Anyone who knows me in actual real-life land rather than pretend virtual-world land will know that I've had a pretty significant run of bad luck recently. This has ranged from the seriously life-changing, to the just-plain-annoying sort; setting off early for work to catch up on a backlog only to get caught in traffic, for example, and then returning home to find that yet another parcel has been brought to my door only to be whisked back to the depot by the evil postman, who I'm pretty sure actually waits around the corner for me to go out before knocking on.
Today was looking like a case in point; having decided that we would go for an early tea after work, I spent the day dreaming of the moules frites at Felicini's in Didsbury (no doubt they have an Italian name for it rather than a French, sorry), and my husband whiled away his time thinking of the Diavolo pizza he would order before 6pm for the knock-down bargain price of just £5.95. And then I got stuck in more stinky, lousy traffic. And then a horrible man flicked us the Vs when we were parking in Didsbury. Pah.
Luckily, Felicini's couldn't have been more welcoming. As the lovely waitress showed us to one of the best tables, right in the window, I muttered in my very most sulky and childish voice about having missed the pizza offer; "oh no," she said, "we've extended that until 7pm." Following my cart-wheeling husband to table, another stroke of luck awaited: a bargaintastic set lunch offer, two courses for £8.95, and also bizarrely available until 7pm. The mussels normally cost £10.95. For eight hundred and ninety five of your English pence, I got my moules AND was forced to manage a portion of stuffed vine leaves for minus two pounds. "Oh," adds the waitress, who clearly has our card marked by now, "it's Happy Hour as well - can I get you a half carafe of wine for eight quid?" *leaves space for reader to imagine own response - you have two guesses, and the first doesn't count*
So, we consumed a portion of anchovies, some stuffed vine leaves, a pizza, mussels served in a cream and shallot sauce with fries and garlic aioli, and a generous carafe of wine for a few pence over £25 quid; amezzing. The icing on the cake? Another, equally charming waitress gave us not one but FIFTEEN money-off vouchers, seemingly just because her and I share the same favourite dish. Hoorah. Add to that the fact that it's a heady 7 degrees outside, meaning that I won't have to be up at 2.15 am (approx) to defrost my car, and it's been a pretty good day.
Showing posts with label Felicini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Felicini. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Friday, 18 June 2010
Sun, Wine, Flags and Felicini...Summer in Didsbury
Having spent the day filling in the reams of paperwork required to take a small group of almost-adults all the way from Bury to Manchester on a college trip, a jaunt into Didsbury to enjoy the evening sunshine seemed virtually compulsory. So I did a quick risk assessment, and decided that a trip to Felicini was in order to take advantage of the 20% food discount that is running throughout June.
A small party of like-minded people was raised, and we agreed to meet at The Milson Rhodes. Now, my rather snobbish thoughts on a Wetherspoons pub replacing the really rather tasteful Pitcher and Piano have been documented in previous posts, but let's be honest, the outside space is exactly the same. Only you find that the drinks you are consuming have actually cost you a fraction of what you would have paid at Pitcher and Piano; seriously - a pint of good lager, an excellent glass of Pinot Grigio and a gin and tonic is seven pounds something-or-other. Unbelievable. We went upstairs and sat out on the balcony, thoroughly annoying two girls who previously had it all to themselves, and pretended that we were abroad; only the large England flag attached to the balcony shattered the mood.
The welcome at Felicini, long a favourite of ours, really couldn't have been warmer. We turned up with an extra person who had decided to come along at the last minute, and they were relaxed and helpful about the whole thing; I've NEVER understood restaurants that turn their noses up at extra custom. The place was packed, with a birthday party in the rear area and an event for Didsbury Magazine at the front; we were tucked safely away in one of the capacious booths in the middle in our own oasis of calm (although we did weigh up the possibility of gate-crashing the Didsbury Magazine party - there WERE canapes, after all).
The menu has had a bit of an overhaul since I last visited, and includes some exciting new dishes. For starters, the three ladies of the party exercised their usual indecision and, as usual, went for a selection of sharey things - olives, fresh anchovies and an amazing taster plate of dips, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, stuffed vine leaves and mozzarella. I am now obsessed with the idea that anytime I'm in Didsbury with just short of three pounds in change, I can go to Felicini and they will sell me a generous dish of fresh anchovies marinated in lemon and paprika; amazing. This makes me practically Italian.
