Victoria's reviews
Review of Mod Pop Cafe
11 Nov 07, 19:25
Icon 
Pop Cafe. A cultural icon of a place. And not just becase they serve the best hot Vimto and cheese on toast either! The food on the whole is great, it's cheap and it's cheerful but it tastes gorgeous. Whether you pop in on a Saturday afternoon mid-shopping spree or go there especially. The place is a wild collection of all things cool, retro and funky! Clothes, accessories and ornaments are on sale. There's things you just wouldn't find anywhere else. And great food and drinks! Set right in the heart of the city's Northern Quarter, Pop Cafe is right amongst the coolest places to shop, eat, drink or just hang out.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of John Rylands University Library Of Manchester
11 Nov 07, 19:18
Masterpiece 
For those who set eyes on Deansgate's John Rylands Library for the first time, 'library' might not be the first word that comes to mind. This gorgeous chunk of Victorian Gothic architecture looks more like a castle or cathedral on the edge of the newly developed Spinningfields area. The library has now re-opened following its £16 million redevelopment. The new John Rylands Library combines its 1890s architectural features and unique collection with 21st century user-access, state-of-the-art facilities, brand new exhibition areas, and superb reading & viewing spaces. John Rylands was one of Manchester's most successful industrialists with a personal fortune of £2.75million. The library was commissioned in 1890 by his wife Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her late husband. Architect Basil Champneys was given the job of designing the building (including the interiors and fittings) and delivered one of the finest public libraries in Britain. The library was one of the first with modern facilities like electricity and is home to one of the UK's greatest collections of books, manuscripts and archives. This world class collection includes the oldest known piece of the New Testament, the St John Fragment. Other treasures of the vast, varied collection include magnificent illuminated medieval manuscripts and a1476 William Caxton edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, thought to be the first book printed in England. There are also the papers of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism. Since its refurbishment, many of the library's priceless treasures are on display for the first time. It's an amazing place right in the heart of the city. A testament to what Manchester is all about.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Yang Sing Restaurant
11 Nov 07, 19:03
Singing for supper 
I had read and heard a lot about Yang Sing before I ever ent there. It was supposed to be especially good for veggies and the cuisine authentic. It has an excellent reputation. So I was looking forward to a superb meal. I have to say I was disappointed. The menu is pretty extensive and the service attentive and considerate. The waitress advised us on our choices and encouraged us to order only as much as we needed rather than overspending. This was refreshing, but unfortunately an indication of what is a fundamental problem with the restaurant's approach to food and its clientele. Basically, the restaurant is set up to serve large groups - at least four people, but preferably six upwards. Each serving is huge and therefore relatively expensive, especially the fish dishes. If you are a couple eating at the restaurant there is no option to have a small or half portion so that you can have a mix of say, four or five different dishes as you would if you were ordering as a group. Therefore we ordered two huge bowls of noodles and beancurd in a spicy schizuan sauce and it was far too much to eat between two and we were soon sick of both. The beancurd was supposed to be fried, too, and it clearly wasn't. Frankly, it was enough to put me off beancurd for life. The sauce was pretty unsubtle and I can't imagine it was in anyway authentic. In summary, the restaurant shows signs of complacency and should start thinking about the individual customer who might be out for a well-cooked meal rather than a production line of large groups out on the town. Not worthy of its "big name" in the field, I'm afraid!
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Review of Peveril Of The Peak
11 Nov 07, 18:55
Quirky!
This old-fashioned gem has retained its Victorian ambience and still attracts a hip, young crowd, as well as a more mature, traditionalist crowd. Everyone hangs out here for authentic ales. There are fun bar games such as trivia and several bars, each with a unique style. Surrounded by an intricately tiled decor, you can join a game of football or just relax, have a Boddington's, and soak up the atmosphere. It's a good Saturday afternoon pub. Just turn up in jeans and Converse and befoe you know it youll have spent 4 hours drinking local ales with local men, talking about nonsense things and eating salt and vinegar crisps. It's a good place to just chill out and have fun.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Lime Tree
11 Nov 07, 18:46
Popular eatery. No wonder!
The Lime Tree is situated in the trendy area of Didsbury a few miles outside of Manchester City centre. This area has become extremely popular with all ages for its food and drink scene. The place is always busy and to avoid disappointment, I recommend that you book well in advance. I'm always interested in seeing the menu here because it is ever changing and tends to reflect the seasons. Old favourites remain though like posh fish and chips (salmon cooked in beer batter and fat chips) and the Bury black pudding. Some people I know have said that though they always enjoy the food here, they found the service a little brusque. Personally I don't agree. The place is buzzing, conversations are loud and the waiting staff, often rushed off their feet sometimes have to shout to make themselves heard. The atmosphere, despite the crowds is easy going and thankfully for such a popular place the tables are well spaced.
