The centre of attention here is the self-service beer taps on your table, offering Amstel and just one other from a selection of Birra Moretti, Heineken, Duvel Green, Timmermans Strawberry Beer, Leifmans Fruit Beer, Vedett Extra White, Vedett Extra Blonde, and Blue Moon. Sadly each table only serves the two beers and it will depend on where the waiters sit you which variety you receive. As it's self-service beer, you must also be over 18 years of age to enter the building and they stress that Taps is a restaurant, not a bar.

When the waiter returned with the drinks, in a couldn't careless kind of way, he took our food order. Sadly, the Christmas Menu they had also given us was no longer available (after all it was mid January, but why give it us in the first place?) and Neil had to quickly find an alternative to the Three Bird Roast of Guinea fowl, pheasant and partridge (£15.95), which sounded amazing.

Rob placed his order of just one dish, which spurred the waiter to quiz bluntly, "Is that all you want?". "Yes" came the reply, which prompted the even blunter, "Fair enough!", presumably meaning it to sound more friendly than it actually came across. At this point, Rob talked about quitting whilst we were ahead and leaving, however a hungry Danny talked him around.

20 minutes later, the starters arrived and we were glad we hadn't left. The Pan Fried Squid & Baby Octopus (£5.60) from the Taps Favourites Menu was the stand out dish. A medium sized tapas dish, this was excellent value, nicely presented and very tasty; the lemon, white wine, tomato and chilli flavours of the sauce went perfectly together. The Mixed Salad (£2.25), whilst disappointing by European standards (why can't you get a good side salad in Britain?), paired well with the dish.

The (mushroom) Soup Of The Day (£3.50) was confusingly served with a plate of chips and a handful of leaves. Whilst very good value indeed, it was just lukewarm, which let it down. The Fried Soft Shell Crab (£7.95), again beautifully presented as a whole crab, battered and served with sweet chili sauce and what could be losely called 'salad', was very good but nowhere near the standards of the Salt & Pepper Soft Shell Crab at Ocean Treasure, across the street.

The main courses differed in quality. The Roast Corn Fed Gressingham Chicken Breast (£12.95) was, again, very good value for money, nicely presented and well cooked. The Steak, Red Onion & Blue Cheese Ciabatta (£5.95), from the lunch menu, was again great value for money and came with homemade crisps, which were very moreish. On the flip side, the Spaghetti & Spiced Meat Balls (£5.95), again from the Lunch menu, was too dry and, like the soup, not warm enough.

At just £2.25, an extra portion of fries was great value for money and highly recommended.

We stayed in Taps for a further hour to talk business but at no point did any of the waiters return to top up drinks and we had to follow the lead of some fellow diners by actively seeking a waiter to get the bill. Barring experiences at Jowata and Bella Roma (both now closed), it was certainly the worst service we have ever experienced in Manchester - which is saying something!

Whilst the restaurant itself was modern, clean and very attractive, with plenty of light coming in from the huge glass windows, the ambience was completely ruined by the choice and volume of the music. Played very loudly it seemed to skip from great folk tunes from the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, to ear-piercing, tinnitus-causing, monotonous electronic tracks and dark experimental durge. Whilst music is a matter of personal taste - there was plenty here to satisfy our very eclectic tastes - more thought is required when trying to set the ambience for a restaurant, especially if you're planning on playing it louder than is comfortable for your diners.

Overall, the inviting price of the food doesn't seem to reflect the expensive drinks prices - it was even £3 for a Lime & Soda - although this is probably down to the fact Taps are trying to avoid attracting the same crowd that this end of Peter Street became notorious for. If only their waiters could have reflected such a smarter attitude!

Given that Taps is owned by the same people who run our favourite bar in Manchester, the superb Epernay Champagne Bar above it, we would certainly return for the good food and the unique concept itself. Whilst the attitude of the staff left a very bitter aftertaste, (earwigging conversations on other tables, we were not the only dissatisfied customers), it would be almost impossible for the staff at Taps to replicate such a poor performance again. Surely?" - restaurants of manchester 15/1/11 (visited on a friday lunchtime)