Fantastic experience, we enjoyed all the food. The wine paring was incredible and they do a mix wine & homemade soft drinks pairing if you don’t want to get too tipsy which I loved! Incredible staff, very knowledgeable and loved hearing about where the food/wine came from.
Rebecca W
We enjoyed our evening at this unique restaurant. The tables are all laid out with a view of the kitchen and the concept of each dish and where the ingredients were sourced is explained in detail. Staff were very attentive and polite.You do pay a high price for the freshly prepared, sustainability sourced food but in these tough times I suppose their expenses have gone up enormously. Still, expectations are high given the price.There was nothing I wouldn't eat but some dishes were better than others for sure. We were served maybe 9 or 10 plates altogether, some just being small snacks. We also got the dry pairing which I enjoyed thoroughly. It's £4 for water.On a critical note, I was getting full towards the end but my partner said he could have eaten more, so expect quality not quantity. I also really have to mention the chairs, were they made for people with no backside? I shuffled around feeling uncomfortable all evening. I've seen other reviews saying the music is loud and I agree, it was difficult to hear the explanations and each other even though we were sat directly next to each other. If English is your second language or you are hard of hearing, good luck.Wheelchair accessibility: This restaurant is not wheelchair accessible unfortunately.
David Bilton
An exceptional dining experience.
Steve Jones
Nothing short of amazing. I had purchased the visit as a Xmas gift for my son; a seat at the bar to the kitchen. I spoke to staff before hand and let them know of his interest in becoming a chef. On the night the staff were so good at engaging him (and me) and talking to us about what was going on. The food was delightful. My son's interest piqued. Job done. Thank you Team WTLGI
Ian Fairbrother
Amazing experience, kicked off my Birthday celebrations in style. The food is beautifully presented and delicious. Really impressed by the relaxed vibe and layout. Would definitely recommend.
Jay Frankenberger
Great experience, great to know that all ingredients are from sustainable and British
Phil Dudson
Overall a pleasant and interesting dining experience. The building is beautiful and there is a lovely feel and ambience to the restaurant, and the staff are all very attentive and knowledgeable.The food was a little more mixed however - a good number of the dishes were great, but there were others that didn't quite hit the mark and in some cases were just 'ok'. Considering the £125 pp cost before drinks, I don't think there is room really for any of the dishes to not have the wow factor.It is hard not to compare this to Higher Ground in Manchester City Centre where on 2 visits I have had a better overall standard of dishes (with no 'duds'} for less than half the price (served in a similar curated tasting menu style, with the same excellent service, perhaps in not quite as nice surroundings).This is still an interesting restaurant and a lovely experience but on the food side I don't think it lives up to the hype and there is better to be had in Manchester for less.
Kate Webber
Incredible food, service & style. I have a mixture of allergies and intolerances and the service really shone through, they knew exactly what they were doing, catered to them amazingly well. I had no doubt every meal came through correctly. Didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. The drinks paired excellently, food was stunning and they even gave me a little jar of the mushroom parfait to take away as i commented that it was so good I’d buy it at their yellowhammer store. Which is just going the extra mile and was really appreciated. Couldn’t recommend them enough.Vegetarian options: All my meals were offered as veggie, vegan or pescatarian to cater for my many allergies and intolerances.Dietary restrictions: Catered exceptionally well for dietary requirements
Roving44035950483
Without a doubt our best restaurant experience in Manchester. Food is really special and service is faultless. Really memorable evening.
Lisa Ward
This place deserves every bit of its growing reputation. Innovative and fabulous food in relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The fennel posset and apple granita was my absolute favourite but I can't fault anything. I loved it.
- overpriced - small portions - left hungry - only some of the courses were enjoyable - staff were pretentious and a little rude, favouritism given to older couples (probably based on how much they thought they would tip)
Becca
Beautiful food, lovely building and concept. The staff are the real stars of the restaurant. They were attentive, knowledgeable, and nothing was too much trouble for them. I think every single diner felt special under their care. It truly was five star service.The car park across the street is free after 18:00, and had ample spaces.It was an almost perfect visit. The chairs became uncomfortable after a few hours, but that may just be a symptom of our staying too long!
Ula Karolina
Customer service was good but not amazing, perhaps stressed as didn’t seem to enjoy interacting with us. The food didn’t impress. Seems like the ingredients are cheap and courses basic but served as fine dining. Loved couple of courses but then thinking how much we paid left me with bitter feeling of being overcharged. Dined it other fine dining restaurants and that gives us pretty good comparison of what to expect. PS. Massive mould on the wall is a health hazard and it is just black patch in the corner of the ceiling.
Gavin Boyd
We have been wanting to come here for ages and we were not at all disappointed.The setting is fantastic with easy parking across the road (council car parking, but plenty of spaces when we arrived for a Saturday lunch).The room is incredible and on a sunny day, certainly lived up to the name "Where the light gets in".The choice of background music was very enjoyable, although for a few songs it did sound a tiny bit loud and I found it difficult to hear the description of what we were served for one course.The staff were fantastic: very knowledgeable, attentive and helpful.The good itself was really great. The deep fried oyster was exceptional, one of the best things I have eaten in a fine dining restaurant. It was interesting to be served mutton as the main red meat dish which I thoroughly enjoyed, however for this course, a slightly larger portion would have been appreciated.The wine pairing was interesting with what felt like genuine descriptions of the wine by the staff (as opposed to the generic "minerality" and "herbaceous " which is all too common these days for wine pairings).Similarly, the non-alcoholic pairing was interesting and I would recommend it.To sum up: great food, a great venue and fantastic staff.
scott johnstone
Amazing dining experience for a special occasion. Exceptional food, great drinks selection delivered by a friendly, enthusiastic and engaging team.
