Restaurants

Café Rouge in Liverpool and Manchester have launched a new seasonal menu that celebrates some of France’s finest summer dishes.

The menu features a selection of new dishes, including some spectacular desserts, alongside Café Rouge classics.

For starters, Hors D’oeuvres have had a seasonal shake up and now feature a choice of new starters and some revamped favourites.

A must-try is the fish dish, Duo de Poisson, of crab claw meat in a light mayo with slices of Scottish smoked salmon and brown baguette. Or for a delicious hot starter, Champignons de Paris – chestnut mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce, topped with raclette cheese.

Individual platters now include the Pettit Assiette Campagnard – an appetising combination of creamy camembert d’issigny, traditional French saucisson, Serrano ham and a buttery smooth chicken liver parfait.

There are new mains such as a tasty mushroom and tarragon quiche and a light vegetarian option – fresh penne pasta sautéed with basil pesto, spinach and topped with toasted pine nuts.

The Salade de Crabe is another light choice, perfect for summer – with crab claw meat served with mayo, peppers and spring onions on a bed of fresh, crisp mixed salad.

Last and by no means least, those with a sweet tooth will not be left disappointed by the new desserts on offer.

Additions include a stunning Vacherin – crispy meringue encasing a sharp raspberry sorbet, topped with crème Chantilly, blueberries and strawberries. While crème brulee fans are spoilt for choice with Trio Crème Brulee – fresh raspberry, dark chocolate and classic vanilla.

Two chocolate puddings have also made it on the menu; Pavé de Chocolat, a rich warm chocolate and walnut brownie with melting chocolate ganache and vanilla ice cream and Tarte au Chocolat, a chocolate torte made with real Belgium coverture.

And for a typical taste of France, a mind-blowing Rum Baba, small vanilla sponges soaked in rum and topped with crème Chantilly and strawberries.

Whether it’s a crisp Sauvignon, or a full bodied Côtes du Rhone, the wine list offers a great choice, with a house rosé wine now featuring for the first time.

Meanwhile, visitors to Café Rouge from 20th July to 2nd August can go to www.caferougeoffers.co.uk to receive a voucher for a special menu, with two courses and a drink available for a wallet-friendly £10 per person – featuring a selection of starters, mains and deserts.

Café Rouge has restaurants in Manchester (Didsbury, Deansgate, Printworks, Spinningfields, Trafford Centre, Salford Quays – Lowry Outlet Mall) and Liverpool (Met Quarter, Liverpool One).

A new restaurant will open next month at the Concorde Conference Centre at Manchester Airport.

The Ringway Restaurant will seat 120 diners and offer views of the former British Airways Concorde. A takeaway catering to visitors to the Aviation Viewing Park will also open.

The Concorde Conference Centre opened earlier this year. The unique conference venue is housed in a hanger containing the Concorde supersonic passenger airplane.

One of Liverpool’s top restaurants has been named as one of the best designed in the country.

Filini, at the Radisson SAS Hotel Liverpool, made the shortlist in the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2009, Restaurant Interior category.

It was designed by Liverpool based design firm R2 Architecture and graphic designers Burn.

Café Rouge will be marking this year’s National Escargot Day with snail-themed treasure hunts in The Printworks, Manchester and The Met Quarter Liverpool on Saturday 23 May.

The restaurant is paying homage to the humble snail by teaming up with Eurostar, Bonne Maman and other partners to give away prizes in celebration of France’s famous delicacy.

As Café Rouge celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, restaurant staff at each Café Rouge restaurants are celebrating on a big scale by hiding a total of 20 oversized cut-out snails around their cities which can be redeemed for special prizes including:

• Return tickets to Paris with Eurostar – the high-speed rail service between London and Continental Europe
• A shopping bag containing biscuits, cakes and a ceramic cookie jar from Bonne Maman, the UK’s favourite French food brand
• Goodies from Président® Cheese, one of the world’s premiere cheesemakers
• Bottles of French wine and champagne
• Café Rouge vouchers
• And lots more French-themed prizes!

