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Situated in Manchester's Northern Quarter, Bluu's striking interior of retro furniture and distinctive 80s styling enhances the über trendy factor. Funky and eclectic, the bar-brasserie is spread across the ground floor and basement and offers hand crafted cocktails along with the premium wines, beers and a variety of spirits.

Bluu's unswerving commitment to the seasons and fresh ingredients is evident in their modern British cooking and, with an open kitchen, diners get to watch chefs at close quarters. An assiette of miniature starters to share can be followed by rabbit and smoked bacon terrine and pan-fried salmon, saffron and mussel chowder. The classic pie and mash makes an appearance alongside 10 oz rib eye steak from the grill section.

Tapas is usually considered the ultimate bonding food and this is evident with plates of salt and pepper calamari, Welsh rarebits, posh cheese straws and mini Scotch eggs being polished off in quick succession.

Slug and Lettuce has a chain of almost a hundred bars spread across the country sharing a common love of serving down to earth, undemanding food and drink.

The group prides itself on offering dishes prepared using quality ingredients, and you should be attended on by attentive staff in a safe, welcoming and cheerful environment. The Slugs have something for anyone - breakfast for a lively start to the day, lunch for busy people, family meals or even a relaxing glass of wine to bring a tiring day to an end - all in a variety of modern and stylish settings.

The menu features old time English favourites such as Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages in buttered mash or fish pie made with Dartmouth smokehouse haddock, in a Devon cream and leek sauce, although dishes look to Europe and further afield to Asia for inspiration. A good way to start the enjoyment is by sharing platters of Southern fried chicken breast pieces, crispy potato wedges, garlic ciabatta strips, half a rack of BBQ pork ribs, wasabi vegetables with onion rings or some Greek mezze

Hearty steak pies, Thai curry with sticky jasmine rice or butternut squash with goats' cheese lasagne are amongst the more popular main dishes. Sandwiches or wraps - warm tortilla with chicken and Parmesan or aromatic duck in plum sauce - provide for those who prefer something lighter. They also serve burgers as well as tempting salads like salmon, asparagus or tomato and mozzarella. For children they have good old British standby sausage and mash, or pepper pasta and ketchup among other choices, all of which never fail to delight, particularly as some of them seem to have come out of a certain celebrity chef's Book of Forbidden Dishes.

Desserts appear in the form of raspberry biscotti, hot chocolate pudding or a creamy strawberry cheesesake. The wine list is well compiled and substantial. There are not less than seven French, three from Italy and some from Spain, Chile, Australia as well as New Zealand. Slug and Lettuce can cater for events including birthday parties, fashion shows, hen nights, wedding parties or just an enjoyable night out with a few friends.

Overlooking the busy Portland Street in the heart of Manchester, the restaurant at the Portland Hotel is a welcome stop for diners from all walks of life, from busy shoppers to businessmen. The restaurant boasts an ambience that is casual and relaxed, serving a variety of delectable fare throughout the day. The menu is a mix of modern British and European cuisine that is made from produce sourced locally wherever possible.

The restaurant is open from 7am during the week, and 7.30 am at weekends for breakfast, the lunch menu includes a variety of light bites and sandwiches with assorted fillings and is much in demand. The dinner menu offers a choice of tempting modern British dishes as well as more international flavours, and guests can enjoy them accompanied with a range of beers and real ales in the well-stocked bar. There is also a carefully selected wine list with a range of new and old world reds and whites available by the glass or bottle.

Guests can also enjoy some of the major sporting events which are shown on the Portland Hotel Bar's big screens, or enjoy a quiet drink away from the hustle and bustle of central Manchester.

Housed within the Crowne Plaza hotel in the vibrant Northern Quarter of Manchester, the Glasshouse Restaurant and Bar is a stylish, contemporary space perfect for a quick drink or a business meeting. The dining area's intimate rounded leather booths provide a refined setting for a leisurely evening meal and the restaurant also has a private dining room that can accommodate up to 18 people.

The menu emphasises new dishes which add a contemporary twist to traditional favourites with a regional flavour. This could include crispy Cheshire pork belly with apple mash, slow cooked Lancashire beef fillet with a gorgonzola fritter and whole sea bass with saffron mash and sauce vierge. More exotic selections include twice baked feta and tomato soufflé, seafood risotto, and seared tuna steak. The carefully selected wine list provides the perfect accompaniment to your meal with a selection from vineyards around the world.

Located off iconic Deansgate this restaurant epitomises old and new Manchester, coming together to form a perfect partnership where you can hide away in a haven of great food, drink and atmosphere.

The GRILL on the alley, a Blackhouse grill restaurant, as the name suggests, is a fulsome nod to that classic grill preoccupation - the glorious steak, along side of which runs a healthy obsession with the freshest of produce from our seas. They make no apology for offering a combination of popular requests and old favourites.

No ultra-nouvelle cuisine or chefs mad experiment in minimalism there, you will not be sent away with a tasting menu rattling against your rib-cage and in desperate need of a dictionary and a proper meal.

The key to restaurant is in the quality of the ingredients; all of their beasty-based foods are sourced only from farmers whose wellies are splattered in honest, hormone-free muck, and are in possession of a healthy, ruddy-glow, a clear indicator of time spent chasing live stock around the pasture. Similarly, the sea-produce, while not exactly required to be still jumping up and down on the plate or intoning 'ahoy there matey' as proof of provenance, is as fresh as the proverbial daisy. The quality of the meal is in the base produce - the chefs will lightly threaten the produce with a little heat and then arrange it - simply.

However, simplicity and restraint in the kitchen need not necessarily mean Calvinistic frugality in the choice of ingredients, indeed, the menu, written in plain-speak - lists such blatant temptations as; lobster, ostrich, suckling pig and oysters and that almost mythical, super-pampered delicacy of the meat world Kobe beef.

And while the atmosphere is reassuringly lively and yet comfortably decorous the underlying mantra remains; restraint in the kitchen, care and thought in the choice of produce, and a desire to be recognised as an honest refuge for the restrained hedonist.

Evenings at the Kro Bar in Oxford Road come alive with the sounds of bands playing, creating a pulsating atmosphere. Customers can relax at this Danish bar during the day too, either inside the mid-19th century building or the large decked beer garden in the rear. An extensive menu, with vegetarian options and a children's selection, offers full meals as well as snacks. Breakfast is also served here.

A full English breakfast with pork sausages, Danish back bacon, eggs, hash brown and toast, or muesli, eggs on toast, omelettes and Belgian waffles makes for a substantial start to the day. A lunchtime or evening meal here could include roast Danish tender pork and sweet red cabbage on toasted ciabatta with crackling, smoked salmon and egg sandwich, Cajun chicken breast burger, Kro fishcake salad, beef and ale stew, fish and chips and wild mushroom risotto. There?s also choice of Danish specials like frikadeller, pork and veal meatballs, pork schnitzel, medister sausages and Danish herrings with homemade rye bread. Refresh your thirst with a range of continental beers and local guest ales.