The
Modern at Urbis Manchester - reader comments
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"I
fail to understand how this restaurant can advertise itself as having
panoramic views of the city. There is one table near the staircase
to the bar where the views are good, the rest of the windows
have panels over them so you can only view the city through
tiny slats. As this was the main reason I took my parents
there for Mother's Day I was extremely unimpressed and slightly embarassed.
As for the food, three of us at the table had the steak and the other
a fish dish. I have to say I have had better steak which I've cooked
myself. The meat was chewy and tough, even though
it had been ordered medium-rare. For the price of the restaurant this
was completely unacceptable. I would urge people to ask for
a city view table when booking and avoid the steak!
On the positive side the bar was nice and the selection
of drinks very good even if they were a bit on the expensive
side."
- hayley griffin, london 9/4/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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| "Very
nice and surprised not more expensive. Food
was excellent but service a bit slow considering it was 5.30pm
and only a few tables were busy, they might just take a bit to get
going! Worth a visit."
- pam armstrong, leeds 5/3/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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"We
visited after reading the rave reviews on Manchester Restaurants.
This is certainly one of Manchester's best kept secrets!
It is very easy to miss as you walk past the doorway but once you
venture inside you're in for a treat. The 6th floor bar is first port
of call and then on to the restaurant on the floor below. Terrific
views across the city, in a very stylish, modern setting,
are great reasons to visit but the food is the top attraction.
3 of the 4 of us went for the lunchtime menu (2 courses £12.95,
3 courses £15.95) and it was excellent, good value food.
The other member of our party opted for a la carte and had a superb
fish meal. It was understandably very quiet for our visit - Monday
lunchtime, first day back after the New Year break - but hopefully
word will soon get around and ensure that the restaurant is the great
success it deserves to be. One constructive criticism - the
bar area could be made more comfortable and user friendly
by swapping some of the 2 seated tables for some larger tables"
- ian, stockton heath 8/1/08 (visited on a monday lunch) |
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| "My
fiance booked a dinner in this restaurant on our 4 years anniversary.
I must say it was a perfect choice! We came an hour early to have
a drink before our dinner and we enjoyed the romantic atmosphere.
Great view, relaxing background music, lovely cocktails and
very nice and polite people! We went down for our dinner
after, could even choose where we wanted to sit... the supervisor
that was serving us checked for me whether my chosen meals were suitable
for me, as I cannot eat onions. My olives were extra but complimentary!
The wine service was professional and our meals delicious!
Especially, we would like to recommend the Scallops starter and the
Chicken main course that my partner had. This restaurant is only new
but I'm sure it will be successful. They care about their customers
and make you enjoy your time. We will return."
- monika, manchester 8/1/08 (visited on a monday evening) |
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| "Absolutely
loved every minute. We were not rushed and had the whole
restaurant to ourselves and the staff treated us like a million
dollars. Excellent food - out of this world - and
great views. Will definitely be coming again. Thank you very
much for making it special..... Loved the champagne cocktails!"
- sian, wigan 5/1/08 (visited on a saturday lunchtime) |
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"Visited
after reading your review - have to agree best Chicken in
town - only downside was having to go up the stairs to the
toilet near the bar!"
- rob, manchester 24/12/07 (visited on a thursday evening) |
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| "I
visited on Friday night with a group of friends. We had a great time
and the food was delicious and affordable. The view
was amazing and the restaurant was reasonably busy although
the bar was dead which is a pity as it's now my favourite drinking
destination in town. Having read the other reviews on this site before
we went, I found the hidden entrance but I can see how many would
walk past not knowing it's there. Whether or not it was busy before
or after the Take That concert next door I don't know. but it seemed
to be the only place in town on Friday that was quiet. I'll certainly
be returning as will all my friends. Superb!"
- emma, prestwich 23/12/07 (visited on a friday evening) |
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| "I
visted The Modern after reading the reviews on this site. It's a very
good restaurant but the only down point was that it was impossible
to find the entrance to it in the Urbis building (it's through a side
entrance opposite the Printworks). When we finally got in, we were
the only people there. We started off with an Airmail, one of their
nice champagne cocktails. Afterwards we ventured downstairs where
a waiter was ready to show us a table. We could choose whichever table
we wanted as there was nobody else there, so we chose the one with
the nice view of the Wheel. Everything was really nice and I'd definitely
go back there. It's a great restaurant for a romantic occasion and
is sure to get busier as word gets about."
