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Obsidian
Manchester - reader comments
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| "We
went on a Friday night to Obsidian after a recommendation.
We were shown to the bar, so started there - it had a nice
vibe and banter with the bar man. The food
was excellent and we have a good appetite, so good
to see the bread is included in the price. My Beef Fillet
was good quality and the cheese board and
menu impressive. The service was
great - friendly and efficient. Now for the negatives
- The layout is odd and the location isn't
great - I had to seek this place out, it's not obvious. The
decor could do with an update, it's definitely
faded. You can tell it was the place to be when it first opened
and I was told a refurb is happening soon by the hot waitress/duty
manager. I would go to Obsidian again though."
- sam, manchester - member since may'09 (21/5/09 visited
on a friday evening) |
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| "I
booked a surprise birthday dinner for my partner at Obsidian.
It was fantastic. The manager recommended a lovely
South African Merlot which complemented my Lamb Cannon perfectly.
We finished our meal off with Chocolate Souffles & Basil
Ice Cream but were unsure about the basil ice cream so the
manager said she would replace it with another flavour if
we didn't like. There was no need as it was great.
A really lovely night and I will definitely be returning
on my next trip to Manchester."
- claire, chester - NEW MEMBER (18/5/09 visited on a saturday
evening) |
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| "I
don't normally write reviews but having recently been to Obsidian
and seen some of the older reviews (below) I just dont think
they do it justice. I went with my husband for our wedding
anniversary, after a friend recommended the place to us. We
were warmly greeted and made to feel special from the
moment we got there. Everyone we came into contact with was
polite, friendly and knowledgeable. Every course was full
of flavour and I didn't finish my meal feeling bloated
(which was a good thing on a romantic night out). We rounded
our night off with a cocktail at the bar. Although the place
was quiet, there was a nice atmosphere and yeah, the
decor could do with a bit of an update but when the
food and service is this good, I'll overlook it - a perfect
night."
- janet, manchester - NEW MEMBER (13/4/09 visited on a
weds eve) |
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| "I
have been to Obsidian a number of times and this time was
fantastic. The menu has changed from a fairly middle
of the road offering to something truely fantastic. We need
more great restaurants in Manchester and it seems that Obsidian
has got it right, the service was great and the food
was outstanding. It was a very enjoyable evening."
- david potts, manchester - NEW MEMBER - (17/3/09 visited
on a friday evening) |
|
| "Obsidian
was not good value for money, I was still hungry after
3 courses. The portions were very small and the starter
was cold."
- paula rosbotham, manchester - NEW MEMBER -(8/3/09 visited
on a saturday evening) |
|
| "Food
and service was amazing. I've been to Michelin starred
restaurants before and Obsidian was definitely on a par."
- joanne, altrincham 27/2/09 (visited on a thursday evening) |
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| "What
a disappointment Obdsidian was. First of all the menu
we were presented with wasn't the same one that was on their
website, which was annoying. The food tasted wonderful
... when it eventally arrived, but far too little of it
for the price. When we ordered, I asked if the dishes
came with vegetables, and was told 'yes', however, when the
main courses came, only one small side dish of veggies was
brought and these came nearly 10 mins after the main courses.
We were then told that veg was extra. We actually took pictures
of our vast white plates with tiny amounts of food in the
middle. We then ordered desserts and because we were still
so hungry, ordered a couple of portions of cheese & biscuits
between the 6 of us for afterwards. We were told our desserts
would be 15 mins. The cheese & biscuits appeared after
30 mins. Then it was another 20 mins after that until the
desserts appeared. All through the evening the drinks took
ages to appear after ordering them. To top it all, at about
10pm, a waitress started stacking the chairs and tables from
the area immediately next to us, not something we wanted to
witness. There was a curtain they could have very easily pulled
across to prevent this, which we eventually got up and pulled
across ourselves. But we shouldn't have needed to. I actually
felt sorry for our waiter, he was very apologetic throughout
the evening and gave us a percentage off the bill to compensate,
but the fact remains this was a much looked forward to treat
for us, and we were left very disappointed. A lovely looking
place, with a good atmosphere, but food timings and lack of
value for money really let it down. Needless to say, we
wont be returning."
- Sara Butler, Manchester 18/1/09 (visited on a saturday
evening) |
|
| "My
wife and I were pleasantly suprised to find a singer in the
restaurant singing what is best described as 'Rat Pack'. He
had a very good voice and the level of music was in keeping
with the restaurant atmosphere. It was a special occasion
and we were very impressed with the food and the service.
It made for a most enjoyable evening at Obsidian."
- isaac, manchester 15/8/08 (visited on a thursday evening) |
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"Obsidian
is an interesting one - it certainly offers one of the best
cocktail bars in town and is part of one of the best hotels
in Manchester, the Arora. As a restaurant though, behind
the obviously impressive decor and sexy lighting, it's very
hit and miss. We've visited on numerous occassions and have
been impressed by the food just as often as we have been
let down. Maybe we've visited sometimes when Head Chef,
David Roache, has been out of the kitchen or possibly we've
just been unlucky. Either way, our experiences seem to mirror
those of our trusted reviewers.
On our most recent
visit, I opted for the Bury Black Pudding starter which,
with it's poached hen's egg, was beautifully presented and
tasted divine, if somewhat expensive at £7.50. The
same could not be said of the main course, the Obsidian
Ultimate Burger, topped with Lancashire cheese, Wild Mushroom
and Bacon. Again presented well it didn't impress enough
to justify its hefty price tag and wouldn't compare to the
burger's being offered by the likes of Grill
On The Alley, Choice or Malmaison
as examples. Service was also very sparse at lunch time,
perhaps down to the fact it's more of an evening venue,
and some business men on a table next to us opted to pay
their bill at the same time their main course finally arrived,
allowing them a quicker escape back to work afterwards.
As a romantic
venue though, there can't be much better than Obsidian -
it's decor is invitingly sexy - and if you take advantage
of the many offers, including 2 meals for the price of 1
with a Hi-Life Card [apply here]
or the Sunday Jazz menu for just £13.95, you can't
really have any complaints." -
restaurants of manchester 7/12/07 (visited on a friday lunch) |
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