A huge glass-flanked space with long bench seating in the middle, with the bar and rotisserie area at the back.  It reminds me of a German Bier Haus and feels made for large groups having a great time.  I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to stand on the tables though!   It's a great space with a lovely vibe.

The music in our booth was a bit loud, but then the speakers live on the outskirts of the room, as do the booths.  But generally, things were correct for the venue type.

4 Sunday Roasts, 3 extra sides, 4 beers, 2 puddings, and a bottle of wine, for £160.  It's not really possible to argue.

There's also free corkage from the onsite wine shop, every Sunday, which it just happened to be when we visited.  When you consider that bottles start at about £12.50 for the always great value Solara from Romania, right up to the big hitting Californian Orin Swifts, which rightly sit on the top shelf, there's some obscene value to be had on Sundays.

Perhaps the sides are getting up there.  £7 for 4 stuffing balls?

The tag line on The Trading Route's web page simply states; 'Cold Beer.  Hot Chicken'.  It's the kind of to-the-point simplicity which people who are confident about what they're doing just stick to.  It is what it is, and the menu is super focused on that poultry and ale. 

On this occasion we paid a visit on a Sunday, when the offering is of course their rotisserie chicken, with the obviously well paired extras which come with any legit Sunday roast.

Most of our crew ordered the rotisserie chicken (£20) as that's largely why you visit.  Chickens are sourced from Cumbria, and these little beauties are corn fed, brined, and then tended to on that rotisserie until golden and delish. 

But some of the group were told that the chicken was off bounds by the boss so they had to order the beef (£22), just to help this article tell the whole story.  But we heard no complaints anyway.  Beef comes from the great quality Littlewoods Butchers, seemingly like every mid-ranger in Manchester these days.  It's become a bit samey to be honest, as much as you can't question the quality of protein one iota.  This was perfectly roasted, blushing, and seasoned like a dream, in a more than generous portion. 

Both meats came with the same sides, including roasties and XL Yorkshires on the plate, with and a big jug of thick gravy and some greens on the side to share amongst you.  The anise laden cabbage and some perfectly cooked nuggets of carrot were both a touch above your usual Sunday roast veggies.

Extra/optional sides were of course added in the form of roasted leek & cauli cheese (£7), pork stuffing balls (£7), and Broccoli Caesar (£6), collectively transforming our table into a smorgasbord of joy. 

Beer* deserves a clear note too with 3 types of draught being on offer, all from Manchester Union Brewery.  You can either have lager, black, or mixed.  We opted for 2 mixed and also 2 lagers.  All were great quality with the latter being served as a Czech style '7-minute pint', which as the name suggests sees the pint slowly poured over 3 stages lasting 7 minutes, to give a less effervescent pint with a foamier head.  The slogan of 'Home of the Foam' is proudly emblazoned throughout the venue, as homage to this pint's prep.  

We ended with both puds on the menu to share between 4 of us, and it was a simple yet pleasant affair.  Key Lime Pie (£6) had a ginger biscuit base which is always a good touch.  Said base was filled with the obvious lime filling and a cream top, with some lime zest as garnish.  Second up was jam sponge and custard (£7) which came with memories of school dinners.  Simple and comforting.  

* Our Editor enjoyed the beer offering so much that she returned the very next day, taking along a Michelin Starred Chef friend, who was visiting the city from London to cook at an event that evening. He also left as a fan!

But, the roasties were a little small in size, the Yorkshires were a bit overdone, and the Lime Pie was unbalance in ratios, being very base heavy and hence lacking in limey zing.

Genuinely lovely from the start until the end.  From the moment we entered until departing, we felt well looked after and wanted for nothing at all. 

Nothing comes to mind, as much as our scores always reflect unfair comparisons with high end dining requirements.

Manchester Goods Yard is just starting to flex its muscles a little bit, after a long period just being an off-the-track area behind Spinningfields with not much there.  The Trading Route seems to fill that Albert's Schloss like gap in the market for a simple yet tasty food offering, with a strong drinks option which feels made for good times in groups.  It's well suited to fill the brunch and lunch needs for all those adjoining offices too, selling focaccias, beer bites and chicken.

Anyway, returning to the content of our own experience; the Sunday Lunch offering is very decent indeed, featuring good quality meats, cooked well, with genuinely good price points.  especially via the corkage free option on a Sunday.  It's just a fun place to spend a couple of hours with a few mates, over some delicious and uncomplicated eats.

The Goods Yard area does still feel a little undiscovered though, despite things improving over the last year or so.  But I fully expect that when more focus is placed on that side of town, it will only help improve footfall for not only the Trading Route, but all of the residents.