Each snail will be labelled with instructions on how people can claim their prizes. True to form, they will reside in those damp and dark shaded places rarely looked in – so those moving at a snail’s space could miss out!

The snail hunts will be taking place on Saturday 23 May from 11am in and around The Printworks and The Met Quarter.

Café Rouge’s snail supremo, Caroline Réveillon, said, ‘Love them or hate them, we are expecting lots of prize-hungry people in Manchester and Liverpool to come out of their shells for the snail hunt. Snails are served in the finest restaurants France has to offer. We want Brits to take a lead from our friends over the Channel and finally embrace the snail as a tasty treat and give it a try for themselves.’

Last year, Café Rouge sold record numbers of the slippery critters, introducing thousands of people to the mighty mollusc.

This May, the restaurant is continuing its trail to transform the nation’s taste buds with a brand new ‘Escargot Day’ menu and is shipping 34,000 snails for the occasion.

Café Rouge’s limited-edition 20th anniversary snail menu will include two new dishes – Terrine d’Escargot aux Lardons – snail and bacon terrine served with rustic brown bread, and Cassolette d’Escargots Jurassienne – casserole of snails, white wine, cream and Paris mushroom.

The restaurant’s signature snail dishes will also feature on the menu – snails cooked in rich garlic butter, snails covered in melted goat’s cheese and a mouth-watering combo of snails served with spinach and mushroom.

Caroline Réveillon said that snail’s could well be the next super food, ‘Snails are low in fat and high in magnesium and protein, so they are highly nutritious. They also have a very gentle, buttery texture, which will remind many of lobster or sushi – probably not at all what you might expect!’

The menu is available at Café Rouge restaurants across the North West from 18th – 31st May, with dishes priced from £4.95.

Café Rouge has restaurants in Manchester (Didsbury, Deansgate, Printworks, Spinningfields, Trafford Centre, Salford Quays – Lowry Outlet Mall) and Liverpool (Met Quarter, Liverpool One).

A transformed Chester restaurant has been awarded a prestigious place in the top 2% of England’s best places to eat.

The Orchid Room restaurant at the Doubletree by Hilton Chester in Hoole was awarded its first AA Rosette for its high quality food and service following a recent inspection.

The AA inspectors visit establishments throughout the UK with no prior warning and award AA rosettes to those demonstrating food excellence in their local area. Out of more than 82,000 licensed restaurants in the UK, 1571 have now been awarded one rosette or more, this places the hotel in the country’s top 2%.

The hotel has received the accolade under the inspired leadership of executive chef Mathew Lloyd who said: ‘We’re really delighted. This award highlights that our restaurant is heading in a fantastic direction and is now recognised not only as one of Chester’s best, but England’s too. At The Orchid Room we pride ourselves in taking advantage of the local quality produce available and offer something to suit all tastes whether it’s exciting innovative cuisine or true British classics. Our hard work over the past year has clearly paid off and who knows, by next year the team are more than capable of adding a second rosette to the Doubletree Chester name.’

The rosettes acknowledge food that is prepared with care, understanding and skill and made with only the very finest ingredients.

The quality of ingredients and varied seasonality of the menu impressed the inspector. Sample dishes from the current menu include: slow cooked featherblade of beef with creamed spinach, shallot puree, ox cheek and tortellini or seared scallops with pork belly confit and calvados essence.

Doubletree by Hilton Chester’s General Manager Tony Wright said, ‘The restaurant’s reputation is going from strength to strength and this award is a fantastic achievement. It’s a credit to Mathew and the very dedicated team we are lucky to have here. The restaurant is being enjoyed by both our guests and local people who are taking advantage of having an award winning restaurant on their doorstep. It’s the perfect backdrop for anyone who appreciates good food, attentive service and a great selection of wines.’

