May 2015 Elite Event: One Night In NYC – #MCRStaycation Launch

Bit disappointed with this event. I’ve eaten at Urban Cookhouse before and the food was much better from the main menu, with dishes like trio of lamb and tuna steak with a celeriac remoulade.
I believe we were testing out the new menu but basically there were just a couple of options and they were all carb loaded snack foods– I’m not a carb person! I opted for the steak and eggs and just didn’t eat the huge wedges of toast. I think that was the better of the options– the huge half hot dog didn’t look particularly exciting or appetising to me.
I was definitely expecting more food choices and better things from the menu. We were served a cocktail on arrival and then there were some bottles of wine for the table, followed by a little mini cocktail that packed a punch. It would have been nice to have tried more of the cocktail menu at the bar.
The atmosphere was also just really flat and that’s exactly how I felt the first time I visited Urban Cookhouse. There’s something about the interior design with the stainless steel chairs that makes you feel like you’re dining in an empty canteen. At Unilocal events I’ve come to expect a bit more enthusiasm and input from the owners and staff, but at Urban Cookhouse it was as if they were all hungover and couldn’t quite be bothered.
For an elite event I was just hoping for a bit more fun and this fell flat. I think sitting at long tables doesn’t always help because you can’t really mingle and chat. It just seemed really quiet.
The company of the other Unilocalers was great as always but the event just wasn’t as good as the others.

I had a really good time at the Urban Cookhouse event.
The welcome cocktail was gin and something else that I can’t remember, as all I was bothered about was the gin. The bar staff were really friendly.
We only had one type of canapé, which I didn’t have because it was a tomato with waldorf salad and I can’t have waldorf salad. It would have been nice to have more than one.
We were than sat across two long tables which was nice. This is the point at Unilocal events where we’d normally have the owner telling us about the venue, and as much as it was nice to have time to chat/​socialise with the people on my table, I think the event missed that intro. He could have told us about the food arrangements and what to expect.
I ended up going for the pig cheek hot dog. It was really tasty and I quite liked the sauce. The fries with it were good, although too many for my taste. It did taste good though.
Dessert was then a choice between espresso mousse and a fruit parfait type thing; I went for the latter. It was really really good and I’d have it again. We also had a rosewater and gin shot with dessert and again, I’d definitely have it again.
I was on red wine, which was really good.
Overall, it was a good night with good food and thanks Jonny for organising, but I think the venue owner could have sold the venue more and told us more about what we were having, which would have made it even better.

As a travel and food blogger the new Unilocal concept of the Manchester Staycation is everything I could hope for. Exploring your local area and finding the best food around, suggested by fellow food bloggers. Unilocal Manchester will be organising a series of events based around the theme in the weeks to come and feature all our blogger tips on the website, so if you are stuck in rut with your dining options make sure to check back on their website.
Our Staycation kick off event was agained organised by the legendary community manager Jonny who lead us to one of the latest additions to the Manchester food scene in the up and coming Princess St. /​Sackville Campus area of town: The Urban Cookhouse.
We were welcomed by Jonny and the crew with some lovely gin drinks with cucumber, instant place.
The place is so fresh on the market it still smells of paint, yet for me it still lacks a bit of comfy feeling to it. The lofty NY vibe should not be be «cold» and could be improved by adding some more plants and cushions, espcially as the interior lines were kept quite clean.
The bar area is separated from the dining area and kitchen which should bridge between restaurant and club. I know very few places this combination is working properly but it certainly can.
Finishing my drink and a very strange starter of a cherry tomato of no distinct flavour, we were ushered into the dining area that was set up beautifully.
Usually this is the point were the owners give a quick run down of their business, what to expect of the night, inspiration behind the menu etc. In this case the owner did not show up all evening to engage with us. I felt this was a bit of missed opportunity, when do you usually get 20 food lovers you can win over and spread the word about your business?
Back to food: As this should be the relaunch of the menu, so I was told, I was under the impression we would be sampling some food and sharing a few of the dishes. Instead of knowing what we were going to have I was presented with a plate with a pig cheek sub.
I´ve never had them before but I am always up for something new and have heard that this is one of the prime pig bits (if such thing exists).
Unfortunately the fat and carb loaded sub (a standard white roll), whit a load of cheese and marinara sauce, plus the cheek fried up as a breadcrumbed meatball didn´t win me over. I believe the pig cheek balls as such would make a lovely starter, yet the combo is rather tasteless, except for the marinara sauce.
Our dessert were either some fruit smothie ice cream or a cheesecake mug cake. I have gone for the cheesecake and found the espresso froth on top overpowering and the cheesecake mediocre.
The highlight of my night were in this case the drinks. The chilean wine was delightful and the cocktails we samples certainly unique. Thumbs up to the bar tenders, great job!
Before leaving I actually asked for the regular menu they are serving now, as I was quite curious as to what they were serving now. What shall I say, it sounded all way better than what we had. Fresh ingredients, an eclectic mix of country specific cuisine with a NY twist. From the lookd I would have prefered almost everything on there to what I had on the night.
Thinking on it I am not quite sure what to think of the Urban Cookhouse. I am not sure if they have found THEIR concept yet.
Waiters in branded tshirts + funky loft + dirty NY grub = win
Upscale bar and chic waiters + funky loft+ upscale food and bar = win
Waiters in branded tshirts + funky loft vibe + mediocre food = no win for me
So this was either a step towards option one, in that case the cookhouse should get their flavours and prices right.
If they want to keep the concept as it goes now, I am not quite sure why we have been served such a different taster in contrast to the current menu.
Despite having loads of fun on the night, I have left the evening certainly confused about the ambigous vibes this place sends. It´s really got potential but needs tuning to find its niche in town.

