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"We asked for a highchair, which I must say was not that clean
and there was dead flowers on table, but the waiter, a fairly
pleasant young man, tried hard and our starter was
out within seconds. The spareribs were very dry whilst the
other food was OK, but we have had better
and cheaper. Once service charge was added the bill came to
over £54 for two (only one starter, two main meals and
a bottle of wine), so I don't think we would have a return
visit." -
susan wardley, manchester 26/10/08 (visited on a sunday afternoon)
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"Sweet
Mandarin has really made a name for itself. Owned by the
Tse sisters, the Manchester born and bred grand daughters
of Lily Kwok, famed for opening Lung Fung in 1959, Manchester's
first Chinese restaurant and one of the first in the UK.
Her death in December 2007, aged 89, was recorded with full
page obituaries in all of the national broadsheets and,
it has to be said, Helen, Lisa and Janet are not exactly
media shy either. There's been TV shows documenting the
restaurant's life, reviews in national newspapers, appearances
on Newsnight and their Portico Prize nominated biography
of their grandmother (also entitled Sweet Mandarin), which
was even dramatised by the BBC.
The restaurant
itself was good value for money, the 2 courses for £5.50
special offer would certainly be hard to beat anywhere in
town (even if the portion sizes are slightly smaller than
the normal a la carte versions). As you'd expect from the
third generation of restaurateurs (following on from their
mother Mabel), the food is really tasty and our Crispy-Chewy
Sichuan Beef was certainly worthy of note - very nice indeed.
We also tried Mabel's Claypot Chicken (£9.50); tasty
tender chicken aparently cooked in an earthen claypot (although
served in a metal one) with Chinese sausage, straw mushrooms,
ginger, garlic and spring onions adding a delightful flavour.
Despite being a little bit oily, it's certainly a dish worth
trying - as is the famous Lily Kwok's Chicken Curry (£10.20),
which surely is the restaurant's most popular dish
All in all, Sweet Mandarin offers great value for money
Chinese cuisine without being over complicated or pretentious.
Service is friendly and the modern welcoming decor sits
nicely in the Northern Quarter. We'll certainly be returning
soon for the unlimited dim sum offer. Can't wait!"
- restaurants of manchester 24/9/08 (visited on a weds lunch)
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