The Fat Loaf - Bistro, Sale, Manchester

The Fat Loaf - Bistro
62 Green Lane
Ashton-on-Mersey
Manchester South
Cheshire
M33 5PG.

Tel: 0161 972 0397

Early diner: Tuesday-Thursday from 5.30pm-6.45pm
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday from 5.30pm-10pm

* This is non-smoking restaurant *

I had no influence on the decision to book this restaurant, as my mate booked it for him and his brother's ...
...age and Saturday night was the chosen night for a group of us to get together. Thus, a venue was chosen, it was booked, and the glad rags were donned for an evening of frivolity.

The restaurant is located in the quiet leafy suburb of Ashton-on-Mersey, which is in the vicinity of Sale, Carrington and Altrincham in the south end of Manchester, not a million miles from the airport ~ 10-15 minutes in a car.

It's apparently ... more

The Fat Loaf - Bistro
62 Green Lane
Ashton-on-Mersey
Manchester South
Cheshire
M33 5PG.

Tel: 0161 972 0397

Early diner: Tuesday-Thursday from 5.30pm-6.45pm
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday from 5.30pm-10pm

* This is non-smoking restaurant *

I had no influence on the decision to book this restaurant, as my mate booked it for him and his brother's 29th birthday on Saturday. Although, Fat Loaf is named as a bistro, I will refer to it throughout as a restaurant.

My two oldest mates that I have know since we were 5 years of age are twins, one of whom now lives in Sale in South Manchester. They were both recently 29 years of age and Saturday night was the chosen night for a group of us to get together. Thus, a venue was chosen, it was booked, and the glad rags were donned for an evening of frivolity.

The restaurant is located in the quiet leafy suburb of Ashton-on-Mersey, which is in the vicinity of Sale, Carrington and Altrincham in the south end of Manchester, not a million miles from the airport ~ 10-15 minutes in a car.

It's apparently true to say that there are more millionaires per square mile in Cheshire than in any other area of the country, so when I was duly informed that a restaurant had been booked for the occasion of the twins birthday, I thought we would be going to a right suave and fancy sort of place. There was me ready with my packet of hand wipes, expecting to have to wipe my fingers clean after the meal, when all of a sudden it became obvious we would be going somewhere that provided knives and forks and served food other than burgers and chips!! Of course, I jest, I am not a complete scally devoid of using cutlery, but it is usually plastic as opposed to the fine silver at this restaurant.

Ok, so the table was booked for 8 people at 7pm on a Saturday evening, which is a necessity, because this 48-50-cover restaurant does become particularly busy and it was obvious - later on in the evening - that it is fairly popular.

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First impressions & Design
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I must admit, my first impression when I walked in was that it was a little clinical in smell, which was the comment I made to the twins' girlfriends as I and their older brother walked in having just popped to the Bargain Booze next door (more on this a little later).

We were all in agreement … it smelled "clinical". When I say clinical, their was a rather overpowering smell of bleach, but - I thought - provided that hasn't been added to any of the meals, we should be okay because it signifies cleanliness is high on the agenda, and on closer inspection of my surroundings, I noted that the tiled flooring, beach wooden tables, and white easy chairs were all spotless! Stage 1 of Newty inspection passed, and the smell of bleach quickly faded.

As you walk into the restaurant, there is a room with tables and chairs neatly laid out to your left hand-side and in front of you, with an archway to the right hand side, opening into the main room of the restaurant, with the kitchens to the rear, along with the single male and single female/disabled toilets.

The décor of the restaurant are very subtle earthy colours, mainly browns and beiges, which provided a very modern and warm feel to the restaurant.

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Ambiance
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I always find it's quite a subjective thing to describe the ambiance of a restaurant as it depends upon the occasion and also the likes and dislikes of the various diners.

Our group enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant, which I felt was very intimate, because 48-50-covers is not huge, now whilst not being small, the divide into two sections and the use of drapes across the windows and within the restaurant provided a more intimate feel to me.

Of course, any night out is usually only as good as you make it and you can be in the worst place in the world and still have a great laugh if you are with the right people, and I truly believe that! I have been to some restaurants, pubs and clubs in London that have had rave reviews and I hated it because I was with a bunch of stuck up tossers who had nothing better to talk about than themselves! So, it can often be very difficult to judge somewhere fully based upon this.

