You will wonder what on earth you are doing there, sitting in a car park in Hulme opposite a shipping company, you'll check the address and question why there was a guy operating the car park barrier.
It gets bizarre, almost Dadaesque as you walk to the front of the building and in the middle of this industrial estate there's a red carpet with velvet rope in the empty, still night as if there's going to be hoardes of paparazzi or fans. But it's empty save for a bored looking doorman and some unimaginative corporate art.
Once inside it's a little better, there's incense in the air and it's suddenly very dark and atmospheric... to undermine all the pained attempts to make this place look sophisticated they've pasted the inside of the lift with positive reviews. No sources, just general OMG statements. It's tacky. It's like walking in on a circle jerk. You're already there, they should let the food do the talking without The Lift of Brainwashing.
The decor is lovely, this I can say with confidence. Well designed, a little disconcerting sometimes with the floating neon heads but I warmed to them after a while, as trippy as they were set in this pan-asian setup. A tad overwraught? Looks like those Vegas attempts to appear refined or classy when in reality it's a bit OTT. But didn't I just say let the food do the talking? So...
The menu is varied though a little uninspired. Thai green curry and kebabs, pad thai and parathas, nothing too unfamiliar. I do get annoyed with the type of restaurant that needs to be constantly telling you how amazing it is, and the menu does keep finding ways to name-drop. Irritating but it's a matter of personal taste.
I had a papaya salad to start that smelled great but tasted of little. I ordered the thai green curry as my main course. There was nothing wrong with it. It was fine. It wasn't exemplary by a very long shot, in fact it was similar quality to a thai green curry I'd bought for £4.50 at Petticoat Lane Market a few weeks earlier. It was fine. Average. Everyone else's food was also average, the tilapia was strangely sweet, the pad thai was a little stodgy but all were okay.
I think this is where my experience starts to get marred by the clientele. This is some sort of poser central. By eight it started filling up with wannabe wags, bad fake tans and extensions. Hen parties. The volume was growing, girly squeals and the bizarre music. Loud dance music which I normally love. In a club. Not a restaurant where people generally have conversations while they eat.
Service was poor. Table of six, only five drinks arrived. We had to remind the waiter about the sixth, he went away and came back to say they'd run out of my choice. The drink that was eventually chosen arrived without a glass.
The amuse bouche- table of six, only four came to the table. The remaining two arrived about three minutes later. Not normally a big deal. But a big deal if you're talking about one prawn on the end of a cocktail stick.
The waitress knocked a drink when laying the plates down, some beer fell into the plate of rock lobster. She acted as if it hadn't happened and walked away. We had to ask for napkins to dry the table which isn't on, not for the type of place it tries to present itself as. Our glasses stood empty for much of the time with nobody clearing them, nobody asking if we wanted anything else or if our meals were alright. Which made the poor loser walking the floor with a headset on look faintly ridiculous; what on earth was he doing?
To me this came across like a nice place to sit and even eat, a place to be seen in. As a restaurant it is batting above its weight. Apart from the fancy decor, you could be in Chinatown for the quality of food and service. Apparently footballers come here to eat. And we all know what sophisticated tastes they have. My guess is they aren't here so much for the food as for the ambience and the meat market.
Don't come here for the full price menu, take a set menu or a buffet. Doubt you'd be missing out on much. On your way out, stick to the red carpet as trying to walk around it, you'll find all the paving slabs are broken. Which is a great analogy for the place itself. A lot of gloss and showing off for something that really isn't all that great. read more