New Italian Restaurant for Manchester as Prezzo Opens on Deansgate

The food world can be a snobby place, and never more so than when faced with a blog post about a restaurant or bar that's part of a chain; I still recall the fallout in certain quarters from my admission that I'd enjoyed the nachos at Chiquitos. It's naive, however, to pretend that chains don't exist and that some of them aren't doing a pretty good job - and Italian restaurant chain Prezzo are clearly doing something right as the new branch on Deansgate is their third Manchester opening in as many years. I was a little wary of a brand that has more than 200 branches, but they've done a great job of refitting the old Cafe Rouge building - the space is sleek and modern, with an open kitchen, well-spaced tables (and a handful of booths, which will no doubt be much sought after), sexy black and white chequered flooring and, best of all, a wall of wine showcasing Prezzo's own label red, white and rosé (more of which later).

It's always difficult to judge the quality of food at a restaurant launch night, but we were actually pleasantly surprised by what we had. A number of taster portions were sent out for us to try, starting with our favourite item of the night - the crab cakes with garlic mayonnaise were a lovely example of their breed, all crisp coating on the outside and soft subtle fishiness on the inside. The staff were fantastic all night - young and cheerful and friendly - and when I unconvincingly pretended there was an extra person at our table who'd also be wanting a fishcake, our waitress helpfully said she'd put the extra one on MY plate for safekeeping. We also enjoyed the king prawns in a nicely sweet pomodoro sauce livened up with a good hit of chilli, and some excellently thin and crispy flatbreads with various toppings, my favourite being the pesto tomato one (I liked these so much I pleaded for the extra ones off the platter). We felt the antipasto plate was a little generic - nothing bad on there, but nothing that really stood out and called for attention either; still, a pretty high hit rate on the starters.

Mains also hit the mark more often than not. My friend felt the Wild Mushroom Girasole was a little underseasoned but I really enjoyed this dish; he was, however, full of praise for the al dente nature of the spaghetti served up in a fresh tomato sauce with chicken and buffalo mozzarella (although I personally would have preferred the chicken to be rather more integrated into the dish and for the mozzarella to have slightly more oomph). We also tried a selection of the pizzas - once again, these had lovely thin bases and generally the right amount of topping (plus I'm a sucker for rocket on pizza, lending as it does an air of healthiness to the proceedings). We also tried the cheesecake and the gelato from the desserts menu; the dainty sliver you see here disappeared in a matter of seconds and will need to be ordered again in a full size portion before too long. All of this was accompanied by generous pourings of the house wine - I was on the red, a juicy Sangiovese that seems very good value at £4.35 a glass and which I would buy again, particularly as there are surprisingly few options along Deansgate for a quiet glass of wine at a normal sort of price.

So, would I go again? Yes, I would - in fact, I had a quick pot of tea outside there today (a lady sitting nearby was having the crab cakes, and I was tempted to mug her of them), and whilst I can't pretend there aren't other Italian restaurants I wouldn't go to first (Salvi's being an obvious example), we did like the venue, and the atmosphere, and most of the food. Prices look reasonable for this part of town, especially as there's 25% off until the 24th August if you download a voucher from the website. I await the backlash, but I quite liked it here, and I'm not one little bit sorry about it.

- Prezzo is at 82-84 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2ER. This was a press launch which is why I'm reserving full judgement until I've eaten there properly, but we were not asked to blog the event and I have been honest in my views.

Cooking with Cheese - The Great Lactalis McLelland Cheese Challenge

Anyone who knows me even vaguely will be aware I have more than a passing interest in dairy products, and in fact consider cheese to be my very favourite food group. I very rarely get round to cooking with it though, unless I can count cheese on toast; instead, my preferred modus operandi when eating cheese is to consume it standing up, in chunks, every time I pass the fridge, or - if I'm feeling particularly exotic - to pop it on a cracker.

Exciting, then, to be given a bag of cheesy goodness by Lactalis McLelland and instructed to come up with a recipe making use of some of their products. You may think you haven’t heard of the French-based Lactalis Groupe, but they are actually the largest dairy products group in the world and produce a whole range of dairy goodies, many of which you are likely to have had in your fridge at some time or another. The bag included some Brie and some butter from the Président range, Galbani Mozzarella and some products from the Seriously Strong Range (Extra Mature Cheddar, Vintage Cheddar and the Spreadable, which I have already consumed slathered over toast - presumably this does not strictly count as a recipe though). The cheddar has been used to make mac & cheese, but as my recipe of choice belongs to the Drunken Butcher I won't even try and pass it off as my own; instead, here's one I *did* make up myself!