Having been lucky enough to attend majority of JQ’s Unilocal elite events, I’ve become accustomed to a very high standard of evening. I’ve also discovered that the level of control JQ has over the event is directly correlated with its quality. Unfortunately it became clear very early on that he wasn’t calling the shots on this one.
‘Ad hoc’ would be the best way to describe the sequence of events. A lot of effort had gone into everything but there was a lack of organisation, a rudderless ship type scenario. At no point during the event was there any input from the proprieter, which in attempting to show off your new menu to 28 foodies is a cardinal sin.
Unilocal Elite events differ greatly from other marketing events where you can get away with shoving a few complimentary plates/​cups of F&B out and hope for 5 star reviews. This is the biggest/​best close knit foodie community outside London. Majority of Unilocal Elites are food enthusiasts who’d travel anywhere in the North West’s golden triangle (Chester/​Manchester/​Liverpool) to source the best food. Having a Unilocal elite event is therefore probably the best platform you can have to sell yourself and will go a long way to establishing rapport with us. In this respect Urban cookhouse didn’t exactly smash it out the park.
Firstly the décor was actually brilliant, and does resemble a NY style loft restaurant. After being greeted with a delicious cocktail (No one seemed to know what this was) we were seated in an area which reminded me of my school canteen. (This is a good thing. Our canteen was ace) After JQ’s customary address which didn’t conclude with him passing it on to the organizer to explain the P of A, the confused night began.
«Why do they have a new menu, didn’t they open a month ago or something?» «Anyone know what’s on the menu?» Just a few questions that began flying around as we waited ‘in the dark’ (not literally). Food did promptly arrive (No El capo style disaster there) but left all the Unilocalers in a dizzy confused state. We had no idea whether these were tasters/​per person or what else there was on the menu. We had no idea what was in it, until we asked. Is there an option without pork I asked. The reply was: «Yes there is something, I’ll bring it over». And so the wait began for «something» (Which I didn’t mind since I like surprises. Other Unilocalers to my amusement categorically didn’t!) That something turned out to be a steak sandwich with eggs on top and fries on the side. The steak was delicious but the fries were more British than American (Soggy not crispy) I also would’ve liked the option to have the fries with or without paprika instead of having the decision forced. To serve mains per person and Cocktail samples was in my opinion a back to front choice. A better option which other Unilocalers agreed on the night was to serve everyone samples of all the mains followed by proper cocktails (Not pocket sized samples)
The dessert serving carried the same story as the mains, except the person who brought it over didn’t know what she was serving herself. Natalie W and I ordered different desserts and decided to share as again we had no idea what they were. One spoon of the espresso Cheesecake and I hastily swapped it with the Fruit pastille smoothie. The espresso was stronger than the authentic Italian one I have at Tony’s (See previous review) and the cheesecake could’ve easily/​aptly been named cheese cake rock. It was hard/​dense and could’ve been easier to consume had it been served with a bucket of custard. Now, I have a sweet tooth so the sweeter the dessert the better but fruit pastille smoothie was way too sweet even for me. I did enjoy the texture of the smoothie though so not too bad. The night concluded with what many felt like an ushering us out scenario. We were out before 9 (An Elite event record?)
Throughout the evening we were wondering why there was so little communication from the owner. We could see him on the night but failed to squeeze a solitary hello or a smile from him. I’m sure he’s lovely, in fact Laura F assured me he was and I believe her. I just wish he’d been kind enough to share his good nature with us all. Perhaps the thinking was, let the food do all the talking? That’s a bit like a Hollywood studio spending $ 40 million on a feature film and NOT spending $ 80 million marketing it (Talking about it/​Shouting about it from the rooftops literally with billboards)
It could’ve worked if the food was outstanding but having given us only two dishes each to taste there wasn’t much food to do the talking.
My favourite part of the evening was Luca talking us through his New York Diesel cocktail. His passion and enthusiasm for his cocktail was infectious. It’s the sort of spirit Urban Cookhouse will need in abundance if they are to survive in Manchester’s extremely competitive and saturated American Restaurant market. I sincerely hope they do! (Though I probably won’t be around to find out anytime soon)

