On a recent trip to Manchester, my lovely wife, our daughter and I were staying with a group of friends at a hotel on Worsley Brow and checking out the dining options within walking distance. Given its proximity to our hotel, we popped into The John Gilbert several times during our stay, wanting to avoid dodging the traffic speeding by if we tried to venture down towards the Worsley Court House.
The pub itself was clean, nicely decorated and seating was comfortable. The side dining rooms have three-quarter windows offering nice views of the lush wooded surroundings.
On our first visit, a quick scan of the cocktail list featured my favorite Negroni as a classic, even though the bartender needed to look up the recipe. It was a fine version with Tanqueray rather than my usual Hendrick's. On subsequent visits, I switched to G&T since they feature Fever Tree tonic.
Of course, the fish and chips were a must for our first pub meal in Manchester, though the Sunday Roast looked and smelled wonderful, along with a prime steak burger for our daughter. The fish was very good and the chips, which we typically do not eat very often at home, were hot and tasty with plenty of Sarson's malt vinegar to shake on top. Our daughter enjoyed her burger with rosemary fries, and that juicy burger is something I would later wish I had at another restaurant in Manchester City center.
Over the course of several more visits, we tried the Potted Ham Hock (yummy, but not enough sourdough bread), a Grilled Cheese and Ham Hock Toastie (for late night munchies), The Hunter's Chicken (very satisfying), and the Seafood Grill (excellent fish, the smoked hollandaise was very good, but the prawns were overcooked for my taste).
The wait staff on most of our visits were friendly, speedy and accommodating. They got to know me and my fedora as I bellied up, so after a few visits, I could ask for "our usuals". The only wrinkle was that we did have one of our meals during the evening on the Bank Holiday, and the pub was packed and could have used at least two more staff.
We're glad that The John Gilbert was our local during our week's stay. read more