"I must admit that when booking into a brasserie, in a hotel in town, which charges £13 a main course, we didn't expect the food to be quite as good as it was. My duck starter, was one of the best things I've eaten all year. A lovely shredded duck croquette, covered in panko breadcrumbs. I could have eaten a handful. Other stand out parts of the visit were the Pork Belly, which was perfectly rendered and cooked, presented really well, in a fashion far more appealing to the eye than you'd usually expect from brasserie fayre. The desserts of Brownie and Ginger Cheesecake were both good, although perhaps a little under par compared to the rest of the meal. The only minor moan about the food is that the sauces for both mains were a touch split, and the ginger pudding needed a bit more sweetness, but at these prices, you'd be hard pressed to really find any real fault.

The wine list is acceptable, with something on there for most people. Our choice of a Carmen 2010 Chilean Reserve Pinot Noir. Perhaps a little marked up, as you can buy it from merchants for about £8, but still, it's a nice bottle, and matched our pork and lamb mains well. Two good quality three course meals, with bread, two glasses of Champagne, water, and a bottle of very nice wine, came in at a very reasonable £110.

The service was on a par with the food, again, something you don't really expect in a brasserie. We were fortunate enough to be served by the Maitre d' though, who also knew his wines and made a few good suggestions based around some guest wines which they had on offer. Service was polite, friendly, and professional throughout, and we couldnt really ask for much more.

In honesty, its not as nice inside as it looks on the website. Still though, it's reasonably attractive, and the dining area is quite small, on a split level seating area. We were sat next to the window, which was pleasing as a group of two on a Saturday night. Sadly though, despite it being in full view of Portland Street, the area was frequented by young lads during the course of the night, who couldn't be bothered to use toilets whilst taking a leak, and preferred a fence adjacent to our window. Not the best view over a dinner, but this wasn't the restaurant's fault in the slightest.

Overall 101 Brasserie was a very pleasant surprise and, based on price, I'd say that this is one of the better places in town that we've visited in quite a while, and is up there with the likes of Choice and City Cafe in terms of value and quality, with a similar kind of down to earth yet professional ambience. Prices are very reasonable, service is just what you'd want in a mid range eatery, and the food was, if I'm being honest, pretty solid across the board, especially at these prices. Well worth a visit... just stay away from the view out of the window seats when town is busy... unless youre into 'that bag', of course." - Chris Handley, Salford ~ TRUSTED REVIEWER (26/3/2012 ~ visited on a Saturday evening)

food	price	service	smartness	overall
"surprisingly good'	"reasonable"	"professional"	"reasonably attractive"	"a very pleasant surprise"