MAMUCIUM - A Manchester Restaurant of very mixed tastes.

 


A restaurant, named after the Roman name for the city in which it is located, sits underneath a hotel (again of the same name), close to Victoria Train Station in Manchester. I have visited this restaurant a few times over the past few years, and have been delighted, disappointed, surprised, and disgruntled in equal measure.

This time, I opted for something a little more ordinary on their menu, thinking that whatever happened they could not get this wrong.... and oh boy, was I wrong!

Going straight for a main course, I asked for a "grilled herb marinated butterfly chicken breast" - perhaps the simplest and easiest thing on their menu. I was very surprised then when the meal came, and the portion was extremely small, making the almost empty plate upon which it sat, look even larger! The chicken was slightly undercooked, and I was unable to taste any herbs in the chicken at all! Where the tarragon and charred lemon came into the equation goodness only knows! It was bland and unappetising. A pathetic tiny sprig of pea-shoot lay next to it as an apology for garnish.  This was served with grilled tomato and roasted mushroom (conventional, ordinary, bland), and what the menu describes as "thick chips". I believe they were triple-coked (a ridiculous fad which should be immediately abolished), some were undercooked and the potato still hard inside, whilst the outside of the chips were covered in more salt than there is in a whole seller.. crystallised rock salt that sticks to the grease of the chip and makes the whole taste of nothing but salt... awful!

Whilst the dessert - a mango and passionfruit cheesecake on a ginger biscuit base, served with mango sorbet was delightful, excellently presented, and absolutely delicious!

A game of two halves!

I objected to paying £25 for the chicken, but would happily have paid double for the cheesecake! Hey ho...!

Alastair Zyggu.

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