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Eden Bar & Restaurant

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MichaelJM
MichaelJM
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
6
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Editor Pick

Eden and Its Meal Deal

  • July 11, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Eden and Its Meal Deal

Eden is in the centre of Manchester’s gay centre and I’d passed it many times on my walk from the hotel to Piccadilly station. The restaurant is accessed over a narrow bridge crossing the canal and occupies a significant space with a large permanent marquee giving a superb outdoor space for those hot summer nights (that currently seem to be eluding us in the UK). They offer a meal deal if you eat before 7.00pm and having checked out the menu I liked what I saw.

So I picked my way over the restaurant bridge and cautiously descended the steps leading to the entrance. A small number of tables littered this area, but as the weather was somewhat inclement they were not occupied. Once inside there were yet more steps to descend so you don’t need to have an aversion to stairs if you want to eat in Eden.

The place was fairly quiet with only three tables occupied and the waiter, with some humour confirmed that I could choose whichever table I wanted. "We’re not that busy" he said with a slight grin. I picked my spot and settled down to select a drink to go with my meal. Disappointingly, although not surprisingly in this trendy kind of restaurant, they had no cask ales on pump and so I picked the least of the evils and opted for a pint of Guinness. Now I do like the odd drop of "Liffey nectar" every so often so it really wasn’t a great hardship!

By the time the Guinness had been delivered I was ready to order and having just got back from a holiday on Santorini I was more than happy too order a starter of lightly fried Halloumi cheese, served with a lime, caper and a coriander vinigarette. I had great expectations and I’m pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Four chunky portions of Halloumi were served on a bed of salad with an ample splattering of tasty capers. It was a delight on the taste buds and if I’d have paid the full asking price of £4.95 I wouldn’t have felt over-charged. As it was it was part of the £12.95 two course meal and I was just surprised, and indeed gratified that they didn’t appear to have scaled down the quantity.

The slow cooked lamb shank on a roast red pepper mash served with a red wine and balsamic jus was my choice of main course and this was a cracking meal. The menu had suggested that vegetables needed to be ordered separately as a side dish but mine came with a good bowl full of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. The vegetables were clearly fresh rather than frozen and even I managed to struggle with the quantity. The lamb really hit and just fell off the bone and alongside the unusual potato (well not a combination that I’ve experienced before) I had a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

The staff were cordial and helpful and there was no apparent pressure, as I’ve experienced with some early bird meals) to rush through the meal. I can imagine on a pleasant evening it would be great to eat out on the terrace but tonight was not one of those occasions and I, eating indoors, was happy to wile away my time listening to some real cool jazz being played out through the speakers.

The following day I was asked by colleagues where I’d eaten and, having replied "Eden", was interested to note that many had eaten there over the years and experienced exactly the same quality meal that I’d enjoyed. Clearly a restaurant of quality and consistency.

From journal Summer Dining In Manchester

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