5 stars, as always, to JQ for organising the event and giving us all the amazing opportunity to visit a new business to try out their food and drinks.
Urban Cookhouse is a very smart looking venue, in a slightly odd location. It’s not hard to get to by any means but I’m just not sure how it would fit into an evening on the town.
First up, a cocktail. This was very, very good. As others have said it tasted of watermelon, though I asked what was in it and was told (if memory serves): gin, strawberry syrup, black pepper, apple juice.
Canapés arrived and consisted of a tomato. With a walnut in it? I’m not sure. I can’t say I enjoyed this. The tomato was very cold and very acidic. It would have been nice to have a few other options but this was the only canapé.
Shortly after we were seated. The restaurant/​dining area is smart, although the music was weird. It was the sort of music you could dance to in a bar or club but quite off-​putting during dinner. There were bottles of very nice red and white wine at the table.
The food arrived and I was just so confused. Those sitting near me can vouch that I looked like a deer in headlights when a staff member appeared at the table offering me one of two dishes. Urban Cookhouse hadn’t explained to us (or to JQ for that matter) what the set-​up was with the food. I accepted a hot dog and regretted my decision soon after. Everything had a very strong vinegary taste — and this coming from someone who would pickle all her food if she could. Overall I didn’t rate it and I wouldn’t order it out of choice.
Dessert was another confusing choice of poorly-​explained options: a «fruit pastille smoothie» (?) or an espresso cheesecake. I chose the cheesecake which I enjoyed — it tasted very strongly of actual espresso which might be quite bitter for some. The texture of the cheesecake was very dense and I couldn’t finish it.
Then, some more cocktails. Sadly only very small portions, but absolutely delicious. The one I chose was gin. And some other delicious things. I forgot. There was some micro basil in it. I enjoyed and would go back just to drink it. The cocktail man (Tom) was the saving grace of the evening. Very passionate about cocktails and really good at making them — thumbs up for him!
Overall the evening wasn’t as slick, or as informative as other events. Nobody from Urban Cookhouse came to chat to us about the business. The staff didn’t seem to know what anything was. Nonetheless it was a really enjoyable evening, always nice to get together with Unilocalers and drink some delicious booze. Jonny Q, Laura F and Neil C — thanks for putting together the event! Urban Cookhouse — I’ll be back for your delicious cocktails.

