The property has always been lovely. We recall it from back in the super-old Lounge 10 days and it’s constantly been a great space regardless of the iteration ever since.

The dining and drinking areas are set over 3 floors, each of which feels more and more appetising as you ascend. Psychological perhaps, but the top floor corner/window seat which we were put in for the evening was a lovely spot.

All in all it’s a great little place; super intimate, and just a lovely base in which to let a few hours fly by.

Be prepared to climb those stairs, which may not suit everyone.  Nothing notable really comes to mind in all honesty, as much as the score reflects a mid-range venue doing a great job, rather than being a premium dining space.

The bill for 4 people was an admirable £210.  The cocktails were comped because there was apparently a delay in them being served?  But our pro radars detected no delay, so we suspect that the team spotted our work email address on the reservation and were just being discreet about giving us something extra.  Regardless, we prefer to be honest about freebies as to remain impartial and transparent, in a food Ad/PR world that’s sadly dominated by unacknowledged media comping.  So the bill for 4 should have been about £255, which is still perfectly fair.

As much as ours were free, cocktails were amazingly well priced, coming in at £10 almost across the board.  For the quality of both the drinks themselves, but also of the general package, I can’t think of a cocktail offering that’s better value in the entire city centre.

Some dishes felt a touch overpriced in all honesty.

Service charge is added, which we don’t like even though we’d have added it anyway. Perhaps I just need to stop mentioning that though, since it’s now pretty much the norm on anything more upmarket than Nando’s.

Holy Grain Sourdough (£5) with herb butter is an obligatory kick-off. Well baked proper sourdough and whipped green herb laden butter. Lovely, and Im not sure if it was accidental or not, but 4 slices for 4 people was appreciated. Nocellara Olives (£5) were also included as our pre-dinner appetite whetters.

Beignets with Alpencheddar (£7) were a cheesy delight; crispy and textural on the bite, but soft, pillowy and delivered a huge cheesy hit within. Lovely.

Steak Tartare (£12) was great quality bovine, topped with fried capers for that all important acidity burst which underpins any good tartare, along with some crisps to act as both a scoop and also to inject a bit of texture and salt into the dish. Very decent.

Cured Mackerel (£12) was probably the table’s least favourite dish. Undoubted high-quality produce, BBQed to add a subtle smoky note to the oily richness of the fish. The side garnish of apple and cucumber was well needed to bring some balance.

Grilled Peach (£11) with goat’s cheese, hazelnut, and mint, was a standout plate, and had the taste buds popping all over the place. Creamy, smoky, fresh, vibrant. Really nice.

Pea and Tarragon Porridge (£18) with okra and marigold was our first proper course. We’d been told to order this ahead of arrival by an associate, and the advice was justified. No sign of soggy okra here, just tons of oozy rich deliciousness.

Our pork schnitzel (£28) was the outstanding plate of the evening. Rather than being a schnitzel, strictly at least, it was more a great quality bone in chop that had been suitably coated and seasoned. In short it has been ‘schitzeled’, a word which was invented on the evening, adding suitable recognition to the dish. A fine duck egg added some extra indulgence to the plate.

Ex-dairy sirloin (£32) was a quality yet simple affair. Blushing steak, doused in pan sauce, with a healthy blob of sharply fresh chimichurri sat on the side. A crowd pleaser.

Crushed Potatoes (£8.50) with whipped smoked butter and Canarian-style Mojo Rojo sauce was a stellar side plate. Great potatoes, and pretty much anything covered in that crimson sauce makes me happy.

Cavolo Nero (£6) was as the menu says. Chopped, cooked, seasoned, on a plate. Sans garnish, as is.

Baba au Rhum (£8), one of my favourite puds on earth, looked pretty upon being served, with a piped band of well sweetened cream generously filling the baba itself.

Chocolate Mousse (£7) with EV rapeseed oil was light, fluffy, and reminded me of a dish served at Erst a while ago. Simple but delicious enough.

The mackerel’s uber-fishy aroma made it a tough eat to be honest. It sounds odd, but fish should never smell ‘fishy’.  This did.  Very.

Since Im allowed to have a subjective moan in these pieces; I’m becoming bored of seeing ex dairy cow on Manchester menus, which I suspect is largely because Littlewood’s in Stockport sell it and every mid-ranger in Mcr now shops there, which again is also becoming samey as good as they are.  The recently closed Levanter in Ramsbottom brought the Galician OG version to the region over a decade ago via the amazing Basco Fine Foods in Yorkshire.  Then, it was exciting.  But now UK sourced ex-dairy is suddenly everywhere in Mcr, as if it’s still something new and hasn’t been a staple across Spain for decades, which of course it has.

Lastly, the rum baba was a sad misfire.  Well overbaked and under-soaked; it was crispy and lacked boozy syrup so just the opposite of the dish’s intended delivery. The mousse was also a little uninspiring and felt lazy. as much as it was delicious.

Generally, a delight.  Warm, chatty, friendly, no real service delays, and good wine knowledge to boot.  From the moment we were greeted the team felt like a safe pair of hands and we sensed that we’d be well looked after.  And we were.

Our bread’s butter was cleared down before it was finished. I was still chewing my bread whilst it disappeared too.  Always upsetting.

There’s no question that 10 Tib Lane is in the conversation of being one of the city centre’s top 10 dining experiences.  The venue is lovely, service is strong, and the food offering is broadly exciting and of a solid standard, plus it has real personality in a world whereby many mid rangers are near facsimiles of the last one.  As a whole package, it’s one to put on your radar, 100%.

But; puddings were flat and felt like a tick box driven afterthought, rather than being a highlight which forms a lasting impression as the final thing which you eat during an experience.  If you’re going to plate with such simplicity, then it needs to be perfect on delivery.