Tag: media city

Dining Out: Capocci’s Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

AD/Complimentary Meal. On Friday night I took my boy for a mother and son date night. We took the tram to Media City (Salford Quays) and went for a meal at Capocci’s Pop Up Restaurant which is located in the piazza near the BBC building.

Capocci’s is in what appears to be a converted shipping container. It’s under cover, but outdoors; so if you’re dining, please do take your big coat as Manchester is beginning to feel pretty autumnal already.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

From breakfast to dinner, Capocci’s serve a range of traditional Italian recipes and the pop up is proving particularly popular with the locals. Capocci’s was pretty busy when we visited, with lots of people dining in, or ordering takeaway pizzas.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

When we arrived, the boy was famished after a busy day at school, so we ordered our food straight away. He ordered from the kid’s menu, starting with pane all’aglio – caramelised garlic and mozzarella bread, followed by pollo Milanese – breaded chicken and pappardelle pomodoro. I ordered the burrata which came with a salad of grilled vegetables, followed by the pizza margherita classico.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

Unfortunately there was a mix up with the order, so all the food came at once, which took a while to come out of the kitchen and my son was a bit beyond himself with hunger by the time it arrived. The waiter apologised for the mix up and offered us a complimentary dessert, more of which later.

Having so many dishes in front of us at once was quite over facing, and as a result the garlic bread mostly got left behind. It was nice bread, but without the cheese it definitely needed some oil or something to dip into.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

The boy loved his chicken, it was beautifully cooked, with crispy breadcrumbs and lots of lovely fresh pasta. He left the tomatoes, but I snaffled those up. I was impressed to find such a grown up dish on the kid’s menu.

My burrata was absolutely delicious. Beautifully silky mozzarella with some of the loveliest grilled vegetables I’ve ever had. The dish was missing ingredients which were listed on the menu, which was a shame, but it was one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten in a long time.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

My pizza was good. It had a lovely thin and crispy base and a thick layer of sauce and cheese. It was nicely priced at £7.95 and I can see why the pizzas would be a very popular takeaway option.

As we had been promised compensatory gelato, and gelato was the speciality of the house, we went ahead and ordered some for pudding. He ordered the coppa al cioccolato – chocolate and vanilla ice cream sundae with chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream and a chocolate flake. I ordered a scoop each of the raspberry and lemon sorbets. The gelato was very delicious, and well worth stopping by for if you want a sweet treat.

Dining Out: Capocci's Pop Up Restaurant, Media City

As we came to leave, our original waiter had left and not passed on the message about the mix up, so we were billed for our gelato; this rankled a bit as we wouldn’t have ordered it otherwise. I just settled the bill as it was quite late and I needed to get him home to bed.

The service was friendly and attentive; but the mix up over our order meant I had to manage a very grumpy and hungry boy for longer than I would have liked, and the rescinded offer of complimentary gelato wasn’t a great way to end the meal.

The food at Capocci’s was delicious. I would have liked to have seen more proper vegetarian options on the menu; but what I had was excellent and I would eat there again. It’s a really lovely spot to have a pop up restaurant, as the day turns to night, you get to enjoy one of my favourite views of Salford Quays – the lights from The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum glistening on the water. It’s a brilliant spot for a romantic dinner for two, or a family meal with the kids; plus it’s dog friendly!

Capocci’s Pop Up Restaurant is only in Manchester until 22nd September; so if you fancy it, it’s worth getting down to Media City pretty pronto! For more information and to take a look at their menu, visit their website.

We were given a (mostly) complimentary meal in exchange for this review. All images and opinions are our own.

Days Out: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

AD/Press Trip. One of our favourite places to visit is The Lowry and Salford Quays. There’s so much to do there, from the Imperial War Museum North, The Lowry Outlet, Blue Peter Garden and of course The Lowry itself. There’s always something fun on and it’s worth a visit just for a look around the galleries upstairs, but during the school holidays there’s even more fun on offer.