I attended the first #MCRStaycation Launch Elite Event at Urban Cookhouse which is located on Princess Street.
I arrived and was surprised on how nice this place looked — think a huge NY style loft apartment and this is what you have! The whole place looked great with the bar in the middle and the restaurant set behind it. We were welcomed with a nice refreshing Watermelon Cocktail followed by some strange canapé of small tomatoes which i didn’t particularly find very appetising.
We then made our way to the restaurant area where two tables was set up for us. the table had a few bottles of red and white wine for us all to enjoy and to help ourselves.
The waiters then started to bring out the mains, i thought we was going to have a taster of a few dishes to try out there new menu but then i realised that we would only be trying one, we had a choice of either a pig cheeks sub, a NY style hot dog a strip steak sandwich and a vegetarian style dish, I believe this was part of their summer menu? I opted for the NY style dog served with skinny paprika fries the whole dish looked a bit of a mess actually and it looked like they had thrown the fries straight onto my plate but i would have thought it would have had a better presentation, it was also very messy but also very tasty but it only seemed to be half a hot dog a bit strange but i do prefer the dogs at Splendid Kitchen.
For desert we then again had a choice of two, an espresso cheesecake and some kind of smoothie desert i tried a bit of both and neither took my fancy.
At the end we all had little cocktail to finish off the meal which was nice.
They have a great setting and a beautiful restaurant but it would have been nice to have found out a bit more about the place from either the owner or the manager or both and i didn’t really find the menu that exciting to be honest. if i had known more about what we was eating it might have been a bit more exciting but i felt that it felt flat due to not knowing what was going on in parts of the evening.
I don’t think i would rush back anytime soon for the food but its great to go for cocktails and drinks, I would like to thank Jonny Q and Laura F for arranging this great evening and a opportunity to try out this new restaurant, i wish them all the best and thanks for the invite to the first MCRstaycation Event!

The night was top notch as far as enjoying the company of fellow Unilocalers was concerned and I agree with the other reviews about the drinks, they really were the stars of the evening.
When a new venture opens and invites you to try them out I’d really like to know more about how they got to where they are — what inspired them to come up with the concept, where did they get their ideas from, why such an eclectic menu? The lack of ‘presence’ from the owner (s) was really felt, so we were left to try and understand it all ourselves. Dining In The Dark, only with the lights on.
I passed on the stuffed cherry tomato (?) canapé due to my childish loathing of that particular fruit and instead quaffed the delicious summer cocktail, which was probably the start of my eventual downfall.
Ushered into the restaurant area, we were seated and didn’t have to wait too long before plates started to arrive. Not really knowing what was going on or what the choices were going to be I ended up with the pig’s cheek sub (should have gone for the steak and eggs!) — the thick tomato-​based sauce totally overpowered everything else which was a shame. The fries were delicious though.
Dessert was also a bit of a personal catastrophe as I chose cheesecake without knowing what flavour it was only to discover it was my nemesis — coffee. Yes, the fact it was in a coffee cup should have been some indication but I’d had half a bottle of white by this point. I had to leave it but Victoria B kindly surrendered half of her fruit pastille dessert (certain parts of which were near-​on impossible to identify).
If I was to make suggestions for a repeat of the evening, I’d have liked a brief intro from the owner/​manager and perhaps a look at their current menu so that we could see what else was on offer — based on what I ate that night, unfortunately I can’t say I’d be in a rush to return.
Many thanks again though to JQ, Laura and Neil for taking the time to arrange things.

urban cookhouse is situated on the corner of princess street
inside is modern with new york style dec.
we started of with a refreshing cocktail and a small tomato which had been
lightly cooked and was told it had a walnut filling inside which was quite tasty.
For my main i opted for a vegatarian tandoori paneer which was ok would
give it a five out of ten but this is a new dish on their menu and as room for improvement as it was a bit spicy for me and am not sure what the bread
like things on the side were but could be improved in taste as they tasted
a bit like a waffle to me.
for my dessert i went for the smoothie which was a bit like a combined
mousse type of dessert but was well cooked and put together
and i would give this a nine out of ten mybe even a ten
as the combination was just right.
service was excellent and food came quick and am sure their other
dishes would of been excellent.
I would reccommend urban cookhouse to friends and in the not so
distanced future i will go back again to try another diffrent dish.
Thanks again johnny for another great nite with great Unilocalers!

