Meal At Side Street Manchester Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Fiona Jones
Side Street is located in the ABC buildings on the corner of Quay Street and Lower Byrom Street in Manchester. It is just a stone’s throw away from popular Spinningfields bars and restaurants such as The Ivy, 20 Stories and The Alchemist. Whilst retaining the high quality expected of its neighbours, Side Street offers something very different. Created as a multi-functional space, the vibe as soon as you enter is very friendly and relaxed, catering for all. There are solo diners and drinkers there with laptops and notebooks; groups of friends and family having a good time; and couples, like us, enjoying a lovely date night.
The décor of the space feels somehow both retro and modern: with black and white chequered floors, a mixture of different seating areas, warm lamps and lots of plants. Downstairs is home to a central bar with vinyl-adorned walls behind, and seating around the edge – bar stools in the front window to people-watch on the street, or lower seats (which were very comfortable!) along the other walls. There is a very chilled vibe and a feeling of contentment in this warm, cosy setting. Upstairs, there is more traditional dining tables and chairs, along with the squishiest-looking sofas and a long sleek bar with curved edges. The atmosphere feels a little more lively upstairs with a real mixture of clientele.
Side Street regularly hosts themed pop-up kitchens and the current offering comes from Tartuffe, which specialises in rotisserie chicken (or as they call it, ‘sexy chicken’!) which was the perfect comfort food for a cold November evening. The menu is small, so there is not a huge amount of choice. However, there is enough choice to cater for different tastes – it’s not all chicken! Also on offer for main courses are steak, monkfish, and a vegan option of rotisserie squash.
We started our evening with drinks: I opted for the Winterberry Spritz which was a perfect combination of sweet and fruity, whilst my partner went for a glass of Portuguese red wine, which was beautifully smooth. We then dove straight into our main course: I had the 1/2 rotisserie chicken (£14) with roast potatoes (£5.50), whilst my partner went for the 8oz flat iron steak (£19.50) with fries (£5) and a side of peppercorn sauce (£4). The chicken was incredible, really succulent and easy to get the meat from the bone, with crispy skin full of flavour. It was served with half a bulb of garlic and a lovely drizzle of tasty gravy. The portion felt huge which was great value for money. The roast potatoes were fluffy, and the perfect amount of seasoning. My partner’s steak was more on the smaller size of a main portion – however this was all about quality rather than quantity. The steak came with a Café de Paris sauce and mushrooms that had been marinaded in vinegar (all made from scratch in-house) that were incredible – my partner who isn’t usually a fan of mushrooms even loved them! The fries were simple yet effective and a perfect accompaniment to the steak and tasted great dipped in the peppercorn sauce.
Though we were full from our main courses, I just had to try the pineapple cheesecake (£7) to finish. I would describe it as a deconstructed-style cheesecake, with a layer of crumbly biscuits, sweet chunks of pineapple, and a vanilla ricotta on top. It was definitely worth being extra full for! With my pudding, we also finished with a chai latte and a cortado, which came in the cutest mugs and were lovely and frothy.
I would highly recommend Tartuffe at Side Street for a meal, and I definitely think we will be back again to try some of their other dishes. I am really tempted by the Mini Chicken Kievs and Macaroni Cheese! I would also recommend just popping in to Side Street for a drink too: it is a great atmosphere with friendly and wonderful staff.
Rating: 5/5
You can book a table at Side Street here: https://sidestreetmcr.co.uk/
MANCHESTER