The mains were just as good; several people went for the rump steak, which was meltingly tender (or, ahem, so I hear) and my husband went for his usual - the spicy Al Diavolo pizza. Our waitress, who was charming all night, even brought him some extra chilli oil upon hearing his idle boasts about normal pizza not being spicy enough for him. I chose the mussels in a cream sauce, served with frites and aioli (apologies to anyone I spoke to today), and they were delicious; I do have to say though, that rich cream sauce AND garlic mayonnaise in the same dish is too much even for an exceptionally greedy person like myself.
The highlight of the meal was the pudding; being a savoury person myself, I have NEVER said this about a restaurant meal before. The ice-creams they sell at Felicini (and Grinch) are simply astonishing, although my husband had to fight back the tears when told they'd run out of the Peroni beer flavour. Go for the peanut butter flavour instead, a remarkable feat of salty sweetness that defies belief. Other popular choices included the Chocolate Pot, a dark haven of boozy goodness topped with morello cherry ice-cream; the sort of chocolately goodness that refuses to come off the spoon, so great is its artery-busting glory.
With our 20% discount voucher (see the website for details), the bill came to a reasonable £28 per head for three courses with booze. It's good to see Felicini continuing with its familiar Italian classics whilst expanding its horizons by including other European favourites; we have already vowed to go again before the end of the month to test out a few more new options. Well, actually, that'll just be me; the husband refuses to move past the Al Diavolo.
- Felicini is at 747-751 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RN; tel. 0161 445 2055
A small party of like-minded people was raised, and we agreed to meet at The Milson Rhodes. Now, my rather snobbish thoughts on a Wetherspoons pub replacing the really rather tasteful Pitcher and Piano have been documented in previous posts, but let's be honest, the outside space is exactly the same. Only you find that the drinks you are consuming have actually cost you a fraction of what you would have paid at Pitcher and Piano; seriously - a pint of good lager, an excellent glass of Pinot Grigio and a gin and tonic is seven pounds something-or-other. Unbelievable. We went upstairs and sat out on the balcony, thoroughly annoying two girls who previously had it all to themselves, and pretended that we were abroad; only the large England flag attached to the balcony shattered the mood.
The welcome at Felicini, long a favourite of ours, really couldn't have been warmer. We turned up with an extra person who had decided to come along at the last minute, and they were relaxed and helpful about the whole thing; I've NEVER understood restaurants that turn their noses up at extra custom. The place was packed, with a birthday party in the rear area and an event for Didsbury Magazine at the front; we were tucked safely away in one of the capacious booths in the middle in our own oasis of calm (although we did weigh up the possibility of gate-crashing the Didsbury Magazine party - there WERE canapes, after all).
The menu has had a bit of an overhaul since I last visited, and includes some exciting new dishes. For starters, the three ladies of the party exercised their usual indecision and, as usual, went for a selection of sharey things - olives, fresh anchovies and an amazing taster plate of dips, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, stuffed vine leaves and mozzarella. I am now obsessed with the idea that anytime I'm in Didsbury with just short of three pounds in change, I can go to Felicini and they will sell me a generous dish of fresh anchovies marinated in lemon and paprika; amazing. This makes me practically Italian.
The mains were just as good; several people went for the rump steak, which was meltingly tender (or, ahem, so I hear) and my husband went for his usual - the spicy Al Diavolo pizza. Our waitress, who was charming all night, even brought him some extra chilli oil upon hearing his idle boasts about normal pizza not being spicy enough for him. I chose the mussels in a cream sauce, served with frites and aioli (apologies to anyone I spoke to today), and they were delicious; I do have to say though, that rich cream sauce AND garlic mayonnaise in the same dish is too much even for an exceptionally greedy person like myself.
The highlight of the meal was the pudding; being a savoury person myself, I have NEVER said this about a restaurant meal before. The ice-creams they sell at Felicini (and Grinch) are simply astonishing, although my husband had to fight back the tears when told they'd run out of the Peroni beer flavour. Go for the peanut butter flavour instead, a remarkable feat of salty sweetness that defies belief. Other popular choices included the Chocolate Pot, a dark haven of boozy goodness topped with morello cherry ice-cream; the sort of chocolately goodness that refuses to come off the spoon, so great is its artery-busting glory.
With our 20% discount voucher (see the website for details), the bill came to a reasonable £28 per head for three courses with booze. It's good to see Felicini continuing with its familiar Italian classics whilst expanding its horizons by including other European favourites; we have already vowed to go again before the end of the month to test out a few more new options. Well, actually, that'll just be me; the husband refuses to move past the Al Diavolo.