The restaurant is a perfect choice whether you’re after a light lunch or a magnificent meal for a special occasion. This month the restaurant also re-launched its popular Sunday roast dinner where diners can enjoy a three course meal for only £14.75.

The hotel is located on Warrington Road, Chester CH2 3PD. For further information, telephone Doubletree by Hilton, Chester on 01244 408 800.

An award-winning British restaurant in the Chorlton area of Manchester has closed.

John Quilter, the owner of Marmalade on Beach Road, blames high rents, the credit crunch, and a spate of burglaries.

The 2009 Northern Hospitality Awards were held at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester last night.

Winners from the North West were:

• Best Restaurant sponsored by The Hospitality Association & The Restaurant Association – Ramsons Restaurant, Ramsbottom near Bury
• Best Bar sponsored by Brown-Forman – Residence Restaurant & Bar, Nantwich
• Best Pub sponsored by Northern Restaurant & Bar – Kirkstile Inn, Cumbria
• Best Newcomer sponsored by The Russell Partnership – The Church Green, Lymm
• Best Chef sponsored by Steelite – Marc Wilkinson, Fraiche, Oxton, Wirral

The event is now in its 4th year and is organised by Moorfield Media, a Manchester-based exhibition organiser.

The Number 15 Wine Bar in Alderley Edge has closed.

The cosy restaurant and bar on London Road had been in business for more than 30 years.

Panama Hatty’s introduced their new lunch menu yesterday and Visit North West was lucky enough to be invited to the launch party.

Their ‘Urban Lunch’ menu features a gorgeous selection of freshly-cooked South American influenced tapas aimed at the health conscious diner with limited time. Dishes include Tostadas, Sticky Ribs, Wraps, Fajitas, and Chilli Prawns.

The staff were warm and friendly and the restaurant comfortable and relaxing.

Panama Hatty’s is situated at 43a Brown Street in Manchester city centre (top of King Street near Vivienne Westwood). Another branch is found in Tarporley Cheshire.

Thanks to Rebecca Lynch of Clearsilver in Leeds for the invite. Photography by Elma Foric.

Lounge area at Panama Hatty's

One of the many tasty dishes we tried

The main dining area

URBAN LUNCH

This section of the menu is designed to be tasty, quick and informal and we suggest that you choose 2 to 3 dishes (or more) per person or share lots with friends.

For speed and convenience dishes from this section will be served as soon as they are ready – dishes may therefore arrive at different times.

TOSTADAS £3.50
2 light crisp tortillas stacked with a topping of your choice:
• Hot-smoked salmon in citrus juices on chopped tomato, chillies and coriander
• with crema
• Mexican cactus salsa sprinkled with feta
• Mixed beans, salsa and crema
• Prawns in chilli dressing with tomato salsa

TACOS £3.50
3 soft white corn tortillas with one of the fillings below:
• Shredded Mexican chicken in spicy tomato
• Beef steak strips with Cheddar cheese,
• salsa verde and chipotle
• Red snort chilli con carne and crema
• Mixed beans and cheddar cheese

QUESADILLAS £3.95
2 baked flour tortillas with melted cheese
combined with one of the choices below :
• Sauteed mushrooms in blue cheese and drizzled with taco sauce and crema
• Red Snort Chilli and cheese with crema and dusted with chilli spices
• Pulled barbecued pork and pineapple salsa
• Grilled cactus leaf strips and cheddar cheese

TAQUITOS £3.75
2 Yellow corn tortillas wrapped around one of our tasty fillings and fried, seved with tomato salsa, shredded lettuce and crema.
• Shredded Mexican Chicken in spicy tomato
• Field mushroom, sweet potato and corn
• Pulled barbecued pork

SEAFOOD CROQUETTES £3.95
3 Home made, salmon, prawn, crab and potato cakes with aromatic herbs and seasonings, deep fried and presented with pineapple and mango salsa