That said, I had a great night with good conversation, and felt that I was able to be fair and objective in my view of the restaurant.

There is no music played within the restaurant, which allows the diners and staff to create the ambiance, which I find really can make or break a restaurant, especially in a small town that doesn't have the usual hustle and bustle associated with a big city. Although the restaurant was quiet initially, by the time we were having our main and moving on to dessert (8.30pm-9pm), it was almost up to capacity.

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Menu
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I believe the menu does change, but as the restaurant was small and doesn't have a website, I asked for a print off of the menu. The staff were very obliging although did look a little more worried that I could be a local journalist and food critic !! tehe … Must remember to ask for a copy of menus up front from now on, I may score something extra!! Noooo children, not in a rude manner!

2 courses = £13.50
3 courses = £16.95

Starters;

• Seared calves liver with mango, mint & coriander salsa
• Salmon & spinach terrine with toasted onion bread
• Plum tomato plate with Roquefort, caramalised walnuts & beetroot (v)
• Seafood paella with pettit pois & fresh herbs

Main courses;

• Breast of guinea fowl with sautéed artichokes, chicken veloute & sorrel
• Fillets of red mullet with, new potatoes, Dijon & bacon crumb, smoked haddock cream sauce
• Baked lamb shank with slow cooked tomato sauce, baked aubergine & garlic
• Poached salmon wit tomato, gruyere & thyme crust, spinach & beurre blanc
• Baked lasagne with quorn, charred courgettes & aubergine (v)

Side Orders;

• Thick cut chips £2.00
• Continental breads & butter £2.00 per plate
• Buttered mange tout £2.00

Desserts (all at £4.50)

• Passion fruit bavarois with roasted rhubarb
• European Cheese platter with chutney, celery & crackers (£5.95)
  (supplement for cheese £2.00 if eating early dinner or email offer)
• Home made chocolate tiramisu
• Bread & butter pudding with crème anglaise

Mineral Water 750ml £2.20
Ground Coffee & petit four £1.90

A 10% surcharge will be added to parties of 8 or more

** Traces of nuts may be found in food ~ No GM foods used **

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Unlicensed
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You may have noticed, especially if you are as eagle eyed for alcoholic beverages as me, that there is no alcohol on the menu.

That is simply because the restaurant is unlicensed and is thus unable to legally sell alcohol. This however, does not prevent you from guzzling huge amounts o the premises, provided you bring your own.

Very handily located is a bargain booze next door to the restaurant, which sells a whole host of alcoholic beverages, from beer, wine and spirits, to the teenage Alco-pops that are still on the market.

The twins elder brother and I duly purchased two bottles of wine between us, as the friendly female cashier announced that the transaction would cost a mere £10, and that we must promise to pop back in and give her a glass because she'd had a long hard day!

I duly remarked that we couldn't possible because we would be hading said two bottles of vino to the two local 14 year olds who were awaiting our triumphant return, so they could go down the park and guzzle them. After initially looking horrified, she laughed and said "You wouldn't do that to me!". Smiling and winking, we left for the restaurant next door (That word was the eye movement word and not any other movement word, you terrible people!)

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Food & Service
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As some of you may already know from reading some of my previous reviews, I am a fussy eater. If truth be known, when I first ventured out from behind the walls of the city of Liverpool and noticed there was a big wide world waiting to be conquered … Err… oopps… sorry… discovered, I was not that worldly wise. My, how things have changed :-) ….. Now, I have tried foods and dishes I had never even heard of, like bacon and eggs ….

But seriously, barring sea food and "fishy fish", I have tried a lot of things I thought I never would dare try as a child and have become much more bold in my menu selections, but when I first viewed the menu here, I did think I would be struggling to choose something to my liking and enjoy it!

As I am such a fussy eater, my first glance at the menu heralded the thought … "I'm screwed!". I looked again, and yes, sure enough, I don't think there was one dish I could pronounce properly. Darn it, I would have to look stupid again and point at my selections, whilst the waiter would repeat the wrong dish and I would then have to attempt to say it!

