 | |  | | | The Modern at Urbis Manchester - reader comments | "Why
isn't The Modern full at lunchtime? This has to be the best
and cheapest lunch in Manchester with the fixed price
menu. Everytime is a winner. I have also been for the full
menu and we were delighted. The food is exceptional.
It should be packed out. A real hidden jewel in Manchester."
- jenny davis, manchester - member since Oct'08 (21/8/09,
visited on a tuesday lunch) |
| "We arrived at The Modern at 5pm, where we were greeted instantly by a warm, welcoming smile and duly sat at a table. Service was polite, prompt and very helpful. When asked to go to our table offers were made to carry our drinks and coats - we sat at a window table as pre-ordered (although I do feel this was more luck than judgement as it wasn't clarified at any stage prior to sitting down).
The food was fantastic (we started with oysters, then starters - the whitebait and scallops are a must!), then I had the venison which was great (a little more jus wouldn't have been missed) and my wife had the ever so popular chicken (sauce was a tad salty - but the flavor of the chicken more than made up for this). Cheese to finish.
The waitress knew the menu like the back of her hand, was attentive, polite, proffesional and made us feel like welcomed guests. I will be going back to The Modern and can recommend this restaurant to anyone - not quite Le Manoir aux... but on par for value." - richard, coventry 23/2/09 (visited on a saturday evening) |
|  "Had the prix-fixe menu at The Modern prior to going to the MEN Arena next door. Not much choice. The starter was very good. Ordered the salad as a main course and was informed would cost more which we did not agree with. When it came it was a definite starter portion and my friends felt quite sorry for me! The other main courses seemed nice though but again quite small portions. It served it's purpose but probably won't go back." - catherine, manchester 13/9/08 (visited on a tues evening) |
| | "I've been to the Modern many times and have always been impressed with the food. It's been consistently good without ever demanding the Michelin inspectors' attention. The Goosnargh Chicken is superb for £8.50 and the Fillet Steak Tartare, £6.50, is a rareity for Manchester. The views, whilst obscured by the frosted glass (this is an Ian Simpson designed building after all), are better than anywhere else in the city (with the possible exception of Harvey Nichols Restaurant, Brasserie Chez Gerard, Slug & Lettuce or Choice). Prices are surprisingly reasonable and the drinks at the bar are amongst the best in town. Service is friendly although too relaxed. So much so, if you're not sat around the kitchen door (where the waiters and managers congregate for a chat) you can run the risk of being overlooked far too often. All in all though, 4 stars and a place in the Restaurants of Manchester Top 10 is probably a fairly accurate reflection." - matthew, manchester 20/5/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| "Good but not great food. Good but not great decor. Good but not great views, no matter where you sit, since the Urbis doesnt have any many clear views. Friendly, yet average and very casual service, from semi skilled waitresses, who dont really seem to understand food and drink. To be blunt, they wouldnt seem out of place in Pizza Express, and when we asked which 3 cheeses were on the cheese board, they had to check in the kitchen.
Upon arrival, we were told that the window seat that we'd booked 2 months in advance wasnt available, so we sat elsewhere, albeit a little begrudgingly. After 10 minutes without our orders being taken, the window seat was still unused, so I mentioned this, and we were moved. Incidentally, the window seat guests never arrived anyway.
I'd sum The Modern up as being a decent eatery, which plays on its fantastic views, even though they dont really exist. Prices are what you'd expect to pay for a decent, non chain meal in the city centre (40-50 quid per head for 3 courses, wine and service).
The service seems to be on a par with the upstairs bar, ie, staff chatting amongst each other, having a laugh, and generally being overly casual. I know that Manchester doesnt get fine dining, but I'm sorry, for a restaurant that tries to market itself as one of the best in the city, this isnt acceptable.
Anyway, The Modern is nothing special on the grand scale, and unfortunately, is very symptomatic of Manchester's recent explosion of 'trendy' places, which quite often lack any real substance in terms of fine dining. The bottle of wine (Huia Pinot Nior from New Zealand) was fantastic, but then I doubt the waitresses would have been able to suggest it had I asked for their advice. But then, Im not overly convinced that too many people in Manchester really get fine dining... a bit like the waitresses in the Modern." - chris handley, manchester 19/5/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| "My brother and I decided to take our parents out for a meal to celebrate their early retirement. After reading a number of reviews we decided to book a table at The Modern. I phoned to book a couple of weeks in advance, explained it was a special occasion and asked for a table with a view towards the Manchester Eye. I phoned to confirm the day before our visit and they had noted my request for a nice table (which they gave us).
We arrived early so we could sample a pre-dinner cocktail which, whilst not cheap, were out of the ordinary and all tasted superb. Once we were taken to our table the waitress was attentive, pleasant and even laughed at our feeble jokes!