As a new member of the Manchester #Yelp community, I was invited to the #MCRStaycation launch One Night in NYC at newly opened Urban Cookhouse Manchester.
The event itself was fantastic, and Jonny Q. the Unilocal Community Manager for Manchester was a fantastic host and a big thanks to him for organising the event. The Unilocal community is a great bunch of people whose main interest is great food, great locations and great company and it was joy to meet everyone at the event.
Unfortunately, the venue and food did not match the event. Although we were greeted with a really nice gin and syrup cocktail, with a slice of cucumber, and later we were offered two other tasters from their cocktail menu, both of which were again fantastic, but the cocktails were far superior to the food.
The restaurant/​bar itself looked chic, and captures that New York loft look very well, mixing colours purple over steel and white encapsulated the setting. The restaurant/​bar is located on Princess St. in the centre of Manchester, just adjacent to Canal St., which is an area that I believe will be sprouting a few more food and drink establishments in the near future, especially when it is a likely route between the Student orientated Oxford road and the Northern quarter.
The first bit of food we got to sample was what seemed to be a stuffed baby tomato, although the tomato was far to sweet to taste the inside. Overall it was disappointing, and I only hoped the main food would be better.
Soon after, we got seated behind the bar, which hosted two long tables and benched seats on one side and normal chairs on the other. The kitchen area was open, which was a nice novelty.
After Jonny Q. gave a run down of the evening, we were soon greeted by the waiters and waitresses with a choice of meals. Urban Cookhouse was particpating in this event It was disappointing that we did not get a selection to sample, but rather we were forced to make a hasty decision about whether we wanted a steak sandwich, or pig cheeks. Unfortunately, I missed out on the steak, and settled for the pig cheeks with fries. The dish resembled a meatball sub, but was overwhelmed by a tomato salsa-​esque sauce. The pig cheeks were wrapped in breadcrumbs and lay between two halves of a white cob. The tomato sauce was too much which cancelled out the flavour of the pig cheeks, so I couldn’t really tell if they tasted any good or not. The dish came with a side of fried, which were sprinkled with paprika salt. This gave the fries a nice spicy kick, but the fries were a little soggy. I prefer my fries crispy!
So the hors-d’oeuvre and the main dish were both very disappointing, so my only hope was with the dessert, which I was informed looked pretty damn good. Once again, we were given a choice of two dishes: An Espresso Cheesecake or a Fruit Pastel Smoothie. I opted for the Espresso Cheesecake as I am prone to a good cheesecake, especially a New York Cheesecake. However, I was once again disappointed. I could only have a few small bites, but that cemented my opinion, that the food just was not up to standard. The cheesecake cam in a Lavazza mug, but the topping was just caffeinated froth and the inside was just a soggy mess. It was not at all appetising.
The only thing that was good about the restaurant were the drinks. The cocktails we tasted were really nice, the two gin cocktails, one with syrup and a slice of cucumber, and the other that had a scent of lavender. The other cocktail was a spiced up JD and Coke, playing with a classic, but it worked. I’m sold! In addition to the cocktails, the red and white wine supplied on the night were great wines; the red was a smooth Merlot and the I am told the white was pretty good too! It is such a shame that the food let the restaurant down.
My final critique was the waiter/​waitresses’ uniform, which was only a purple t-​shirt displaying the restaurant’s logo. Too me, this shows that the restaurant is confused about its identity. Don’t serve me high-​end steak in a t-​shirt, and don’t overcharge me for a below average pig cheek sub. This confusion also comes down to the old menu, where it appears to me a mix of cuisines, from steak and chicken to Indian dishes. Also, there is a lot to choose from. The restaurant would benefit from narrowing down the menu, and it does not fill me with confidence that the restaurant has only just opened and is already relaunching the menu. The food should always be the priority when opening a new establishment!
I look forward to my next Unilocal event, but I will not be attending Urban Cookhouse until I see an improved menu.

This was my first time here and it was very impressive as I walked in, it was really bright and spaces and I loved the colours this is the time of place I like to go.
We was given a cocktail on arrival which was nice not sure what it was but would have it again, we were then left to chat to everyone. They came round with tomato canapés which looked great they were ok but not as tasty as they looked a bit bland. We then got taken through to the restaurant which was lovely, but then it all got a bit confusing people were bring different types of food out but you couldn’t really here what they were saying I ended up having what i though was a steak sandwich with eggs and chips but it turned out not to be a sandwich but steak and eggs sandwiched between fried bread it didn’t really work for me the bread was really soggy and was a bit greecy I think the meal would have been a lot nicer if they left the fried bead out.
For dessert Im not sure what it was as could really here the staff it was either sorbet or smoothy but was a bit too much was very sickley, would have been nicer a bit smaller and some more fresh fruit.
The food was OK but nothing special don’t think I would rush back for a meal but I woukd definatly go back for drinks