STICKY RIBS £3.95
4 individual pork loin ribs cooked in a rich sweet glaze

AROZ MIXTA £3.50
Our own delicious Latina rice recipe with extra chorizo, prawn, chicken, peppers, onion and coriander

BBQ RIBS £3.95
4 individual pork loin ribs slow roasted in a smoky barbecue sauce

GARLIC FLATBREAD £3.50
Slices of homebaked rustic flatbread rubbed with sea salt and brushed with garlic and herb butter

CORN IN CHILLI BUTTER £2.50
3 chunks of grilled corn on the cob basted in spicy chilli butter

MEXICAN POTATOES £3.50
Fried potato with onion and spicy tomato

PRAWNS IN GARLIC BUTTER £3.95
6 King prawns sauteed in garlic and herb butter

SKINS ‘N’ DIP £3.25
4 Deep fried potato skins served with roasted garlic and chilli mayonnaise

GOUJONS ‘N’ DIP £3.25
Slices of deep fried chicken goujons in Southern spice coating served with roasted garlic and chilli mayonnaise

SIDES – Enjoy with your Urban Lunch

PURPLE SLAW – Made with red cabbage and red onion £2.50
GREEN SALAD – Rocket and mixed leaves with a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil topped with parmesan shavings £2.50
LATINA RICE – Long grain rice blitzed with Peppers, onion, garlic and coriander £2.50
FRENCH FRIES – £2.00
BAKED POTATO – £2.00 SOURED CREAM – £1.50 GUACAMOLE – £1.50

LARGER PLATES

SIZZLING FAJITAS – A house favourite -
Choose your preferred filling presented on a sizzling skillet with sauteed onions and bell peppers with warm flour tortillas, crisp iceberg lettuce grated cheese, tomato salsa and soured cream.
• SLICED CHICKEN FILLET £12.95
• BEEFSTEAK STRIPS £12.95
• ROASTED VEGETABLES £11.50

CHAR-GRILLED Rump Steak £12.95
8oz British beefsteak served with French fries and salad garnish. To maintain tenderness and flavour we recommended not cooking beyond medium

RIO FRIO CHICKEN £8.25
Tender chicken breast fillet pan fried in olive oil with tomato onions, herbs and olives, served with Mexican potatoes.

HOME MADE STEAK BURGER (6oz) £7.25
Char-grilled 6oz burger made with British Beef, onion, coriander, peppers and seasoning served in a bun with fries and coleslaw – choose your burger
• As it comes – plain
• Swiss – Emmental Cheese
• Diablo – Green and Black Peppercorn Sauce
• Ranchero – Red Snort Chilli Beef

SKINNI CHILLI £6.50
Minced chilli beef served in a tortilla basket with Latina rice, soured cream, diced red onion and served with corn chips.

RIBSTER RACK £6.75
A half rack of our famous slow roasted ribs basted in smoky barbecue sauce served with fries and salad garnish

WARM TORTILLA WRAP £7.25
A warm flour tortilla filled with your choice of the following -
• MARINATED BARBECUED BEEFSTEAK STRIPS with sauteed onion, and mixed peppers served with fries and salad garnish.
• CHICKEN BREAST SLICES, with sauteed onion, mixed peppers and served with Latina rice and soured cream on the side.
• MIXED BEANS AND CHEESE with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, salsa picante and crema served with Latina rice.

WARM DUCK SALAD £7.75
Slices of prime aromatic duck breast served warm on a bed of mixed leaves, peppers, onions, tomato and garlic croutons and drizzled with a honey dressing

KEN THAI CHI £7.25
Marinated slices of tender chicken breast fillet in our home made masaman Thai sauce served with coconut rice and naan bread

One of Blackpool’s most famous restaurants has closed to the public.

The White Tower restaurant at Blackpool Pleasure Beach will now only be available for group functions such as weddings and corporate events.

In the last couple of months the popular attraction has announced a number of job cuts and the suspension of its Hot Ice show.