Buttered Summer Veg Risotto with Red Wine and Brie

This came about from a fortuitous combination of items I had that needed using up - some of my mum's homegrown vegetables, herbs from my own garden, and an open bottle of red that had somehow failed to be consumed on the first pass. I would, in truth, have used white wine had I had some handy, but red also works really well and lends a pleasing colour to the whole arrangement. I ate this all to myself but it would feed two if you added a bit more rice.

So, I started by finely slicing a leek and gently sautéing for a few minutes in a frying pan with a good knob of the Président butter before adding a handful of arborio rice and turning the heat up to toast the rice a little. I then poured in a good glug of red wine and allowed the alcohol to bubble off before starting to gradually add my vegetable stock. You do have to keep stirring as you add the stock, but this is actually very therapuetic, particularly if you address any red left in the bottle during this time period.

Meanwhile, I thinly sliced some small courgettes and a baby squash into rounds and added half to the risotto pan once the rice had been cooking about ten minutes. The remainder I popped in a small frying pan with a bit more butter and fried gently to go on top of the finished risotto (nothing nicer than butter-fried courgettes in my opinion). Proving that women really *are* excellent multi-taskers, as well as stirring my risotto, adding more stock, and keeping my eye on the courgettes, I also popped out to the garden and cut a sprig of fresh tarragon. Towards the end of the risotto cooking time (which will vary according to which rice you've used - mine took about 20 minutes, but keep tasting to check when the rice is cooked - you'll also notice the rice grains fattening out once it's nearly ready), I chopped the tarragon into the rice along with a good handful of frozen peas and a little cubed Président Brie and continued stirring - the cheese should melt into the risotto and make the whole thing beautifully creamy and thick. Check for seasoning - I usually add quite a lot of pepper but not much salt, as the stock and cheese will have added flavour.

Serve up in a bowl, topped with the fried vegetables and a little more Brie, thinly sliced. And yes, I know this isn't the most precise recipe you've ever seen, but the whole point of a risotto is that you can add whatever you have to hand - as long as you keep stirring, and adding stock when the rice has absorbed the previous amount, you won't go far wrong.

And the rest of the Brie? I'd like to say I made something else with it, but unfortunately it was discovered by a hungry boy and devoured with crackers in front of the TV - proving once and for all that cheese really is the most versatile of ingredients.

- I was given the ingredients free of charge by Lactalis McLelland but I do regularly buy some of these products anyway, including the Brie and the butter that I have used in this recipe.

New Cocktail Menu at Vega Lounge, Manchester 235

I am not, by nature, a gambler. I like to be confident of the exchange rate I'm getting - for example, £5 = one glass of wine - rather than not knowing exactly what (if anything) I might get back, so whilst I can see the excitement one might get from doubling, trebling or quadrupling (or more) one's money, it's a risk I am very rarely prepared to take. Thus I am not a frequent visitor to casinos - which is a shame, as the Vega Lounge that sits in the heart of the Great Northern's Manchester 235 is actually a pretty nice place to spend a couple of hours, with lovely staff, a very well-stocked bar and a spanking brand new cocktail menu that has been designed with some thought for doing things a little bit differently.

Last week I was allowed behind that very well-stocked bar (which is, admittedly, perhaps a little less well-stocked now than before) as part of a masterclass designed to showcase some of the new drinks on the cocktail menu. Our affable (and very patient) host for the night was the lovely Filip, who bravely permitted us to come behind the bar one by one and have a go at whipping up a cocktail or two - the first few were chosen by Filip to demonstrate the range of interesting ingredients and flavour combinations on the menu, and included Twinkle Star, a dazzling concoction of gold dust, Smirnoff Vodka, elderflower cordial and orange bitters topped up with Prosecco. I enjoyed this cocktail which, unusually, actually allows the taste of the vodka to come through alongside all the other ingredients - Filip explained that the elderflower works to enhance the flavour of the spirit (plus, this drink looks VERY pretty with all its sparkle). A couple of the other opening cocktails - the Melon Gumtini and the Miss Vega, pictured above along with newly expert mixologist Louise - were a little on the sweet side for me, but you really can't fault the care and attention to detail in the presentation here (bravo, James from Rate a Restaurant).

My turn then, and I chose to make a Mojito. Filip suggested the X-Pear, and was right to do so - this was one of the best and most unusual Mojitos I've had in a long time, not because I made it but thanks to the addition of Xante pear liqueur. I'm not usually a big fan of adulterated Mojitos, but would definitely order this one again (I'll let an expert make it next time though). I got to make a Smokey Old Fashioned later in the evening as well, which involved grappling with an expanse of black rubber hosing as we tried to get the smoking gun to work (not pictured here for your own peace of mind) - alas, it was not to be, but the Old Fashioned was still my favourite drink of the evening (but then, it's probably my favourite drink of all time).

