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MR COOPER’S
BLANCHFLOWER
CAFÉ FOOTBALL
Manchester
Altrincham
Manchester
Inside the quintessentially British Midland Hotel lies a Manchester favourite Mr Cooper’s. Located in the heart of the city, the restaurant is cemented into Manchester history. We were very excited to see how Mr Cooper’s is re-imagining itself and to sample the eclectic menu filled with classic British dishes. The restaurant itself is beautiful, relaxed and informal but with a hint of glamour. The large olive tree in the middle is pretty and a great focal point.
Altrincham is currently being described as a ‘boom town’ and it’s not difficult to see why. With new bars and restaurants popping up all over the place, it is becoming a real destination for foodies and partygoers alike. A once forgotten about town, we predict that Altrincham will start to position itself as the new Greater Manchester hotspot. Very close to Altrincham Market lies Blanchflower – a beautifully simple restaurant with about 30 covers. It’s intimate, it’s open and it’s welcoming. The first thing that strikes you about the knowledgeable team is the passion they have for the menu. Everything they serve is made in-house; from the bread to the butter, and you can tell. The flavours are rich and everything tastes delicious. The idea of Blanchflower is to enjoy ‘small plates’. We ordered five small plates, two of our favourites were Charcoal Grilled Bavette Steak with potato gratin and juniper carrots, and the Charcoalgrilled Free-Range Chicken Breast with confit thigh, mushroom veloute, potatoes and king oyster mushrooms. Both had exquisite flavours and, even though they were small plates, they left us full enough to not want to order dessert. We teamed our food with an incredible Combe Rouge Picpoul de Pinet, a really hearty white wine that complemented the food perfectly. We love Altrincham anyway, but Blanchflower has left us wanting to go again and again. A huge well done to the team for a quirky menu and relaxed atmosphere.
Hotel Football at Old Trafford is home to Café Football, a fast-paced dining option from the team at GG Hospitality. Café Football is located just outside Old Trafford and is exactly what we expected but just a little bit cooler. For football fans, the views of the stadium are unbeatable (unless you’re a City fan, of course) and there’s a great atmosphere to boot. The restaurant is a football fan’s dream – there are TVs everywhere showing games from past and present and, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot an ex-footballer or two enjoying a burger while watching a repeat of the FA Cup final from 1999.
Mr Cooper’s The Midland Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS
Blanchflower 2-14 Shaw’s Road, Altrincham, WA14 1QU
Café Football Hotel Football, 99 Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester M16 OSZ
mrcoopers.co.uk
blanchflower.co
cafe-football.com
The menu was impressive. I started with Cured Salmon accompanied by preserved lemon, fennel and radish. It was light, fresh and delicate – the perfect flavour combination. My main course was a treat! Lamb is my favourite, so if it wasn’t good, I’d have been disappointed. I was NOT disappointed! The Lamb Rump, minted courgettes and lamb jus was divine. The dishes were beautifully plated and looked so pretty when they arrived. The team were very knowledgeable and helped us choose wine to match. To finish, we decided to have a liquid dessert in the form of a Negroni – an absolute favourite of mine, and the Mr Cooper’s version is incredible! A great place to visit for those wanting informal, relaxed dining but fantastic quality dishes.
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April/May 2018 | salutions.co.uk
We chose burgers because some were carried past us as we were seated and they looked EPIC. THE ’66 is a beef burger without a bun but stuffed with stilton and wrapped in streaky bacon, mushrooms, peppercorn sauce, watercress and rocket salad. It was s good as it sounds and the fact it doesn’t have a bun meant that it wasn’t too filling and we could leave room for dessert. Dessert for us was the main attraction – we were invited up to the pick ’n’ mix counter to choose a bag of sweets. There was everything you could imagine and we couldn’t have been happier with our fizzy cola bottles and strawberry laces. If you know a football fan, take them here. Whether they’re a red or not, it’s a fantastic experience.