... Since we were in Manchester, I suggested Sam's Chop House, which is renowned for serving vast portions of quality traditional British food; perfect for winter months and cultivating that muffin top!
SOLUTION: SAM'S CHOP HOUSE
Sam's Chop House was established in 1872 and has been described ... Read review
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Advantages: Delicious food, good atmos, great wine Disadvantages: Lack of disabled access
...were in Manchester, I suggested Sam's Chop House, which is renowned for serving vast portions of quality traditional British food; perfect for winter months and cultivating that muffin top!
SOLUTION: SAM'S CHOP HOUSE
Sam's Chop House was established in 1872 and has been described in the past as a venue which is straight out of Dickens! In fairness, this isn't far off the mark. Although the interior has been refurbished ... ...and traditional menu on offer. Sam's has an area for bar food and drinks as well as a restaurant which caters for those who wish to sample some of their gastronomic feasts, though a supposedly light snack (which is actually a feast in itself) here will not leave you feeling hungry!
Due to the fact that the building has retained pretty much all of its original features, it is not exactly what you'd call an easily accessible building. ... more
PROBLEM: HUNGRY PEOPLE
During a recent Christmas shopping excursion my sister and I decided a spot of nourishment was in order. Unfortunately for my poor love handles this did not just mean a light salad, as my sister is rather pregnant and permanently hungry. Since we were in Manchester, I suggested Sam's Chop House, which is renowned for serving vast portions of quality traditional British food; perfect for winter months and cultivating that muffin top!
SOLUTION: SAM'S CHOP HOUSE
Sam's Chop House was established in 1872 and has been described in the past as a venue which is straight out of Dickens! In fairness, this isn't far off the mark. Although the interior has been refurbished in recent years, the owners have deliberately recreated the original interior with Victorian style timber and tiles, which is in keeping with the homely and traditional menu on offer. Sam's has an area for bar food and drinks as well as a restaurant which caters for those who wish to sample some of their gastronomic feasts, though a supposedly light snack (which is actually a feast in itself) here will not leave you feeling hungry!
Due to the fact that the building has retained pretty much all of its original features, it is not exactly what you'd call an easily accessible building. This is a good thing in terms of creating the right ambience, but not such a good thing when it comes to catering for those with a disability. The only saving grace is the fact that Sam's is the sister company to the easily accessible Mr Thomas's Chop House, which is spitting distance from Sam's and has a similar atmosphere and menu on offer.
Entering Sam's is a little like taking a step back through time and the first time I went there I wondered if they ever used it as a film set. It may be brand new in terms of the amount of restoration work the owners (Steve Pilling and Roger Ward) have done but, as Roger has said, 'it looks like it's simply been given a cuddle' and is well worth a visit for viewing purposes alone.
The bar and restaurant is accessed via a flight of wooden stairs, as Sam's is sub ground level. Oddly enough, this gives the place even greater atmosphere, as it feels cosier somehow. The only downside to this fairly small and cosy interior is the fact that anyone who has been in Manchester for longer than five minutes will know how good the place is and there is every chance that it will be rammed at lunchtimes - especially just before Christmas!
Thankfully, with my sister's ever-growing baby demanding that her mother eats every hour or so, we ensured that we had an early lunch, so it wasn't too busy.
THE FOOD
I think I have only ever once eaten lunch in the bar at Sam's and although I had no complaints, there is nothing like sampling a main meal in the restaurant at this place. This is partly because there is more space but also because there is nowhere else (that I have found, at any rate) in Manchester which offers such brilliant service and such mouth-wateringly good culinary delights from a menu which is as traditionally British as they come.
Since there are several menus on the website, including a drinks menu (the restaurant has even won an award for its wine list), I will include it below for you to have a nosy yourselves instead of listing everything here!
http://www.samschophouse.co.uk/
What I particularly like about the menus at Sam's is the fact that they always have the current date on the top, so you know that they are consistently updated and that the meals listed are likely to be available. If they aren't, the waiters are quick to tell you, but I have never personally experienced a lack of anything I wanted at this restaurant and I've been several times now!
Personally, I have only ever once felt the need to have a starter at this restaurant, as you soon realise that you'll be struggling to fit in one of the main courses. In short, they are absolutely massive! So, although I can vouch for the fact that Sam's Famous Brown Onion Soup with thick mature cheddar cheese croutons (£5.95) is to die for, you won't need it unless you haven't eaten for a week.
The first time I went to Sam's, I fell in love with the famous corned beef hash dish. It comes on a dinner plate the size of Africa (okay - slight exaggeration!) and fills you before you've even got halfway through it. Having said that, I always make a very big effort to finish it. Made with lashings of cream (it tastes like heaven), it comes served with sauteed potatoes, dry cured bacon and is topped with a poached egg (the recipe is on the website if you're interested - oddly enough that doesn't stop me wanting to go to Sam's to eat their version)! I've struggled to ever try anything different because I worry that I might be missing out. This time was no exception. My sister and I both decided against the starters to get the full effect of a Sam's portion!