This week we were invited to visit The Lowry, have lunch at Pier Eight and watch their summer blockbuster – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, followed by an actual bear hunt. With summer holiday boredom seriously kicking in at home, we relished the chance to have an afternoon of bear hunting at The Lowry.

Days Out: We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

We began by having lunch at Pier Eight. I’ve eaten there before in the evening and the food has always been excellent. We ordered from the new bar menu, the boy chose pasta from the kids menu, and I chose four of the small plates. There is currently a lunchtime offer where you can get four small plates and two drinks for £18, which is really good value.

Days Out: We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

I chose the soup of the day, which was celeriac, one of my favourites. I also ordered the dirty fries, topped with cheese, crispy onions and spicy mayo. There was a dish of falafel and hummus and some delicious broad bean bruschetta. It would have been a very fine lunch for two, but definitely a delicious but too big lunch for one!

Days Out: We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

After lunch we made our way to The Quays theatre for the 2pm performance of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The boy is 8 now and I did wonder if he might be a little too old for it, but I needn’t have worried. It was an hour of brilliant fun, we were both laughing our socks off, joining in in all the right places and singing and dancing in our seats. It really is a fabulous show, packed full of memorable songs and funny moments. It’s a treat and a half, and a great way to spend an afternoon.

We’d had such a lot of fun, we decided to do The Lowry Bear Hunt, or as much of it as we could. Around The Lowry and The Lowry Outlet there are lots of big bear benches dotted about, all have a page of bear facts to read. It’s great fun and we loved trying to find them all.

Days Out: We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

Upstairs at The Lowry is The Lookout where throughout the summer you can find lots of different and free family activities. On the day we visited there were lots of colouring and craft activities on offer, so we just enjoyed hanging out and doing a bit of colouring together.

We had a brilliant afternoon at The Lowry, there was lots for the boy to do. We both absolutely loved the play and the actual bear hunt was inspired and lots of fun. If you’re stuck in the summer holiday doldrums, an afternoon down Salford Quays is a great way to perk everyone up!

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt runs at The Lowry until 1st September, for more information or to buy tickets, visit the website.

Days Out: We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Lowry

We were invited guests of The Lowry and received complimentary tickets and a meal in exchange for our review. 

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

Last week it was my birthday and as such a celebratory night out was required. My friend Sarah and I decided to go for dinner somewhere I’ve wanted to try for a while – Pier Eight, the rather nice restaurant at The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays. 

We arrived just as the evening performance of the popular show The Addams Family was about to start. Pier Eight had a smattering of people having a meal before the show, but also several busy tables of people like us who had just come for dinner. We were seated by the window which gave us a lovely view of the Millennium Bridge over the Ship Canal. Sarah remarked that having the view over the water felt a bit like we were on holiday. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it was lovely.

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

We ordered drinks and a good look at the menu. Pier Eight is a beautiful restaurant; with gorgeous light fittings, comfy but stylish chairs and booths, an open kitchen and all the panoramic views of Salford Quays you could ever want. It was so pretty Sarah and I were snapping away at little details and gathering up some interiors inspiration.

To start Sarah ordered the seared scallop with apple tart, black pudding beignet with red wine sauce (£8) and I opted for the summery sounding tomatoes, Lancashire curd, aubergine purée, Kalamata olives and pickled shallots (£6).

Sarah’s scallop was excellent, she said the dish was well balanced and perfectly cooked. I wasn’t sure what to expect with my tomato dish, but it was a treat. Chunky slices of ripe tomato sandwiched in between thin, crispy sheets of filo pastry with little dollops of Lancashire curd cheese. The olives and aubergine both giving a depth of flavour to each mouthful. Put a little bit of everything on your fork and it was very well put together. I was sad to finish it.

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

For our main courses I ordered the spinach pancake, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese, baby beets, onion purée and tomato sauce (£16). Two filled pancakes covered in a rich tomato sauce. It’s quite an old-fashioned dish, but I really liked that. The spinach and cheese filling was well seasoned and tasty and the tomato sauce was about the best I’ve had. The baby beets were a little lost on the plate and seemed more of a garnish than anything else.

