Manchester Lane

Posted by: catquillion | 2 May 2009, 5.53pm

I'll give them one thing, they're consistent. Unfortunately it's consistently average.

My friend loves live jazz, so for the past 2 years we have celebrated his birthday at Manchester Lane. With an average size group of around 10 you always expect things to run a little slower, be slightly less streamlined, but I'd still expect hot food and efficient service.
I was also reluctant to return as the previous year they had the audacity to include a cover charge on the bill for staying on for the live band, even though we'd been there for a couple of hours and had spent around $50 a head on food.

We had called in advance to check the availability of gluten & lactose free food as one of our party has a serious sensitivity, they assured us this could be well catered for. Unfortunately it seems that chef wasn't really sure about gluten free, as he suggested pearl barley risotto as an option.

The rest of our meals arrived within reasonable time, however they were all luke warm and the ravioli was underdone even for al dente style.

Average food combined with average service left me feeling out of pocket and seriously underwhelmed.

Food:			Visit: Fri 1 May 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: DarrenB | 16 March 2009, 2.02pm

So I want to not judge the meal too harshly. Except the next day I read their promotional material, and the grand claims about the food, so I have to say, they didn't back the rhetoric up with the reality.

I agree with the earlier reviewer about portion size, but our problem was more fundamental - the food was poorly conceived and simply not cooked properly. My partner and I started with what promised much on the menu - I had the entree of Rabbit and Thyme Ravioli. The ravioli was not cooked properly - I suspect it was simply pan-tossed not cooked in boiling water beforehand, so it was hard, flowery, raw and cold. And it was served on a foam/mousse that was close to inedible. My partner described it best as 'cheese-and bacon-ball flavoured'.

Worse was her entree a goats cheese gnocchi. It was perhaps not even cooked at all. It was a wet mix of flour and cheese.

We held out hope for the mains - as the eye fillets delivered to the adjacent table looked and smelled great. Alas we had the "duo of lamb". The cutlets were not bad, well cooked (ncie and pink) but not a great piece of lamb (and not cheap). The other piece in the duo, the carved slice was hard, grey, and clearly cooked earlier and sitting in the bain marie for a while. The smashed kifler side was good though, and helped with respect the portion size problem.

We went with the cheese platter for dessert, as the cook couldn't muck that up. And it was good, with a nice fortified (a good selection was available).

Alas the waiting staff - which were attentive throughout - couldn't make up for the poor food, and they soured a little by short pouring my partner's second glass of muscat when the bottle ran out and she never returned, and then made a mistake on the bill for the cheese platter (to be fair to her, it was strangely priced on the menu, and it was her first night).

The music was great though, but next time, we'll dine elsewhere. I recommend you do the same.

Food:			Visit: Sat 14 March 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: ukC | 1 March 2009, 12.13pm

Manchester Lane is cosy and the staff are very friendly and appear very professional. The only negative on the atmosphere is they could use a more efficient aircon system. The bar area was nice and cool but our little corner on the top level was like an oven.

The food was of a reasonably quality but be warned - the serving size is very small. When I say small, I'm not having a whinge or trying to complain. I'm preparing you for a shock. The amount of food you get for the price is extraordinarily little. I ordered the fish of the day and the real estate required to present the entire meal was a mere four square inches. Although it tasted beautiful, there just wasn't enough of it to justify the expense.

It may have been a one off, but we also waited for two hours for our mains to arrive.

The service was pretty good but not perfect. The owners seem to have a good group together here, but they lack the polish a venue like this needs. They are well presented and very attentive. Spilling a drink on a customer, or forgetting a drink from an order can happen anywhere. It shouldn't but sadly it does. But to pretend you didn't spill the drink and to not apologise for forgetting part of the order is symptomatic of staff who no longer care enough to do what they have been trained to do - look after the customer.

Having said that, the cocktail staff really know their stuff. I asked for a Manhattan (something I've had trouble getting elsewhere) and the bartender instantly replied with "How would you like it, sweet, dry or original?" I asked them to surprise me and what I got was a very delicious drink that was probably the original ("perfect") variety.

All things considered, I couldn't honestly say it was a value for money experience. We were there for a birthday celebration and it was a lot of fun, but the food was the major turning point. You could argue it was my own fault - I turned up hungry. But I also left hungry, as well as slightly drunk and poor.

In short, eat before you go. The entertainment is great, the staff very welcoming and the more money you have for cocktails the better.

Food:			Visit: Sat 28 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
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