Other drinks made on the night included a very good Pornstar Martini made by Miss Pond, a pleasingly tangy Southern Bee (which was nowhere near as sweet as I thought it would be), a Toffee Apple (Smirnoff Apple Vodka, lemon and apple juice, shaken together with caramel syrup - I would order this again), some excellent Strawberry Daiquiris and a couple of rich, dessert-style cocktails. The first of these, the Lemon Cheesecake, was a marvellously extravagant, over-the-top affair - Limoncello, Ketel One Citroen Vodka, Licor 43, lemon curd and mascarpone cheese, shaken and served in a saucer glass rimmed with biscuits and garnished with cake; the second, the Tiramisu, looked pretty fantastic too (although I didn't try this one as I dislike coffee and, as you can see, it was made by Simon Binns). We were also provided with some real, non-liquid food throughout the evening - the fish goujons you see here were particularly good.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening with some excellent cocktails and lovely hospitality. I can't say that Vega will become a regular haunt for me, purely thanks to my non-gambling proclivities, but I do like the leather booths and the slightly seedy atmosphere that comes from being slap bang in the middle of a casino (in a good way - think dim, flattering light; beautiful ladies perched elegantly on bar stools etc etc). And I must admit, I did eye up the blackjack tables on the way out, so maybe a Sharon Stone-inspired evening might be on the cards after all...

- Vega Lounge is part of Manchester 235 and can be found at Great Northern, 2 Watson Street, Manchester M3 4LP.

Yard and Coop, Northern Quarter: Fried Chicken Under the Watchful Eye of Mr Foxy Fox

We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to food. Mine is fried chicken, and I must admit to being none too discrimating in the pursuit of this field - I harbour a deep love for a KFC bargain bucket and have even been known to stop off at Kansas Chicken when too much wine eliminates all judgement and persuades me that this is a good idea. Fortunately, a couple of restaurants have come to my rescue and helped me preserve what little dignity I have left by making fried chicken respectably desirable once more - Splendid on John Dalton St have been serving up their fabulous buttermilk fried chicken wares for some time, and now we have Yard and Coop in the Northern Quarter as well we need never be too far away from a chook emporium.

And people clearly can't get enough of it - when we went to Yard and Coop for lunch last Friday it was full, and according to manager Nathan the evenings have been even busier. This is good to see, as a lot of care and attention to detail has clearly gone into the new venue, both in terms of the decor and the menu, and we liked the simplicity of the whole concept - people come here to drink good beer, and eat decent fried chicken, and then be on their way a little happier than they were before. This is a great spot they've got here, a huge airy space on Lever Street alongside the excellent Common and Home Sweet Home, and I like the way they've styled it, from the fairy lights strewn around wooden seating areas that look like chicken coops to the fantastic Mr Fox presiding over the whole affair from his vantage point on the wall.

The menu is single-minded to say the least; this is not a place to visit if you don't like fried chicken or halloumi, which is the vegetarian option across all the dishes. We started with a portion of Monkey Balls to be going on with - balls of buttermilk fried chicken served up in a basket with a couple of dips. These were obviously freshly made and cooked and were very good indeed. The menu suggested they went well with a pint so I obeyed, and found that the menu was right, and that the Yard Pilsner was very good too. Various salads and wraps are available as mains, but we went straight for more fried chicken - basically you choose whether you want breast or thigh (always thigh for me), which crumb you'd like, and then select a sauce as well. My Yard and Coop crumbed thighs (two of them) were things of very great joy - moist, succulent flesh with a properly crispy, herby coating and stacks of flavour, and my fragrant dining partner was similarly pleased with her breast-and-blue-cheese-sauce combo. All the sauces are homemade and my Bourbon BBQ was spot on; I'd have liked a little more of it, but I'm sure someone would have brought me more had I asked. I'm also not a big fan of the baskets used to serve the food here - I find them difficult to manoeuvre in, particularly once you start factoring in coleslaw and other sides. As well as the good, fresh slaw we also shared a portion of chips (with Cajun seasoning at no extra cost) and some onion petals with chorizo and a horseradish and beetroot salsa. This last dish didn't quite work for me as a combination, delicious as all the individual components were, but the chips were very good and more than enough for two to share.

For dessert I had one of the boozy shakes (Salted Karamel - so thick the straw stood up, good flavour although could stand a boozier hit) whilst my friend eschewed something sweet in favour of a stormingly good Old Fashioned from the cocktail menu. We both very much liked Yard and Coop - some people will complain about the lack of variety on the menu but that misses the point really, and there is a whole range of interesting sides available to pimp up your chicken. The staff were lovely, seeming genuinely keen to share their thoughts and advice on the menu; prices seem reasonable at £6 for a basket of chicken; and the place had a very cheery buzz about it indeed. A promising addition to the Northern Quarter then - all I need to do is start carrying my own plate in my handbag and I reckon lunch next time will be pretty much perfect.

