The Pen and Pencil is a Northern Quarter bar and restaurant that sits on the corner of Hilton and Tariff Street in Manchester (not far from Piccadilly station), serving food and drinks 7 days a week from 10am till late. I can only comment on one breakfast visit here, but the food was superb! We spent a weekend in Manchester recently to celebrate Ben’s birthday (see my previous review of El Gato Tapas where we had a gorgeous evening meal), and the next day to quench our hangovers, we needed a good full brekky. I did a little search on Trip Advisor for nearby top rated places for breakfast and T ..read more

Part of a small chain of award-winning tapas restaurants from chef Simon Shaw (with venues also in Leeds and Liverpool), this beautiful restaurant is based in the heart of Manchester with a fantastic lively atmosphere, serving mouth-watering tapas dishes. One of my top rated restaurants! I booked the Chef’s Table at this impressive restaurant on a Saturday night in August for Ben’s birthday, and we enjoyed the meal immensely! The place was buzzing with diners and the open kitchen was great to watch. Book ahead to avoid disappointment!! – Saying that, we were late checking in to our hotel and ..read more

I am always trying out different and new curry recipes as it’s one of my favourite things to cook and eat! Cooking curries from scratch isn’t as hard as it may seem. Once you have bought a few commonly used spices such as cumin, paprika, garam masala etc, all you have to do is add different meats and or vegetables and tweak the spices to taste to come up with your own different curries. It really is a versatile thing to cook, this is why I love it! This Chicken Bhuna recipe was inspired by my latest Gousto delivery. I tweaked the recipe a little to my taste as I like quite a spicy curry myself ..read more

Overall Rating – 5/5 Tasty food, faultless service & beautiful surroundings! £45 for 2 people; 5 small plates, 1 side & 3 pints Venturing out of Yorkshire for a few days, I had the chance to visit this quirky and beautiful bar & restaurant within the Norther Quarter area of Manchester City Centre. Themed around allotments and the outdoors, this venue specialises in “offering a playful twist on traditional British Cuisine and pride themselves in only using local suppliers which ensures all dishes are seasonal, sustainable and fresh.” As we dined here pre Foo Fighters concert ..read more

Overall Rating – 5/5 One of the best breakfasts I have had so far! £24 for 2 breakfasts and 2 hot drinks Whilst in Manchester the other week for a few days, I searched Trip Advisor for a good place to have breakfast, and this was one of the top ones in the Northern Quarter area. I could see why as soon as the food came out! Federal pride themselves on serving “Ozone coffee and a fresh, locally sourced brunch menu in a friendly and cosy atmosphere. There is always an impressive cake selection baked in-house to accompany your brew.” They are also a fully licensed bar enabling you to enjoy a che ..read more