It’s not often I’m surprised by restaurants in Manchester. Not because we don’t have some cracking places to eat and drink, far from it. We are spoiled and so lucky to have some incredible places to go that it is difficult to find somewhere new and different. Let me introduce you to Vivid Lounge.
Located out of the way on Great Ancoats Street on the Ashton canal and underneath Islington Wharf, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume it is just a coffee shop. From the outside it is unassuming and looks like the sort of place you could grab an average butty and brew at lunch time. During the day this is probably the case, aside from the average comment if the food in the evening is anything to go by, that’s right people, the daytime café transforms into an intimate bar that serves Thai food of an evening.
We kicked things off with a particularly good bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc and I spied several local beers available in the chiller. This was a great start and I love little businesses like this supporting each other.
For starters I chose for us both which, is a first as I am dreadful at making decisions. I chose the spring rolls for Charlie and the fish cakes for myself with some edamame beans to share. I’m reliably informed that the spring rolls were packed with fresh vegetables and a light yet crisp shell. Knowing they’d contain shitake mushrooms I steered clear. The fish cakes were delightful – also light and fresh tasting with no clagginess (I don’t think that is a word but I’m going with it) that so often makes fish cakes heavy and dense. They had a good kick of spice and the sweet chilli sauce was incredible, the best I’ve had possibly ever.
Onto mains and I chose two classic Thai dishes to see how they fared. For me, beef massaman, for her, pad thai. The massaman is what will keep me coming back here time and time again, even with the slightly further than I would like walk. The meat was tender and soft, melting in the mouth even. The sauce delicately spiced and beautifully fragrant with a small pile of sticky rice that mopped it up perfectly. The pad thai comes with the peanuts and crushed chillis in little pots on the side so you can flavour to your own taste. Charlie was quick to dump all the peanuts in which I was very proud of, I’d have done exactly the same. The dish was peppered with the plumpest of prawns, shredded spring onions and fresh, crisp beansprouts, the noodles prepared perfectly so they weren’t all stuck together. I’m not a fan of pad thai as I’ve only ever had it when the whole thing is a gloopy, sticky mess. This one I would definitely eat.
Not to be defeated we decided to try some of the homemade cakes that were available on the counter. The brownie I had was almost mousse-like in texture with a good Nutella taste that pleased me greatly. Charlie chose the coconut macaroon which was almost biscuit y in texture yet still light and fluffy as it should be.
It’s so lovely to see a café like this for a new and growing community in the City Centre. Whilst we were there the chef was chatting to diners and passing out samples of sweetcorn cakes that she had made to see what their feedback was and whether they would like to see them on the menu. The vibe was bustling and there wasn’t a spare seat the whole time we were there. Such a refreshing sight especially for somewhere so far out of the main busy areas of the City, well done Vivid Lounge. My final word of advice? Make sure you book.
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