- Yard and Coop is at 23-37 Edge Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1HW. We were not asked to pay for our food or drink but both enjoyed it and would return as paying customers at the shake of a hen's tail.

Mish Mash Restaurant & Bar Joins Beech Road, Chorlton

I can put a fairly precise date on the beginning of my love affair with Chorlton: the summer of 2013, when the Metrolink expanded to East Didsbury and offered the thrilling possibility of travelling to Chorlton and back for the princely sum of £2.90. Whilst I love living in Didsbury, Chorlton offers a far wider range of bars and restaurants, many of them interesting independents. Predictably enough though, I very soon got lazy, and have tended to stay at the "tram end" of Chorlton rather than exploring properly. Last week saw me venturing slightly futher afield for once to the opening of Mish Mash, a new bar/restaurant at the far end of Beech Road, one of Chorlton's most popular areas for eating and drinking but somewhere I rarely visit; fortunately, it was worth every step.

First of all, Mish Mash has bagged a great venue here - a gloriously high-ceilinged, 60-cover space set back from the road and thereby possessing plenty of precious outside space; it used to be an Indian restaurant apparently, although not a trace of this former guise remains. They've unblocked all the windows and decorated the walls with interesting murals and artwork such as Ms Pink by local artist Sarah Lynn Mayhew - I'd seen a photo of this on Twitter and hadn't been too sure about it, but in the context of this impressive building it really works.

The evening began with tasters of a couple of cocktails (the fragrant gin and cucumber-based English Hedgerow is a definite winner) from an interesting looking drinks menu, and some excellent canapes that boded well for the main meal. The final menu was still being tweaked at the time of our visit, but we were able to choose from a selection of dishes and, being greedsters who wanted to try a bit of everything, we both went for different options. My starter of smoked salmon and Earl Grey dressing with rye bread was beautifully presented and pretty novel, with instructions to squeeze the tea bag over the fish. I would have liked a slightly more robust dressing - this one was fragrant and delicate and maybe just a touch too refined for a girl who likes to eat mayonnaise straight from the jar. Across the table the Lovely Louise's starter of poached pear and pasta salad with rocket, parmesan cheese, pepper coulis and toasted pine nuts was also as pretty as a picture - her only criticism was the discovery of a burnt pinenut. Good news too to see a restaurant using vegetarian Parmesan as standard.

If starters were promising, the mains delivered in full. I chose the Mojito chicken with wild rice, roast peppers, beans, jalapeno salsa and flat bread. This dish, which marinates the chicken in rum, lime and mint before flambée-ing it in more rum, looks set to become a signature dish, and is already well on its way to being something to which I could become addicted. The flat bread (which was strangely crispy) seemed a little redundant as this is quite a dry dish anyway, and I could have managed a little more chicken to balance out the generous quantities of the hideously moreish rice, but apart from these minor points this was a great dish, full of flavour and textures. As was the ham, egg and chips snarfed by my dainty dining companion - sugar baked ham shank (Frosty the butcher's finest) with a fried egg, triple cooked chips and a mustard reduction. We didn't have a single word of complaint about this dish other than the little watering can containing the mustard reduction - I reckon the food here is too classy for this kind of slightly contrived serving vessel, and whilst I understand they are part of a theme at somewhere like The Botanist, it seemed a bit out of keeping here.

Desserts were also excellent. Louise had the chocolate and cherry pot with vanilla cream whilst I went old school with the baked banana split with salted caramel, pecan nuts and poached apricots, and whilst neither was ground breaking both were examples of straightforward combinations, done really well, and served in generous quantities (too generous possibly). I particularly enjoyed the combination of the thick, salty caramel sauce with the sweet, crunchy pecans, and also the fact that, at a push, I reckon I can count this dessert as two portions of my five a day. More watering cans though, AND a flower pot. We were served a lovely Pinot Gris from the Sussex-based Bolney Estate throughout the meal - great to see a restaurant actively promoting English wine, and the wine list as a whole looks to be thoughtfully chosen and carefully pitched at a range of price points.

I really, really want this place to do well. Owner James is just lovely, and after 25 years in the food business (including stints at Simply Heathcote's, Jamie's Italian and Restaurant Bar and Grill) has realised his dream of opening his own restaurant before he turns 40. Serving up a three course meal to a busy restaurant on launch night is a brave move but revealed surprisingly few early teething problems - the staff were already genuinely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the menu and service was polished and friendly, whilst the cooking was confident and accomplished. I'm looking forward to going back another night and eating from the full menu - and of course, I can be secure in the knowledge that the walk back to the tram stop will doubtless burn off every single calorie I consume...

- Mish Mash is at 133 Beech Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9EQ. We did not pay for the food and drink on launch night but I will definitely be back as a paying customer.