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Review of Restaurant Bar & Grill
11 Nov 07, 18:36
Best food in Manchester!
The Bar and Grill is in the centre of Manchester and is spread over two floors. The bar area is on ground floor, whilst the restaurant and grill are on the upper. If you can get a window seat, even better as it is a great place to people watch. The restaurant has always been known for attracting Manchester's footballers and actors too, as it isn't far from Granada studios. The food is always delicious. The favourite starter for me is the mezze plate which is great to share. This consists of olives, humous, falafel, tzatztzi, tabbouleh and marinated feta cheese. At £7.95 it is great value. For main dishes, the linguine with king prawns, coriander, ginger and chilli is my favourite. Just a hint of chilli gives this dish a wonderful kick without overpowering the taste of the prawns. This will set you back £9.50. Other main dishes worth a mention include seabass, tandoori baked with mint yoghurt, chargrilled tuna with Catalan peppers and romesco sauce, steak pudding with stout and onion gravy and for those who like simple - fillet steak, 8oz simply grilled. All average around the £13 mark. There's a good varied selection of wines, with about 25 different bottles to choose from. Starting at around £12.00 per bottle. The waiters are extremely friendly and chatty which adds to the buzz of the place. They are nearly all foreign and of various nationalities which means we have some interesting conversations. Service is prompt unless you dine around peak time on a Friday and Saturday evening when you may have to be a little patient. But it's worth the wait!
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Review of Casa Belmondo Ristorante Pizzeria
11 Nov 07, 18:11
Bella Bella!
This town centre restaurant resembles a French bistro or Italian trattoria. Casa Belmondo's decor is like its staff...warm, and inviting. The menu is predominantly Italian, and multi-sided. All is great quality, at very reasonable prices. There are many choices, e.g. organic egg fettuccine with summer tomatoes, garlic & basil, home style spaghetti dinner with meatballs & parmesan. Meaty dishes include eggplant parmesan baked in wood-fired oven, Portobello mushrooms with roast peppers. There's usually a couple of seafood dihes to choose from too, and of course they offer Steaks, etc for the non-Italian eating members of the group! I'm hungry now...
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Review of Gypsy
11 Nov 07, 17:48
Fab fashions!
I buy nearly all my clothes from Gypsy in Shaw. The place is a tiny boutique located back-to-back wth the local market. It is an Alladin's cave of all things cool! The owners, a lovely couple who live locally, are always restocking with the latest designs and trends. They have a great selection of womenswear, accessories and jewellery. They also sell a limited collection of shoes too. The only downside is, most of the ranges are free size and some of them can be on the "small side", which is very frustrating when everything is so desirable, A lot of the items are one-off designs so you'll always feel good knowing it's a bit different to most of the stuff "Top Shop" girls will be wearing!
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Review of Nouvion Nail & Beauty Salon
11 Nov 07, 17:40
New view on salons! 
I always thought a beauty salon was a place I could go to chill out, relax and have some "me time". Not after going to Nouvion! The place is set in a beautiful old station house, but as soon as I walked in, I felt awkward and uncomfortable. The staff, instead of making me feel relaxed and welcome, spent more time concentrating on their own "beauty". They were constantly playing about with their hair and make up, loking at themselves in the mirror during treatments and generally making me feel "inferior". I felt like I was being "preached to" about skincare and nail care and was made to feel "not good enough" by their standards. They also try the hard sell, for exampe, I had a manicure and was almost forced into buying the rest of the polish sh had used. At an over-inflated price too, I might add! Not recommended, unless you are a perfect size 0 model!
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Review of Mojo
08 Nov 07, 17:14
Hidden gem
It would probably be wrong to call this place a hidden gem as it's so popular now on weekends, but when you're trying to find it, it certainly feels hidden. Above a Starbucks round the back of Deansgate, I remember this place as Tapas Tapas, a slightly dodgy Spanish joint, but maybe I'm showing my age. These days its a crazy free-for-all rock cum cocktail bar. It's a contradictory place - there's no entrance fee, there's hardly any room inside, the cocktails are great, the music manages to delight a range of ages and nationalities. The walls are covered in rock and pop posters and photos, and the bar has an edgy but classy feel to it. If you're lucky you might be there on one of the nights when the bar staff get on the bar to dance and pour spirits in ecstatic punters mouths. Oh yes!
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