The food was wonderful - beautifully presented, very tasty and just the right portion sizes. We ordered side dishes of broccoli, chips and new potatoes but really didn't need to (although the chips were lovely). I had the Calves Liver which just seemed to melt in the mouth, its an expression I've heard used about meat before but this is the first time I've experienced it. Others in the group had the Chicken and found it equally good as was the Sea Bass. The House white wine was well priced and (for the price) surprisingly good.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant as it was excellent food, well priced (especially for a city centre restaurant) with a relaxed atmosphere." - sam standerwick, newport 4/5/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "I fail to understand how The Modern can advertise itself as having panoramic views of the city. There is one table near the staircase to the bar where the views are good, the rest of the windows have panels over them so you can only view the city through tiny slats. As this was the main reason I took my parents there for Graduation Offers I was extremely unimpressed and slightly embarassed. As for the food, three of us at the table had the steak and the other a fish dish. I have to say I have had better steak which I've cooked myself. The meat was chewy and tough, even though it had been ordered medium-rare. For the price of the restaurant this was completely unacceptable. I would urge people to ask for a city view table when booking and avoid the steak! On the positive side the bar was nice and the selection of drinks very good even if they were a bit on the expensive side." - hayley griffin, london 9/4/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "The Modern was very nice and surprised not more expensive. Food was excellent but service a bit slow considering it was 5.30pm and only a few tables were busy, they might just take a bit to get going! Worth a visit." - pam armstrong, leeds 5/3/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| "When Le Mont closed down it certainly wasn't a result of the quality of the food. In a city with such a small city centre and so much choice of good (but not sensational) restaurants, perhaps Manchester isn't ready to accomodate a top quality exclusive restaurant - Establishment and Reform were other examples. It is, for that reason alone, why we're curious as to how The Modern will fare. First of all the signs weren't good. Quite literally 'signs'... we couldn't find the entrance, yet we knew the restaurant was open as we'd received the first customer review a few days earlier. After many laps of walking the perimeter of the impressive landmark buiding, a security guard behind the frosted glass beckoned to a hidden doorway on the opposite side of the building (across the road from Waxy O'Connors). Even when we were eventually stood outside it, we still couldn't find the entrance but fortunately the automatic door slid open and a sign indicated to take the lift to the 6th floor. It was all very James Bond. Secret doorways, instructions to follow, lonely elevators and chic 60's style signage. On arrival on the 6th floor we entered the bar and, honestly, the manager almost fell of his chair with surprise and the barman all but panicked with shock - 'a customer!'. Even though it was 9:30pm, it was obvious we were the first of the night and on conversation with the staff it sounds like there hasn't been many others since opening 7 days ago. Already thoughts of Le Mont resurfaced. We stayed upstairs for champagne cocktails - the Airmail at £8 is highly recommended - and admired the view, whilst enjoying the complimentary roast parsnips and superb lo-fi music before heading down the curved staircase to the restaurant on the 5th floor where, once more, we were the only customers they'd seen all night. The decor is wonderful, very stylish, plain yet modern, well spaced tables and intimate lighting which is complimented by the wonderful view. Having the whole restaurant to ourselves, we opted for the table overlooking the big wheel and cathedral. The menu is impressive - a great collection of locally influenced dishes at a reasonable price. Following the beautiful Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimp starter (£5.50), we opted for the Slow Roasted Saddle of Herwick Lamb (£15) and the Grilled Goosnagh Maize Fed Chicken (£10.50). Unfortunately the waitress, who to be honest came back to double check a few of our orders (teething troubles), misheard 'Lamb' for 'Chicken' and I never got to taste the lamb I'd been so looking forward to. My initial disappointment though was soon overcome on tasting the chicken, the best I've tasted outside of a Michelin star restaurant in the UK. Even with the side order of Fat Cut Chips (£3.50) this was outstanding value for money. The excellent Marmalade Sponge dessert was also well priced at £4.50 although the manager by this time had thrown that and some sorbets (£4.50) in for free after learning about the Lamb order. With pre-theatre menu's offering even better value for money (2 courses at just £12.95), you have to applaud Urbis for moving The Modern away from the snobbery associated with Le Mont. That said, The Modern will suffer the same fate as Le Mont unless they get their marketing right. Too many restaurants in Manchester aim at a local market which is often too small to sustain a healthy business. The Modern has the advantage of being next to the MEN Arena, the main shopping area, The Printworks and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Many of it's potential visitors are out of towners who are simply not going to see the hidden doorway next to a bus stop. Advertising in local newspapers may provide short term traffic but they'd be doing their chef great discredit if they fail to maximise the potential of what is certainly one of the best dining destinations in Manchester." - restaurants of manchester 11/12/07 (visited on a monday evening) |
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