- Felicini is at 747-751 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RN; tel. 0161 445 2055
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Manchester Food & Drink Offers during the World Cup
I am fairly certain there is a football tournament currently in progress, having painstakingly gathered the following evidence:
- my husband is wearing an England shirt.
- the house across the road from ours suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from view while I was at work yesterday, apparently replaced entirely by a selection of flags and bunting. All of which are now flapping in a most irritating manner.
- I have just attempted to get something to eat from the fridge, but was stymied by the ARMY of bottles of lager patiently stacked along the entirety of each shelf; I believe there may be some cheese hidden behind one of the rows, but lack the confidence to confirm this hunch.
All of this points to just one thing: a couple of weeks of frenzied patriotism and sun-burned young men leaning out of moving cars and hollering "Engerland" at innocent girls simply trying to go about their daily business; in short, it's World Cup time. Yet there is hope on the horizon for those wishing to continue with reality, as restaurants and bars attempt to outdo each other with tempting offers over the next few weeks.
I have already sampled and given my approval to one of these: every day that England are playing, The Fat Loaf in Didsbury is offering fish, chips, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce along with a pint of Amstel for a miserly £8.95. We called in there today on our way back from the Didsbury Festival, and as it's frankly very tiring work getting caught up in the drama of which canine will win the coveted title of Dog With the Waggiest Tail, we were glad to stop off for sustenance. We sat outside in the sunshine, watching the long line of cars crawling into the village, and everything was really very pleasant; the batter on the fish was light and crisp, the chips were properly fat with crunchy edges, and the service was cheery. My husband refused to give me his mushy peas, but to be honest that's his fault rather than The Fat Loaf's.
Other offers worth investigating include those at Felicini and Grinch, with a 20% discount on food throughout June, even at weekends. You need a voucher for this one, easily procured by signing up at www.felicini.co.uk. If, like me, you are prone to going out for the evening and then realising that the required voucher is in a different handbag, you can still take advantage of their Happy Hour, offering any cocktail for £3.95 between 5 and 7pm for the rest of the month. I hope to file a special report next week, establishing just how many cocktails it is possible to drink in a two-hour period; stay tuned.
- The Fat Loaf:
844-846 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury M20 2RN
- Felicini:
747-751 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury M20 6RN
60 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5EE
- my husband is wearing an England shirt.
- the house across the road from ours suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from view while I was at work yesterday, apparently replaced entirely by a selection of flags and bunting. All of which are now flapping in a most irritating manner.
- I have just attempted to get something to eat from the fridge, but was stymied by the ARMY of bottles of lager patiently stacked along the entirety of each shelf; I believe there may be some cheese hidden behind one of the rows, but lack the confidence to confirm this hunch.
All of this points to just one thing: a couple of weeks of frenzied patriotism and sun-burned young men leaning out of moving cars and hollering "Engerland" at innocent girls simply trying to go about their daily business; in short, it's World Cup time. Yet there is hope on the horizon for those wishing to continue with reality, as restaurants and bars attempt to outdo each other with tempting offers over the next few weeks.
I have already sampled and given my approval to one of these: every day that England are playing, The Fat Loaf in Didsbury is offering fish, chips, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce along with a pint of Amstel for a miserly £8.95. We called in there today on our way back from the Didsbury Festival, and as it's frankly very tiring work getting caught up in the drama of which canine will win the coveted title of Dog With the Waggiest Tail, we were glad to stop off for sustenance. We sat outside in the sunshine, watching the long line of cars crawling into the village, and everything was really very pleasant; the batter on the fish was light and crisp, the chips were properly fat with crunchy edges, and the service was cheery. My husband refused to give me his mushy peas, but to be honest that's his fault rather than The Fat Loaf's.
Other offers worth investigating include those at Felicini and Grinch, with a 20% discount on food throughout June, even at weekends. You need a voucher for this one, easily procured by signing up at www.felicini.co.uk. If, like me, you are prone to going out for the evening and then realising that the required voucher is in a different handbag, you can still take advantage of their Happy Hour, offering any cocktail for £3.95 between 5 and 7pm for the rest of the month. I hope to file a special report next week, establishing just how many cocktails it is possible to drink in a two-hour period; stay tuned.
- The Fat Loaf:
844-846 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury M20 2RN
- Felicini:
747-751 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury M20 6RN
60 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5EE
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