The Marble Arch, Manchester

It's the Marble. Beer fantastic, food out of this world, far enough out of town to keep the lazy sheep away, not much else needs saying.

11 Oct 2010 11:57

The Knott Bar, Deansgate

Fantastic place if you're after decent beer on this side of town. The setting (underneath an arch surrounded by railways and canals) tends to divide people. The decor and ambience (which could be described as having a charm of its own) however fortunately tends to dissuade the shots and bottles crowd that maraud along Deansgate locks opposite! The quality of food available has always been more than decent with an interesting selection on the menu plus specials. However I think it would be fair to suggest grabbing a butty en route if you are absolutely starving as the wait for food can sometimes be a fair while. Considering that the kitchen appears to cook everything fresh to order, I think this is a fair compromise. Service has never been anything but friendly, efficient and attentive. And as is right for any pub in Manchester, the Jukebox is absolutely top notch (no soppy ballads or 140bpm eurodance remixes here). Always a good mixed crowd of business types, students, creative bods, locals, and even men with beards scoring halves. Definitely one of my favourite places to drink in Manchester city centre.

11 Oct 2010 11:54

The Rambler Country House, Edale

Made a return visit last night, partially out of morbid curiosity to see if they could keep up their level of exceptionally poor service, and partially under duress at the alternative prospect of a chilly 45 minute wait at the station.

To the management's credit, there didn't appear to be any of the previously employed surly staff that so marred our previous visits. We were served by a nice young gentleman who we had a pleasant conversation with, acknowledged our efforts in returning the empty glasses to the bar, and obviously took some pride in his job. This simple change lifted the whole experience ten fold and made me seriously consider returning at future point through choice. It's certainly too early to say that the Ramblers has turned the corner. But based upon my experience last night, I would like to think they are heading in the right direction.

11 Oct 2010 11:31