Fantastic experience, we enjoyed all the food. The wine paring was incredible and they do a mix wine & homemade soft drinks pairing if you don’t want to get too tipsy which I loved! Incredible staff, very knowledgeable and loved hearing about where the food/wine came from.
We enjoyed our evening at this unique restaurant. The tables are all laid out with a view of the kitchen and the concept of each dish and where the ingredients were sourced is explained in detail. Staff were very attentive and polite.You do pay a high price for the freshly prepared, sustainability sourced food but in these tough times I suppose their expenses have gone up enormously. Still, expectations are high given the price.There was nothing I wouldn't eat but some dishes were better than others for sure. We were served maybe 9 or 10 plates altogether, some just being small snacks. We also got the dry pairing which I enjoyed thoroughly. It's £4 for water.On a critical note, I was getting full towards the end but my partner said he could have eaten more, so expect quality not quantity. I also really have to mention the chairs, were they made for people with no backside? I shuffled around feeling uncomfortable all evening. I've seen other reviews saying the music is loud and I agree, it was difficult to hear the explanations and each other even though we were sat directly next to each other. If English is your second language or you are hard of hearing, good luck.Wheelchair accessibility: This restaurant is not wheelchair accessible unfortunately.
An exceptional dining experience.
Nothing short of amazing. I had purchased the visit as a Xmas gift for my son; a seat at the bar to the kitchen. I spoke to staff before hand and let them know of his interest in becoming a chef. On the night the staff were so good at engaging him (and me) and talking to us about what was going on. The food was delightful. My son's interest piqued. Job done. Thank you Team WTLGI
Amazing experience, kicked off my Birthday celebrations in style. The food is beautifully presented and delicious. Really impressed by the relaxed vibe and layout. Would definitely recommend.
Great experience, great to know that all ingredients are from sustainable and British
Overall a pleasant and interesting dining experience. The building is beautiful and there is a lovely feel and ambience to the restaurant, and the staff are all very attentive and knowledgeable.The food was a little more mixed however - a good number of the dishes were great, but there were others that didn't quite hit the mark and in some cases were just 'ok'. Considering the £125 pp cost before drinks, I don't think there is room really for any of the dishes to not have the wow factor.It is hard not to compare this to Higher Ground in Manchester City Centre where on 2 visits I have had a better overall standard of dishes (with no 'duds'} for less than half the price (served in a similar curated tasting menu style, with the same excellent service, perhaps in not quite as nice surroundings).This is still an interesting restaurant and a lovely experience but on the food side I don't think it lives up to the hype and there is better to be had in Manchester for less.
Incredible food, service & style. I have a mixture of allergies and intolerances and the service really shone through, they knew exactly what they were doing, catered to them amazingly well. I had no doubt every meal came through correctly. Didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. The drinks paired excellently, food was stunning and they even gave me a little jar of the mushroom parfait to take away as i commented that it was so good I’d buy it at their yellowhammer store. Which is just going the extra mile and was really appreciated. Couldn’t recommend them enough.Vegetarian options: All my meals were offered as veggie, vegan or pescatarian to cater for my many allergies and intolerances.Dietary restrictions: Catered exceptionally well for dietary requirements
Without a doubt our best restaurant experience in Manchester. Food is really special and service is faultless. Really memorable evening.
This place deserves every bit of its growing reputation. Innovative and fabulous food in relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The fennel posset and apple granita was my absolute favourite but I can't fault anything. I loved it.
Restaurantji Recommends
- overpriced - small portions - left hungry - only some of the courses were enjoyable - staff were pretentious and a little rude, favouritism given to older couples (probably based on how much they thought they would tip)
Beautiful food, lovely building and concept. The staff are the real stars of the restaurant. They were attentive, knowledgeable, and nothing was too much trouble for them. I think every single diner felt special under their care. It truly was five star service.The car park across the street is free after 18:00, and had ample spaces.It was an almost perfect visit. The chairs became uncomfortable after a few hours, but that may just be a symptom of our staying too long!
Customer service was good but not amazing, perhaps stressed as didn’t seem to enjoy interacting with us. The food didn’t impress. Seems like the ingredients are cheap and courses basic but served as fine dining. Loved couple of courses but then thinking how much we paid left me with bitter feeling of being overcharged. Dined it other fine dining restaurants and that gives us pretty good comparison of what to expect. PS. Massive mould on the wall is a health hazard and it is just black patch in the corner of the ceiling.
We have been wanting to come here for ages and we were not at all disappointed.The setting is fantastic with easy parking across the road (council car parking, but plenty of spaces when we arrived for a Saturday lunch).The room is incredible and on a sunny day, certainly lived up to the name "Where the light gets in".The choice of background music was very enjoyable, although for a few songs it did sound a tiny bit loud and I found it difficult to hear the description of what we were served for one course.The staff were fantastic: very knowledgeable, attentive and helpful.The good itself was really great. The deep fried oyster was exceptional, one of the best things I have eaten in a fine dining restaurant. It was interesting to be served mutton as the main red meat dish which I thoroughly enjoyed, however for this course, a slightly larger portion would have been appreciated.The wine pairing was interesting with what felt like genuine descriptions of the wine by the staff (as opposed to the generic "minerality" and "herbaceous " which is all too common these days for wine pairings).Similarly, the non-alcoholic pairing was interesting and I would recommend it.To sum up: great food, a great venue and fantastic staff.
Amazing dining experience for a special occasion. Exceptional food, great drinks selection delivered by a friendly, enthusiastic and engaging team.