On arrival, immediately you noticed the venue being located in a great building on a corner on Princess St. Immediately the tasteful décor and open spaces are obvious. We were met with a nice cocktail /​punch and the evening began.
Once seated in the dining section there was located a red and white bottle of wine for immediate consumption.
The friendly waiters immediately began to serve a choice of three main dishes. i choose the one which looked like meat balls in a bun with spicy fries. This was very tasty and seemed I had made the best choice when talking to my friends either side of me.
For desert I had the frozen smoothie which had many additional bits to the plate, which I think was a bit overkill and detracted from the main dish itself. Two home made dinner cocktails were passed around to taste. Not really my cup of tea despite enjoying sweet drinks and cocktails myself.
Overall I asked myself, would I return? Unfortunately the answer would be no if I had to purchase any of these items. I appreciated the option to try this new menu but I don’t think it worked very well. A friend told me there lunch time menu they had tried was much better. The venue itself is fabulous so I hope they do make a success of it but time will tell.
One disappointing aspect from my personal point of vue was there was no speech from a manager or even better the owner, giving us the history of the place and what their ideas were for the venue. This enables us to see if (in our opinion) they have succeeded and hope they appreciate the neutral feedback from people who have nothing to gain or loose other than a new venue placed on the map in our great city of Manchester.

Excellent night down at Urban Cookhouse.
This Unilocal Elite event was to kick off the MCR Staycation and did so in true Unilocal style.
We were greeted warmly by the staff at Cookhouse and given a lovely cocktail in their amazingly new New York style loft restaurant. Not sure what was in the cocktail but it tasted of watermelon and was light and refreshing. It will go down very well on their new summer cocktail menu!
Seated at long tables, out came some great food! I chose to try the strip steak and it was great.
The steak was juicy and tender, excellently cooked with 2 fried eggs and some fried bread. Super stodge — I even made a chip butty with the leftover bread.
The fries get a special mention as the paprika style dusting on them is outstanding! More of those please!
For dessert I tried the espresso cheesecake and that too was good.
I think Urban Cookhouse will be a regular joint of mine. Great food at modest prices and fun, laid back atmosphere.
Thanks JQ for yet another fab event!

A great choice of venue to kick off the #MCRStaycation series of events. I’d been looking forward to this event very much, it was a nice change to sit down for a meal with fellow Unilocalers.
We were greeted with a welcome drink of a watermelon cocktail which was sprinkled with pepper. I found it odd but tasty. We mingled & chatted for a while until our table was ready. Then we moved into the dining area and took our seats for the meal. There were several bottles of red and white wine on the table which we could help ourselves to. I had the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was very pleasant.
The waiters brought out a selection of main courses from their new menu for us to try. They all looked good. I ended up with a (half) hotdog with a flavourful topping and some spiced fries. It was very nice and really tasty. I didn’t really understand why it appeared to only be half of a hotdog though. I was quite envious of those who ended up with the steak & egg sandwich as that looked incredibly delicious. I found my portion size just a little too small.
The desserts came next. I took an expresso cheesecake. The expresso topping was way too bitter for my palette, but I did like the heavy sponge base which lay beneath. Some after dinner cocktails were passed around. I don’t really know what they were but unfortunately I didn’t like either of them. The clear one had a very strong aroma of perfume.
I really hope that Urban Cookhouse make a success of this venture. I loved the New York loft style décor. However I feel unconvinced that there’s a large enough market for this style of food at the prices they charge and in this part of town. Something there has to give. I’d be happy to be proved wrong.
I had to reduce my rating to three stars for 2 reasons. Firstly, nobody from Urban Cookhouse came to speak to our group at any point. Perhaps just a few words about the company, the venue, the food, what are they hoping to achieve? Secondly, whilst the food I had was quite nice, it was lacking in some areas as I described above.
Hats off to Jonny Q and Laura F for organising this event. It was a great evening and a wonderful opportunity to try this new restaurant. Thanks guys.

