"We've been
hearing great things about The Social at Urbis for quite some time.
It's a wonderful little cafe bar on the ground floor of the landmark
Urbis building, one of the better examples of Ian Simpson's work,
an architect who has since seemingly concentrated on designing buildings
for people to live in (and listen to), rather than to look at. Thanks
to the large glass exterior of Urbis, The Social gives diners a
great view overlooking the gardens at Chetham's, The Cathedral and
the old Corn Exchange (or Triangle as its now known).
First impressions are
of a museum cafe, cold metal tables and wooden chairs nodding more
towards a canteen than the quality restaurant you'll actually turn
out to find. The staff are extremely friendly and the prices are
amazingly low - main courses ranging from only £4.50 for a
top quality Thick Cut Yorkshire Ham Sandwich to a generous £8.50
for the Organic Beer Battered Fish'n'Chips.
The menu has a strong
local influence with Vegetarian Black Pudding, Crumpets and Manchester
Rarebit (£4.50) lining up alongside Steak & Kidney Pudding,
Mash and Gravy (£7) and Roast Chicken Bubble & Squeak
Potato Cake (£7.50). I opted for the Char-Grilled Rump Steak
and Watercress Sandwich, excellent value at just £5.50, whilst
my partner went for the Bacon, Chicken & Tomato Club Sandwich
with Chips (also £5.50). They also offer Sunday Roast Beef
and Yorkshire Pudding together with many other Daily Specials.
Drinks were also excellent
value at just £3.60 for a large bottle of German Jeva Pilsner,
just one of many excellent Import Ales (priced from £3 up).
You could quite easily visit The Social just for a drink with a
beer menu this good. There were 11 good quality bottles of wine
to choose from and a small cocktail menu that interestingly included
a 'Manchester Tart'.
Given that The Social
is surrounded by the MEN Arena, Victoria Station, The Printworks,
Royal Exchange Theatre, the shops and of course, Urbis itself, there
can't be many better places to grab a quick bite to eat or a good
quality, great value for money meal. The likes of Zinc and Cafe
Rouge around the corner may just be sitting up and taking notice
of their latest rival - one that certainly offers a far better alternative
as far as this diner is concerned."
-
Manchester Restaurants 27/10/07 (visited on a Sunday lunchtime) |