- carol denney, manchester 20/12/07 (visited on a tues evening) |
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"What
a fantastic restaurant. We visited on a Thursday
lunchtime when it was quiet but we got to pick where we wanted to
sit and had the staff's undivided attention. As it was a sunny day
we had great views over Manchester.
We loved the menu - modern British and both loved
our starters of Corned Beef Hash Potato Cake and Scotch Eggs. The
mains were equally impressive with us having the Toad in the Hole
and the Chicken with Leeks in a Bacon and Mustard sauce. We chose
from the lunchtime menu, which was a bargain for such top-notch
food - £12.95 for two courses. The only down side was
the lack of information on side orders. This was placed at the back
of the menu and we just didn't see them. Our waiter didn't mention
it either. At least we will know for next time!!
I asked my friend which was her favourite restaurant in Manchester
and she said The Modern - this was before we had even had our main
course!! I can't wait to visit again but next time I will visit at
night to get a different experience. I might even try the bar as a
starting point for a night out as it is so close to Victoria train
station."
- claire, ashton-under-lyne 19/12/07 (visited on a thursday lunch) |
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"When
Le Mont closed down it certainly wasn't a result of the quality
of the food. In a city with such a small city centre and so much
choice of good (but not sensational) restaurants, perhaps Manchester
isn't ready to accomodate a top quality exclusive restaurant - Establishment
and Reform were other examples. It is, for that reason alone, why
we're curious as to how The Modern will fare.
First
of all the signs weren't good. Quite literally 'signs'... we couldn't
find the entrance, yet we knew the restaurant was open as we'd received
the first customer review a few days earlier. After many laps of
walking the perimeter of the impressive landmark buiding, a security
guard behind the frosted glass beckoned to a hidden doorway on the
opposite side of the building (across the road from Waxy O'Connors).
Even when we were eventually stood outside it, we still couldn't
find the entrance but fortunately the automatic door slid open and
a sign indicated to take the lift to the 6th floor. It was all very
James Bond. Secret doorways, instructions to follow, lonely elevators
and chic 60's style signage.
On
arrival on the 6th floor we entered the bar and, honestly, the manager
almost fell of his chair with surprise and the barman all but panicked
with shock - 'a customer!'. Even though it was 9:30pm, it was obvious
we were the first of the night and on conversation with the staff
it sounds like there hasn't been many others since opening 7 days
ago. Already thoughts of Le Mont resurfaced.
We
stayed upstairs for champagne cocktails - the Airmail at £8
is highly recommended - and admired the view, whilst enjoying the
complimentary roast parsnips and superb lo-fi music before heading
down the curved staircase to the restaurant on the 5th floor where,
once more, we were the only customers they'd seen all night. The
decor is wonderful, very stylish, plain yet modern, well spaced
tables and intimate lighting which is complimented by the wonderful
view. Having the whole restaurant to ourselves, we opted for the
table overlooking the big wheel and cathedral.
The
menu is impressive - a great collection of locally influenced dishes
at a reasonable price. Following the beautiful Morecambe Bay Potted
Shrimp starter (£5.50), we opted for the Slow Roasted Saddle
of Herwick Lamb (£15) and the Grilled Goosnagh Maize Fed Chicken
(£10.50). Unfortunately the waitress, who to be honest came
back to double check a few of our orders (teething troubles), misheard
'Lamb' for 'Chicken' and I never got to taste the lamb I'd been
so looking forward to. My initial disappointment though was soon
overcome on tasting the chicken, the best I've tasted outside of
a Michelin star restaurant in the UK. Even with the side order of
Fat Cut Chips (£3.50) this was outstanding value for money.
The excellent Marmalade Sponge dessert was also well priced at £4.50
although the manager by this time had thrown that and some sorbets
(£4.50) in for free after learning about the Lamb order.
With
pre-theatre menu's offering even better value for money (2 courses
at just £12.95), you have to applaud Urbis for moving The
Modern away from the snobbery associated with Le Mont. That said,
The Modern will suffer the same fate as Le Mont unless they get
their marketing right. Too many restaurants in Manchester aim at
a local market which is often too small to sustain a healthy business.
The Modern has the advantage of being next to the MEN Arena, the
main shopping area, The Printworks and the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Many of it's potential visitors are out of towners who are simply
not going to see the hidden doorway next to a bus stop. Advertising
in local newspapers may provide short term traffic but they'd be
doing their chef great discredit if they fail to maximise the potential
of what is certainly one of the best dining destinations in Manchester."
- Manchester Restaurants 11/12/07 (visited on a monday evening) |
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