A chilled out Spring evening in a Manhattan style loft restaurant with cool purple furnishings and chilled out tunes. We were served a cocktail that we were all wondering what it was. Still, it was a refreshing cocktail with a bit of kick on the topping.
Starters were a tomato combined with a stem of some sort. Canapes in my opinion shouldn’t leave guests with bits in their hands that they cannot eat. These didn’t go down too well.
We were then seated in another section of the restaurant and had a choice of a few dishes — Pig cheeks sub, strip steak sandwich, hotdog and a vegetarian tandoori paneer. I tried the hotdog which was ok, nothing spectacular and the chips were very tasty with a dusting of paprika/​seasalt?.
We were served with more cocktails both were delicious. I had the whisky which some people found too strong and the gin was fragrant in a delightful way not did not taste like juniper. I liked the small milk bottle container which the whisky came in.
Finally, we had desserts which was either the espresso cheesecake or the smoothie concoction which looked very interesting and not sure what it entailed. The espresso was very strong in taste as I am not a coffee drinker and the cheesecake was stuck to the bottom of the mug.
I enjoyed the décor of the place and I can see myself going again due to the location and types of food served and improve on my rating as this place has had fab reviews. It felt like we were experimented on last night and couldn’t quite hear what we were eating or drinking though the staff were friendly.

I was looking forward to this event as soon as I heard about it. It was the first event to kick off #MCRStaycation! Urban Cookhouse has been open only a month or so and I heard its a New York loft inspired interior — so was interested to see what it was like.
I didn’t bother looking at their web site before going as I wanted all the type of food to be a surprise.
I arrived and was greeted by JQ. We got a welcome drink which I believe was a watermelon cocktail. I don’t really like watermelon but couldn’t taste it — so actually thats a good thing for me! I couldn’t tell exactly what was in it apart from being fruity, not too sweet. Not sure there was that much alcohol but could be one of those drinks you can’t taste it until it suddenly hits you!
JQ mentioned that we would be coming round with different starters/​canapés while we were mingling in the bar area. However, the only starter was a tomato with a walnut filling. I wasn’t a fan of it really.
I generally like tomatoes but unfortunately wasn’t a fan of this — and didn’t really taste the walnut. Also, it came with the stem «lid» — which of course you can’t eat. This meant that when people were finished they were just left holding this stem. Or putting it in a tissue and leaving it around the bar — which I am sure is not what they wanted. It didn’t seem too popular based on the number of them left.
We were then told to move over to the restaurant area. We thought the idea was we would get a chance to try out a few different dishes from their new menu. It was a bit odd then when a waitress came out with 2 separate different dishes and asking us which one we wanted. It turns out that we were not trying a bit of several different dishes but just had to pick one.
However, we didn’t not what the different dishes were so you didn’t know if you wanted the dish or «skip it» and get something else — with the risk of getting something you didn’t really want. I think that was the biggest problem of the night. I ended up getting pig cheek sub. However, if I had a choice I probably would have gone with the steak dish.
Also, there was a limited number of each dish so I know at one other person wanted the steak but was told only the sub was left. It would have been better if the dishes were split into 3 and everyone tries a bit of each. And at the end of the day, that would help them and get feedback on the new dishes from more people.
Anyway, on to the pig cheek sub. I had never had pig cheeks before but I know that generally cheeks are the best parts of many animals e.g. fish cheeks are apparently the best, most tasty, tender part of the fish. Although if I am honest, tastes the same to me. Anyway, back to the pig cheeks. It was pretty tasty — tender. It was a bit like a meaty scampi — similar ish texture with the breadcrumbs.
The other dishes was a hot dog, a strip steak sandwich (with a egg). The vegetarian option I believe was tandoori paneer which I heard was OK.
The sub came with cheese and a tomato sauce — which I think overpowered the pig cheeks a bit. The sub came with some fries. There was nothing much to the fries — it wasn’t lack of seasoning. Just missing something.
I have seen from other reviews that their fries had spices (paprika?) on it — didn’t taste that on mine? But maybe I was unlucky as in peoples reviews they have all said how good the fries were! And Hugo had some of my fries since he didn’t get any with his veggie dish and he thought they tasted good. So maybe its just me!
For dessert, we got a choice between a Urban Smoothie (coffee cheesecake) or a fruit dish which I think was called Fruit Pastel (Pastille??). I went for the Urban Smoothie but heard the Fruit Pastel tasted good.
Personally I was not a fan of the Urban Smoothie. It was a very strong coffee taste. It was a sort of coffee «mousse“on the top and cheesecake below. It was a slightly odd texture of the cheesecake under the mousse.
After the dessert, we got a drink. A choice between a whisky based drink or a gin one. Tom (the cocktail guy) was the one explaining the drinks and what they were and what he had done. He was clearly knowledgable and passioning about drinks/​cocktails. I went for the gin one which smelt lovely and tasted great — maybe a touch too sweet. It was just a shame it was such a small amount — just a shot glass.
One other thing which was a bit disappointing was that we didn’t hear from anyone from Urban Cookhouse to tell us their history, their plans, ideas etc.
The restaurant itself is a nice enough place but it felt quite open. Not really a fan of the corrugated metal. Its probably better when its more people but it was lacking atmosphere on a Tuesday evening.
As always, it was a great job by JQ for organising the event. So thanks Jonny, Laura F and Neil for organising this event. Overall it was a really good evening.