After umming and ahing for a while, I ordered 'Sam's Famous Home-made Corned Beef Hash' - an absolute bargain at £11.95 and my sister opted for 'Braised Shoulder of Kendal Rough Fell Lamb with 'Sunday's Roast' Vegetables' at £16.95. Although we would only have space for two dishes on the menu (a good ploy to get people to come back), I thought we could sample some of each other's dish and then maybe try two new ones the next time! As usual, we were served very quickly and offered drinks. Since we were shopping (and one of us was pregnant), we turned down the offer of wine in the bucket sized glasses and asked for a couple of glasses of Coke, which came very quickly.
Since all the food is made to order, you can expect to wait up to about 20 minutes for your meal, but once it arrives, it is most certainly worth it. Despite never being disappointed with my corned beef, my sister's lamb looked out of this world. The lamb cleanly fell off the bone and melted in the mouth. The roast vegetables were cooked to perfection, having just enough crunch to accompany the tender lamb; their sweetness complementing the rich gravy perfectly. I had one mouthful and it made me want my sister's dinner too. If only my tummy were big enough!
Much like the lamb, my corned beef was incredibly tender and very rich - probably due to all the cream! You can place it on the tongue and let it melt in the mouth without the need for chewing. The almost crispy dry cured bacon puts back some of the saltiness of the corned beef that the creaminess of the whipping cream takes away and, once again, the combination of tender and crispy textures works beautifully. Hiding under the layers of beef, are the sauteed potatoes and, although I would never have thought of it, the poached egg works really well as a topping.
For me, the best gauge of whether or not a meal is good is the first reaction it receives from the diner. All that could be heard from our table that day were lots of yum-yum noises, so I would have to say that, in terms of food quality, our dining experience was a success!
I cannot give you much information about desserts because I've never yet been able to manage one, but I have it on good authority that the steamed apple sponge with toffee ice cream and English custard is to die for. It certainly sounds tempting to me!
THE SERVICE
The service before and during our meal was very good in that we were served drinks quickly and our orders taken promptly - obviously allowing us time to choose what we wanted.
Although we didn't order wine on this occasion, the staff at Sam's has a very good knowledge of the wines on offer. If you aren't sure what you want, you can give specifics such as a full bodied/light red wine and they always bring you the right thing!
The only area where I feel the staff at Sam's fall down is in terms of the wait for the bill. The last three times I have been to the restaurant I have found it quite hard to get someone's attention to get the bill and, worse still, once the bill has been brought to the table, I have found myself waiting around for an age for them to collect payment. I'm not 100% sure whether this is simply my lack of knowledge regarding the system, as there is a till point in the centre of the restaurant and it may be that they expect you to settle up at this point before leaving. However, if there is a system in place, it has never been made clear to me. The last two times I have been to the restaurant with friends, I have found myself wandering up to the till to get attention, where my bill has been dealt with immediately. I also went for a Christmas meal with my colleagues and, even though our company is well known to Sam's and we were waited on by one of the owners, my boss still had to take his credit card to the till point. Maybe this is just the way it is done, but it does tend to leave diners feeling forgotten about when they've been waited on for the rest of the meal.
THE TOILETS
The toilets at Sam's are always clean and seem to be fully stocked with soap and toilet paper. The only complaint I have regarding the toilets on this visit is that the Christmas tree blocked the door, as there was obviously nowhere else in the restaurant to put it. This didn't mar my experience particularly, as there was still room to get past, but it is a reminder of the lack of space in the venue. Disabled access is obviously not an issue in this instance because the building itself is not accessible to anyone in a wheelchair. Given that current law asserts that all public places should be accessible, I can only surmise that this is a listed building.
THE CLIENTELE
During lunch hours at Sam's, you will most likely be surrounded by suity, advertising types. It is renowned as a place to take your clients if you're trying to impress and, if my company is anything to go by, taking colleagues here will definitely get you brownie points. Having said that, Sam's is also a traditional pub, so you will find a wide range of different people in there after 5pm. I discovered Sam's as a bar in my student days and everyone who goes there will receive a warm welcome because it has retained it's down to earth, homely pub atmosphere which many posh places in Manchester find so difficult to achieve. There is no dress code and no expectations, so you can expect quality home-made food in a homely environment.
You can view a map on the website provided earlier in the review
OTHER POINTS
Sam's doesn't seem to sell chops!
It does however do a variety of special and seasonal menus including a Valentine's menu and a Christmas dinner to die for!
FINAL VERDICT
On the website, you will see that their tag line is 'Everyone should visit Sam's once' and I couldn't put it better, although I am aware that only able bodied people will fall into their view of everyone. This is a fabulous place in terms of quality, cost, atmosphere and everything else. They have most certainly got it right in every respect apart from the access issue and it is a big thing in my book. I realise disabled access may detract from the overall ambience of this place, but I feel it is pretty much a necessity these days and this is why it can only get a 9 out of 10 for me. At least Tom's Chop House isn't too far away!
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