Joking apart, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to complete my order because there wasn't a lot on the menu that jumped out at me. Bearing in mind I don't like seafood, I only had two options for a starter, which because I don't like walnuts was quickly narrowed down to one. For a moment I thought about having a starter, but my stomach quickly growled and my brain seemed to be telling me not to be so stupid. Calves liver it was then for starters.

On to the main course, and again looking down the menu, I didn't seem to be too spoilt for choice. First conversation with my mates' girlfriend, who was sat across the table, was that I didn't like guinea fowl. She questioned me as to what it was, to which I couldn't actually think!! Oh dear, looking silly again!! Someone said "Guinea Pig" and so we had a laugh over that. My mate stated that it was similar to "game" or "pigeon", so I changed my mind and felt that I was wrong and might actually quite like it. What else is there then? Not liking fish that narrowed my main options down to 3, which was soon down to 2 and then 1, because I had eaten lamb the night before and I like meat (Girls, no dodgy comments please!) too much to even think about a vegetarian option. So, it looked like the dish I first thought I wouldn't like would be my main. "This is going to be a memorable meal I thought" … I haven't really chosen my starter and main, more like I have been forced into eating them because, well basically, I don't like anything else!

Looking again at the menu, I felt it was a very brave menu, as there are many fussy eaters (maybe not quite as bad as me) out there, and there was no chicken or beef anywhere. This is actually quite unusual and certainly a bold tactic, as the two meats I mention are probably the most popularly eaten in the U.K.

Seared Calves liver with mango, mint & coriander salsa ~ Well, I thought, "what a choice!!" I had, after all, made a selection rather than a narrowing down of the options! This was quite divine. The liver was fabulously blended with the mango, mint and coriander to provide a delicate glaze and a very tender and tasty cut. It was not too tough and rubbery, which can often be the case with liver and was full of flavour. The mango, mint, and coriander blended perfectly to provide a unique and sweet taste to the dish. Off to a flyer I thought!

Breast of guinea fowl with sautéed artichokes, chicken veloute & sorrel ~ Now, when I mentioned "no chicken … anywhere", I meant as the pivotal ingredient of the dish, before any smart arses point it out!! LOL

I have since looked this up and I wish I could be credited with this particular description of what a guinea fowl is, but I can't claim credit for someone else's genius, particularly comedy…

"These very noisy birds look like a bunch of AWOL army helmets as they run across the yard." (www.feathersite.com).

Having now tasted the bird, I feel that it can be described as a very tasty alternative to chicken. It was cooked perfectly and was full of taste and flavour, even with the skin, which remained on the bird, delicately covering it's breast. Succulent and tasty are the two words that most aptly sum this dish up and it was a pleasure to eat it. Guinea fowl appeared more flavoursome and tasty tan chicken, yet not as rich or fatty as Duck. I think it's a definite find and I will be looking out for it on my next visit to Tesco, or indeed the local "small holdings" of Derbyshire. Oh dear …. Seriously, if there is a sudden and unexplainable reduction in the stock of local guinea fowl now, I am in big trouble now!

The service was spot on throughout… fast, efficient, and with a smile. No complaints there and not a lot else I would care to comment on. The starters were delivered fairly promptly following our order and I really didn't feel as though we were left waiting too long. Similarly, the plates were tidied up soon after all diners had finished their course, and the main was delivered not too soon afterwards, allowing the starters to fully settle.

Before our starters, we had order the continental breads and butter side order, which went down an absolute treat. The butter complimented the selection of breads perfectly. The bread was very fresh and I could have eaten several loaves of the stuff had I been given the option.

During our mains, the remaining two side orders were also ordered and - whilst I didn't personally have the buttered mange tout - there were approving nods from my friends, whilst I did enjoy the bowl of chips. The chips were homemade and very tasty indeed. I could have been quite content with chip butties in retrospect!

Overall, I would highly recommend this eating establishment, even if it were only for bread and chips!

Always check your bill before paying, because mistakes can be made. We did notice that the desserts were charged at full price, rather than at the offer price stated on the menu. However, I will put that down to an over-sight, as it wasn't particularly going to break my piggy bank. That came later, when I accidentally nudged it off the table and the little pink oink oinker smashed into several thousand pieces all over the floor!

It gets 4 stars from Newty!

Thanks very much for reading.

Newty :-D

 

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