Grado
Manchester Tapas Restaurant - reader comments
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| "Make
sure they don't forget you at the bar! Kept waiting for an
hour then they sat us by the door! When we were moved to
a different table it was even colder! Make sure you wrap up warm if
you visit and allow plenty of time! Oh, and the tortilla was undercooked!
At least we got a free bottle of wine."
- ian merrick, sale 13/4/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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"An
enjoyable restaurant - stylish without being
pretentious. Not a great fan of tapas - small portions, big
cost normally - however the set up at Grado is good as you can sit
around the bar. On my second visit I tried the a la carte menu in
the restaurant, opting for the Steak. Was impressed with decor,
service and quality of the food. Would certainly return."
- rob, manchester 28/3/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
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| "After
reading the good reviews on Manchester Restaurants, we were looking
forward to trying a new restaurant. We were so disappointed!
The service was very poor, they forgot the
bread we ordered but still charged for it. The portions
were tiny - we were actually still starving afterwards! They
got our drinks wrong then charged for drinks we never had.
We eat out in Manchester at least three times every week and undoubtedly
this is the worst restaurant we have had the misfortune to eat in.
Avoid!"
- will hannah, manchester 25/3/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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"What
can I say? After 4 visits, Grado has to be one of my favourite restaurant
and bars. The staff are always amazing, friendly and really
know their stuff! The food is really spot on,
I had a number of lovely tapas including Morcilla with Fried Duck
Egg and Ximines vinegar, Clams with Sherry, Jamon Serano ham, and
Mushroom Croquetas in Romanesco sauce. The tapas is cooked in front
of you (if you sit at the bar) where you can relax and watch the masters
at work with a special Grado Sangria or the brilliant sherries, which
we got 5 for £15 with our voucher. Superb!"
- nick, stockport 10/3/08 (visited on a sunday evening) |
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| "Had
a family Sunday lunch, they had a great deal at £15 for Roast
Beef and a half a bottle Rioja, very good value for money.
The food, service and the decor of the restaurant was top
noch. Had a wonderful relaxing lunch."
- misha, salford 3/3/08 (visited on a saunday lunch) |
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| "A
very impressive restaurant. I went there to have
a business lunch with really important clients. Grado didn't let me
down one bit. It was the most relaxing and enjoyable lunch
I've had for a while. A great new addition to Manchester.
Oh, by the way, the Roast Suckling Pig was just fantastic"
- gemma, manchester 12/2/08 (visited on a monday lunch) |
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| "Went
for a busy Friday evening meal with friends and family to celebrate
a birthday. Loved the decor of the restaurant, very
impressive as you enter the restaurant. We had some cocktails
at the bar (2 for 1 cocktail deals before 7pm). Impressive cocktails
with a touch of classic & modern. Once at the table we ordered
some nibbles of olives & bread while the Sommelier helped my boyfriend
with the wine, which by the way was a great choice. We all decided
to have different meals so we could all try each others, everything
we ordered was fantastic, my main course Paella Grado was
just right with fresh seafood and a lovely presentation,
quite big for me but I had help from my army of testers who couldn't
keep their hands off. For dessert I had the Crema Calatana... yummy!
To round thing up we decided to share a plate of cheese selection,
I'm converted to Spanish cheeses from now on it was so lovely
to try something new and love it so much. As for the service,
well done to everyone and thank you for the lovely evening. Next time
we visit i'm thinking of giving the tapas bar a go, all my friends
have been saying how much they've enjoyed it and should go back soon!"
- saruul, manchester 12/2/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
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| "When
the food finally arrived after a 50 min wait, it was stone cold! This
is not what you're expecting when you have clients with you! When
someone finally came to ask if the meal was OK, we'd finished! When
we paid the bill the waitress did ask why we'd not complained, we
would have if we had time and someone had come to ask us. After all
there couldn't have been more than a dozen people in the place! Just
felt no effort taken and charged a fortune
for not delivering!"
- john, altrincham 12/2/08 (visited on a wednesday lunch) |
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"I
tried the Tapas menu at Grado at lunchtime, choosing to sit at the
open bar rather than the stunning restaurant. Very
impressed - the Platter of Jamon Serrano (£7.50), cured
pork cut straight from the pig's leg on display on the bar, was beautiful.