Yet again, thanks to Unilocal!I got to try out a new business which I hadn’t heard of. Urban cookhouse is a very cool and modern NY style restaurant. It is very bright and airy and has a great feel to the place. We were served a very refreshing cocktail (watermelon flavour, I think!) when we arrived. It was very tasty but I should’ve asked what it was as I would love to make this at home. As we were waiting for our table small canapes were brought round — a small stuffed tomato. To be honest I couldn’t really taste the filling. Apparantly it was a waldorf ‘salad’.
After a while we were seated at long tables and served our food. It was very difficult to hear what was being brought out but I ended up with meatball sub (pigs cheek apparantly…). It was very tasty. The fries were exceptional though. A dusting of paprika meant that mine quickly vanished! I also tried the steak and eggs — was it a sandwich to eat with your hands or a meal to eat with a knife and fork? I couldn’t make up my mind but the steak was very tasty… There was also a hot dog or tandoori panner to choose from.
The desserts let me down a little bit though. I opted for the espresso cheesecake. In my opinion the foam on the top was a little bitter and the biscuit layer was stuck to the base. Maybe it was just mine though as most people seemed to enjoy theres. I also got to try the smoothie desert which was very tasty but was a little unsure with what it was served with.
I will definately be back and will hopefully be able to up my review score of the place as i’ve heard the lunch menu is excellent. Overall a great place that I can see getting better and better as they mature!
Cheers JQ and Urban Cookhouse!

A very enjoyable Elite event at new restaurant Urban Cookhouse. The urban Cookhouse is industrial in design and whoever designed it is obviously a huge fan of purple but the place looks stylish and welcoming. We were given a gin based cocktail on arrival which I really liked. Think it had a hint of watermelon and was very refreshing.
We were given the chance to mingle with fellow Unilocalers before heading over to the restaurant to start dinner. There was free wine on the table which was a nice touch. I had the veggie option of tandoori paneer which was nice. It was beautifully presented and accompanied by samosas and a range of dips. The dish was a little on the spicy side but then I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to anything spicy.
For dessert I think I made the right choice based on the other reviews and chose the fruit pastele. It was sweet but very moorish. I loved the mini blackcurrant meringues that came with it.
At the end of the meal we tried another cocktail. I had the gin based on which had a lovely lavender flavour.
The only thing that could have made the night better for me was if the manager had taken the time to talk about the venue and it’s story so far.
Thank you Johnny and Laura F for organising such a good event. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another great event organised by Jonny Q. It’s such a great opportunity to get to know this lovely new restaurant in Manchester. It’s located on Princess Street just off Manchester gay village. A very chic and simple settings with great characters.
The service is the best part of it. All staffs are super cool and friendly.
We had been offered a lovely cocktail on arrival with cute little tomato canapé.
When we all sit in. A few main options were just arriving for us to choose from. I selected a steak sandwich with fried eggs and chips. I enjoyed the steak very much. The two sunny side down were too heavy for me since the bread of the sandwich was soaked in the oils from the steak/​fried eggs. However I am sure that also reflects how decent the portion is. The well seasoned chips were a little bit too salty but it’s extremely tasty. I would probably be better off with the steak sandwich and some side salad instead of the fried eggs and chips.
As for the dessert, I chose the coffee cheesecake. It’s very rich coffee flavoured cheesecake but not being too heavy and sweet. It’s just what I needed after a heavy main.
We had also been provided with lovely red and white wines during the entire evening. A whisky and a gin based spirit shot were offered for us to taste after the meal. I had the gin based spirit shot, which is very a aromatic liquor.
It’s a very lovely and laid back evening. Everything is well organised and the service was spot on. It’s nice to have this opportunity to try the new menu in such a lively and cool new restaurant.
It seems a great place to hang out with friends or any business/​leisure meet up as well.
I would like to come back sometime soon to try other things on the menu.