That café in Levenshulme, Manchester is a little gem that has lay hidden away for far too long! I’m unsure of how long it has been around for but it certainly isn’t a new restaurant and so many people have never even heard of it. Perhaps a lot of people are put off by the fact that it is in Levenshulme but they definitely shouldn’t be.

If you were driving along the A6 (where That Café is situated) you could quite easily miss this quaint little restaurant, it seems hidden behind ivy and the brick work is totally different to the surrounding shops and houses. It actually looks like somebody’s house apart from the fact that there is a sign saying ‘That Café’.
The inside is just as impressive, there are two floors, upstairs is for non-smoking seating and downstairs is for smoking. I like the idea that the two areas are separated by a floor, in most places the smoking section is right next to the non smoking section which makes it pointless even having a non smoking section if you ask me!
The décor is modern with large wooden mirrors hanging on the walls, there is a warm cosy feeling from the moment you walk in the restaurant has a very homely feeling. There is a small bar and waiting area, for you to sit while your table is being prepared the staff take your coat and offer you the menu so you can have as long as possible to make your decision.

I’m going to talk about the last time I went because I fell it is a test on a restaurant’s ability when you go for a meal with a large group of people.

On my birthday I was the first to get there, they were extremely polite as always and took our coats and asked us if we would like a drink in the bar before sitting at our table. I was a little dismayed at how the table was set out, it felt a little unsociable, four tables in a straight line with a small gap in the middle to allow access in and out. However it is a small restaurant and I think this is the only way they could accommodate this number of people without blocking the rest of the restaurant off for potential customers.

The menu itself changes on a weekly basis and there are so many weird and wonderful things to try. There are generally about five or six starters and about seven main courses to choose from. Some items on the menu stay the same for a couple of weeks (if there has been a big demand for them I presume) but mainly it is all change at the end of the week.
They have a selection of meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, fish dishes and sometimes the odd vegan dish is available.
For you to get an idea of what sorts of food are on the menu I will detail what I ate (a meat eating but quite fussy eater who is afraid of trying things that sound too extraordinary! I also don’t eat fish)
For my starter I had asparagus, feta and tarragon pot which is a sort of custard type starter which is absolutely fantastic. Every single mouthful was different from the next and it seemed to get better as I ate it. The only trouble was there wasn’t enough of it (but it was my starter)
For my main course I had Pork sirloin with sage and black pudding stuffing, I am not a fan of black pudding so I asked if I could have it without and they did it without for me. This was served with spring onion mash and seasonal vegetable (mange tout, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots). This was amazing the gravy was fantastic it was really rich and did the mash potato justice; the pork was extremely tender and well stuffed!
And for my pudding (couldn’t believe I could fit it in but I had starved myself all day!) I had cinnamon sponge pudding which was also fantastic; it was served with served hot with almond, pecan and grape jam and cinnamon anglaise this was mouth wateringly good it’s just a shame I was very drunk by this point and can’t remember how good!!

10 per cent service charge is added to all groups over 8 people, I think this is completely reasonable because the service is of such a high quality.

Or pop in to That Café: 1031 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 2TB.
Tel/Fax 0161 432 4672