Luso
Portuguese Restaurant Manchester - reader comments
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| "The
portions were small - my girlfriend should have ordered
a side as well to be satisfied. The prices are expensive
and I wasn't overly thrilled with the flavour of my dish. Disappointed."
- Steve Oldham, Manchester 8/9/08 (visited on a Mon evening) |
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| "At
£15 - £20 each, you would expect a main to feed you, but
you'll have to order a starter and a side to avoid starvation.
I could only afford a main and a kebab on the way home. I guess it's
value for money if you're an anorexic top model. Not for me, won't
go again."
- Ugo, Manchester 8/9/08 (visited on a Sat evening) |
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| "The
online menu is different to what you get offered. A single
vegetarian option just is not good enough, the online menu
is deceptive. I never would have went there as a vegetarian otherwise."
- Claire, Manchester 7/8/08 (visited on a Fri evening) |
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| "Having
had our table of 10 booked for us by a friend, who lives in Manchester
and whose birthday it was, we didn't know what to expect about Portugese
cuisine but soon learned all about the history from the menus, which
were very helpful and informative. We got a very warm welcome and
the staff were very friendly and helpful throughout
our meal, with little touches of bringing the right dishes to the
people that had ordered them without asking who ordered what, which
although basic stuff you don't get that everywhere. Really
good mixed menu although only one vegetarian dish. The food
was very good and really tasty but you definitely had to
order sides to make your main complete and the portions weren't
large which you would expect for an average of £16-20
per dish. To be honest that was the thing that let it down really
as everything was overpriced for what you got and
being charged for a very small basket of bread was another negative.
I am not complaining about the food or service at all but there are
many other restaurants that equal Luso on both these areas for noticeably
less money. I'm not tight, none of us are, but it was the combination
of a lot of little things that would probably mean we won't be going
back unfortunately; the small-ish portions for the
price, the prices being on the high side, being charged
for bread, having to order sides to complete your meal and
having to order 3 courses to feel satisfied etc. It's a shame as it
was a lovely meal but when the bill landed, it left all of
us with a nasty taste (to use a pun). If the prices were
more realistic with other similar restaurants and you had a complete
balanced main, so therefore not having to order sides, we would have
no hesitation in recommended it to anyone. As it stands I am sorry
to say that we won't."
- Simeon, Huddersfield, 16/6/08 (visited on a Sat evening) |
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"On a visit to
Paul Heathcote's marvellous new Spanish restaurant, Grado,
across town, we got chatting to two Portuguese chef's. Inevitably
the conversation turned to Luso, the city's only real Portuguese
offering - unless of course you count the many branches of the Nando's
Chicken franchise. We'd read many mixed reviews about Luso, largely
by pompous jounalists or unreliable 'pay-us-for-a-good-review' websites.
Even the reviews submitted previously on this page spoke highly
of the 'amazing food' but then complained it was 'over priced'.
Our two new Portuguese friends basically repeated the same observations,
although in fairness Grado is not exactly
cheap neither. They said they loved the food at Luso however were
more disappointed there wasn't much of a Portuguese community feeling
about the place - most customers being British business folk with
the city's Portuguese fraternity visibly hanging around at Pau
Brasil in the Northern Quarter instead. Not seeing either of
these minor gripes as a problem, we arranged to entertain some top
London journo's that evening at the Bridge Street establishment.
Despite our late in
the evening arrival, the service was very friendly and welcoming.
Carlos, who we recognised from Piccolino in Stockton Heath, where
this website was born, was extremely helpful in explaining the menu.
He recommended Luso's signature dish, the Pork Vindaloo (£14.95),
which was quite simply stunning. I'm not sure what illegal ingredients
they put in it, however I woke up the next morning wanting to go
back and feed my new-found fix - it's certainly worth returning
for again and again. Unlike the taste-bud killing variety you find
in Indian restaurants, the Vindaloo here is a succulent lightly
spiced pork and wine stew, from the beautiful Indian state of Goa,
once a Portuguese colony. And that maybe where the argument from
the Portuguese chef's at Grado comes about.
Luso doesn't try to be an out and out Portuguese restaurant, it
offers a modern take on the traditional dishes from Portuguese colonies.
That said, the Portuguese
version of sirloin steak, Bifa á Portuguesa (£18.95)
and the Portuguese Monkfish (£18), were also exceptional and
the wine list is as representative as any you'd find in the Algarve.
As mentioned by many people though, the price is a little on the
high side with most dishes requiring side orders - Potatoes at £3.50
and Beans at £3.65 are a bit pricey but the Walnut & Mushroom
Salad (£4.50) is again, worth revisiting for alone!
So overall, Luso was
as we had been lead to expect; food that is as good, if not better,
than anywhere else in town but priced as high, if not higher, than
some of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. Would the price
put us off returning? Hell, no! I have a new addiction to feed!"
- neil, restaurants of manchester 10/12/07 (visited on a thursday
evening) |
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| "The
food and service was good but over priced, £26
for the main course of fillet steak without any veg is over the top.
The bill for 2 was nearly £100. No wonder it wasn't busy."
- Mark Taylor, Blackpool, 27/12/07 (visited on a Fri evening) |
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| "Food
and service were decent enough but in this price bracket you can do
a hell of a lot better at numerous places across the city
centre, particularly as Luso doesn't really offer anything original."
- James, Salford, 18/12/07 (visited on a Tues evening) |
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"I
ate at Luso's yesterday lunch time with a business associate. Luso's
offer an interesting Portuguese menu, with a good selection
of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes on offer. The staff
were very helpful and took the time to run through the menu
before taking our order. Luso's is lively, but at
the same time your meal is served at a relaxed pace that seems to
suit the menu. Hard to explain really, must be a Portuguese thing!
All the food is prepared fresh to order and was cooked to
perfection, well presented and served on
warm plates. The fish is particularly good and there
are some unusual side orders to accompany your main course. I can
recommend the spring cabbage and pancetta! I was so impressed, that
I've booked a table for my family and I on Christmas Eve!"
- richard newman, chinley 14/12/07 (visited on a thurs lunch) |
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| "Well
worth a visit. There was eight of us and everybody said the food
was amazing."
- Paul Walker, Manchester, 23/8/07 (visited on a Sat evening) |
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