Choice Bar & Restaurant

Choice Bar and Restaurant, located in the up and coming culinary city of Manchester, has already a galaxy of awards to its credit, with Manchester Restaurant of the Year 2003-2004, winner of the best wine list in 2003, whilst head chef Mark Urry was runner- up for British Chef of the Year.

Choice is positioned on the banks of the River Irwell Canal, in a converted spice warehouse of 1823. Their speciality is contemporary regional recipes using the finest produce from North West.

A confrontation of menus makes for plenty of choices, as the name implies, with a Smart Choice Menu, Sunday menu, Executive choice and, of course, an a la carte that tends to typify the versatility of this respected restaurant. Amongst the starters look for potted duck leg with a cherry and coriander chutney and spring onion bread, or grilled sardines on tomato toast with lemon dressing. However, when in Manchester you are never far from Bury, so do not lightly ignore the Bury black pudding with caramelised Cox's apples and Cheshire air-dried ham on leaves with a sage oil dressing.

A new slant on haddock is the grilled marinaded fillet of haddock on a warm salad of new potatoes, green beans and roast tomatoes with mild rough chilli. By now you will have the picture well enough not to be surprised to hear that the belly of Gloucester Old Spot pork is glazed in Cheshire cider and honey, served with a fondant potato and sage steamed bok choi. No self-respecting restaurant can survive without offering steak and chips; here it is Cumbrian Feel bred beef with mushrooms and Black Sheep ale gravy on a bed of swede chips with mustard battered red onion rings. The rack of lamb is from the nearby Vale of Bowland.

The name of Mrs Kirkham is a much respected one in local culinary circles and the delicious savoury cheesecake is made with her creamy Lancashire cheese on a sweet Eccles cake base.

The whole operation is backed up with an interesting wine list that attracts contributions from the world over, attractive décor and staff that gets on with the job efficiently and unobtrusively. In a city where new restaurants are no novelty, Choice is well deserving of those awards and its enthusiastic clientele.