"As a lover of RICE and a regular visitor to the Oxford Road restaurant, we popped into the Piccadilly Gardens branch for lunch. It was a bad mistake and we wish we had just ordered a takeaway to eat back in the office, which to be fair is what this outlet is more geared up for. First of all, the decor is cold and uninviting; a mix of concrete, steel and glass that is not helped by the extremely loud exposed air conditioning unit above. The noise of the machine may explain why the staff have their music playing so loud it's almost impossible to hear them as you place your order. The choice of gangster rap, hip hop and r'n'b is certainly not what you would expect from a professional company either. We took our seat, on the table that seemed least dirty, and it wasn't long before members of staff sat on tables next to us, getting stuck into their lunch. My Chinese Spring Rolls (£3.99) were so cold they were barely edible whilst, in stark contrast, the Mexican Beef Chilli (£7.49) was so piping hot it took the top of my mouth off. Needless to say, it slowed down our quick exit as the noise level of the music in such poor acoustic surroundings was unbearable. Having been a RICE regular for sometime, this experience is unlikely to prevent me revisiting but I certainly won't be in a rush to sit and eat in at the Piccadilly Gardens branch." - James, Salford ~ TRUSTED REVIEWER (16/5/11 ~ visited on a Monday afternoon)
