Manchester is an amazing city, it lacks the pretention and anonymity of the capital, and there is a down to earth quality to the people and the places where we eat, drink and find our entertainment. I moved to Manchester in 2000, and I am proud to call it home.
One new gastro pub/restaurant which marries the arts, with somewhere special to eat or drink is The Rivals, which is owned by Rupert Hill, who played Jamie Baldwin in Coronation Street.
How often have you attended a theatre restaurant or bar and heard the bell go for the play you about to see? You're there, ticket in hand and the staff seem surprised at the volume of people they have? And yet, this must happen every day at this time?
This is where The Rivals excels, as the staff are intuiative, they ask you questions and the first one is "are you seeing the show?" Why? The Rivals shares its space with the iconic Royal Exchange Theatre.
I dined here with three friends, and the food was exquisite. If you are veggie or vegan, you are catered for and I mean beyond a quiche, or a salad. If you have a food allergy, you can dine here. And if you love meat, fish and chicken, you can eat here. Perfect, as no-one feels left out.
I had the sea bream and it was beautiful, one friend had duck and said it fell off the bone and everyone said they had an amazing meal. The staff are attentive, even when it's dead busy. You never feel like you are being rushed. But if you are seeing the show, your bill comes over at the speed of light, to allow you to enter the main space, opposite.
If you don't fancy dining but you want a quick drink, sorted! You can drop in for a pint. if you want cake and coffee, you leave satisfied too. And if you hate theatre, or simply want to go The Rivals and make that your destination for the evening, you can do. It is sound proofed, so you do not have to whisper when a show is on.
Where is the Corrie connection? Julie Hesmondalgh is a regular performer at the Royal Exchange and she returns in the New Year, and currently former Coronation Street star Ray Fearon is treading the boards in the brilliant Guys and Dolls. If you live in Manchester, see this show, it is fantastic!
Also, Rupert Hill (he used to play Jamie Baldwin) runs The Rivals with his brilliant business partner, Goska Langrish. These two are grafters, so you will see them showing people to tables, and serving you behind the bar, as opposed to pretending to dust the surfaces, and as a result the staff here are bloody brilliant, they care about your experience.
The Rivals has established itself in the city mighty quick. And like Jennie McAlpine and Chris Farr's Annie's, which is round the corner, this is not a celeb playing at running a place with intimidating menus, this is good grub, and it happens to be run by someone who had a day job on the street.
If you're in Manchester, drop by - you'll be sure to get a warm welcome!
by Glenn Meads
Guest blog post by by Glenn Meads who is on Twitter and LinkedIn
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