The Mushroom Croquetas (£3) were delicious
as were the Clams in Sherry, which, if anything, were slightly
overpriced at £6. Had I not been on lunch break I may
have well been tempted to go for the 5 sherries for £15 offer.
I'll certainly be returning to try the main a la carte menu and the
sherries when I have a little more time to enjoy the experience!"
- matthew, manchester 10/2/08 (visited on a friday lunch) |
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"We visited Grado
on the launch day and were lucky enough to meet Paul Heathcote in
person. He's a really genuine guy who's love for food is apparent
and has obviously made him one of the most celebrated chefs around.
As a big fan of his, and many of his 15 restaurants in the North
West, we were excited about the opening of Grado.
Having already ventured
away from his signature Lancashire dishes to be found at his Longridge
and Simply Heathcote restaurants, with the Italian Olive Press chain,
it was interesting to hear of his plans to offer tapas and Spanish
cuisine with Grado. From our first visit we can confirm it was a
journey we're glad he has taken.
The building, part
of Bruntwood's revamping of Piccadilly Gardens on York Street, aptly
renamed New York Street, is very impressive to say the least. Paul
Heathcote explained to us how its back street location was a lot
more appealing than Spinningfields with it's many 'out-of-towner'
chains, which, so far at least, look to be struggling. Looking at
the number of tables that were full, even at this early stage, his
local knowledge has proven to be a good judgement. The huge quality
wine collection that greets you at the door hints at what you're
about to recieve. The decor is plush, a nice array of orange and
brown and a welcoming layout that allows you to choose the less
formal tapas bar, complete with its Teppanyaki-style kitchen, or
a more formal a la carte sit down meal.
We opted for the impressive
tapas, the Mushroom Croquetas (£3), Octopus with Lemon Oil
(£5.50) and Pinchitos Morunos (£5) all being highlights
worth returning for alone, whilst the Mixed Platter of Ham with
Chorizo & Lomo (£11.50) was very tasty but expensive.
The 100 bin wine list (16 available by the glass) is impressive
but a special mention has to go to the Sherries. The La Gitana Manzanilla
was gorgeously crisp (£18.50 a bottle) whilst the Manzanilla
Pasada was delightful and certainly worth adding to any order. (£28
a bottle). Having had Rice Pudding in the amazing French Restaurant
at the Midland Hotel the night before, I opted to try Grado's Rice
Pudding with Figs & Honey (£5.50). It was equally as impressive
and highly recommended.
The service was very
friendly, helped of course by the presence of Mr Heathcote who unfortunately
doesn't spend much time personally in the kitchen these days, and
the atmosphere was welcoming. In a city with plenty of Tapas restaurants
on offer, including the excellent Che just around the corner and
the first ever La Tasca and La Vina's across town, Grado is likely
to stand out from the competition and be a big success. We will
be certainly be returning soon!"
- Manchester Restaurants 10/12/07 (visited on a thursday lunch) |
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"I
was really looking forward to my visit to Grado as I love any restaurant
by Heathcotes. As we dined a few days before the official opening,
we received 50% off our food bill.
I always find the staff really pleasant at Heathcotes
restaurants and Grado didn't disappoint. Our coats were taken from
us and we were escorted to the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. The
bar is set out for eating tapas and you can
watch the food being cooked to order, which is a nice touch.
The décor was fantastic. A lovely mix of browns,
oranges and greys with subtle lighting. Spanish influences
were everywhere and we particularly liked the open plan kitchen
so we could watch our food being prepared.
We started with the Croquetas and Sardines on Toast with Pan Con Tomate
on the side. What I did pick up on was the large amount of salt added
to the Pan Con Tomate and the salad garnish with the starter. It was
way too much and had me gasping for water.
We both went for the Sirloin Steak with Garlic, Onion and Pepper sauce,
chips and Pimlentos de Pardon. This was the most expensive main on
the menu and it felt like a cop out choosing it! The presentation
was good and it tasted lovely but I
would have been gutted if I had paid the full price of £20.
Overall, I found the menu to be lacking something,
maybe a salad option and a chorizo dish?
We really liked the dessert menu and had the Warm Chocolate Pudding
with Hazelnuts and the Rice Pudding with Figs and Honey. Gorgeous!!
As someone who prefers Greek and Italian food, I really struggled
with the menu and will probably not visit again even though I loved
the décor and service."
- clare, ashton-under-lyne 6/12/07 (visited on a tuesday evening) |
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