was a good finish to the meal.

The bill was around £200 for a party of five, that includes a couple of bottles of wine - it might seem a little pricey but it is a really good restaurant, I would definitely recommend it to others...

Fab little Japanese restaurant opposite Chorlton Bus Station, I'd heard lots of good things about Yakisoba before I went and was not disappointed.

There's two different ways you can go there -one is to go for the Bento Box deal, where you get a bento box full of tasty salad, miso soup, rice crackers, sesame-covered cashews and fruit to accompany HUGE bowls of rice and/or noodles.

The other is to sample Yakisoba's Tea Room, a big selection of tasty dim sum dishes, more than enough to fill you up!

Chopsticks are provided but so are forks if you're not feeling too adventurous! Apparently they also do takeaway too, so you can sample their delights in the comforrt of your own home.

I highly recommend this and would definitely go again ( :

I'd heard great things about Zouk (if you're not sure where it is, it's round the corner from Odder near the BBC) and was initially impressed by the venue - brightly lit with high ceilings and an open kitchen.

However, we were booked in for 8pm and they took 45 minutes to seat us which is pretty unacceptable. Our starters came fairly quickly, a few of us had poppadoms and pickle trays (which were a bit stingy) although one or two went for full starters, such as the tandoori haddock or the chicken imlee, which were light and tasty.

We then had to wait another 45 minutes for the main course - I think they may have been short staffed in the kitchen but that's not our problem really, the waiting staff were polite but mostly ineffectual.

However, I would recommend the Lamb Nahari - I'm not a big curry eater but this was really good, a tasty thick sauce and big pieces of lamb, plus they give you a plate of spices in case you want a bit more heat in your meal.

We did complain about the slow service and were given some free cake which is nice, but it did take away a lot from what was otherwise a good meal. Maybe it's better if you go when its quieter, as opposed to a Friday night...

Stylish new restaurant in Heaton Moor from the people who previously brought you Sam's and Mr Thomas's Chop Houses in central Manchester.

I was there recently for a family occasion and was immediately struck by the politeness of the staff and the warm decor of the restaurant.

For starter I had wood pigeon with candied beetroot, walnut and watercress, it was small but beautifully presented and was very light and tasty introduction to the meal.

I had hake for the main course with deep fried squid and plenty of sauteed bok choi, the fish was flaky and soft and worked well with the flavour of the bok choi. Other members of my family tried the rack of lamb and the steak and were also very impressed by their meals.

I finished with a lemon creme brulee - it's something I almost always have when it's on the menu in any restaurant and this one did not disappoint, it had a very subtle lemon flavour, not too sweet.

One little gripe is that the lighting is a little dim in places (though nothing like that of the Gaucho Grill), my gran struggled to read the menu, but this is a minor criticism as we were all very impressed the food and service.

Damson won best Newcomer in the 2009 Manchester Food and Drink Awards and is certainly well worth a look, highly recommended...