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

Sarah’s lamb rump, hotpot potatoes, carrot purée, broad beans, asparagus, lamb sauce (£21) was a hit. She was thrilled with her perfectly pink lamb (they’ll cook it how you like it if pink is not to your taste). Being a good Northern lass she sung the praises of the hotpot potatoes (always everyone’s favourite part of a hotpot) and the carrot purée was wonderfully vibrant and sweet. She was impressed with the portion size, no mean portions here!

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

Despite being fit to burst, this was a birthday celebration so we managed to find room for pudding. It was at this point in the evening where we clashed a little. We couldn’t possibly choose the same pudding and we both have similar tastes. We both agreed that the pudding menu was particularly strong and we both regretted we couldn’t just order everything and work through it tapas style.

Nevertheless a compromise was reached, it was my birthday so I got first dibs. I chose the Turkish delight baked Alaska with rich tea biscuit purée (£7). I know Turkish delight is one of those love/hate things, but if you’re a lover then this is the pud for you.

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

It arrived with a birthday candle on top (thanks Pier Eight, a lovely touch). My baked Alaska stood proud at around 4 inches tall; gorgeous crispy meringue around ice cream peppered with Turkish delight chunks. The plate was adorned with rich tea biscuit crumbs and a rather intriguing rich tea biscuit purée. It was a pudding that I’ll remember for a long time and the prefect way to end a meal.

Review: Pier Eight at The Lowry, Salford Quays

Sarah ended up with the pudding I would have otherwise chosen – Rhubarb creme brulee, brandy snap, mascarpone cream and rhubarb crisp (£6). Sat on the table next to my Turkish delight extravaganza it did look a little bit modest, but what it lacked in showstopping pizzazz, it made up for in deliciousness.

The dainty little teacup of rhubarb creme brulee was beautifully creamy with a perfectly crunchy top. A pretty and elegant way to end a meal. 

Pier Eight has a menu which celebrates the best local and seasonal ingredients from across Lancashire and Cheshire; all beautifully cooked and served in elegant but relaxed surroundings. I have to mention the service which was attentive without being in your face, it was relaxed and friendly and not at all pushy.

Our meal at Pier Eight was excellent. It’s a little bit of a hidden gem despite it’s busy location. I’ve only ever had drinks at the bar before, but we will be back. It’s somewhere we will both return to again and soon. 

Find out more about Pier Eight at The Lowry on their website.
Pier Eight, The Lowry, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ Tel: 0161 876 2121

 

We were invited guests of The Lowry. 

Review: Mr Popper’s Penguins

Last weekend we took the small boy to see Mr Popper’s Penguins at The Lowry in Salford Quays for a Christmas treat. The theatre production is based on the novel by Richard and Florence Atwater, and has been adapted for the stage by Pins and Needles Productions.

Mr Popper’s Penguins follows the story of Mr Popper, a painter and decorator by day. He dreams of Antarctic adventures and lives with his wife, living a normal, everyday, average life. One day he is astonished when a packing crate arrives on his doorstep, out of which waddles a penguin who he names Captain Cook. Alas Captain Cook is lonely and he is sent a mate to cheer him up – Greta the penguin from London Zoo. Soon the inevitable happens and Mr Popper’s house is filled with baby penguins; Popper and his wife, struggling to keep up with their demands for fish hatch a plan to get the penguins to help pay their way – by performing on stage!

Mr Popper's Penguins
Picture credit: Helen Murray

This musical adaptation of Mr Popper’s Penguins is packed full of original songs and puppetry which bring life to this remarkable family of performing penguins. I was absolutely captivated by the show, and the small boy was giggling away at the antics of the penguins. Mr Popper’s Penguins was lively and engaging, lots and lots of fun and the show just flew by. 

Using penguin puppets and a remarkably adaptable set, the cast of Mr Popper’s Penguins bring the story to life, giving each penguin a unique personality, to the point when collectively our hearts broken for the lonesome penguin Captain Cook.

The songs throughout were really catchy and fun, and had the boy wiggling and jiggling in his seat along with the music. There wasn’t much audience participation throughout (this isn’t a panto), but the penguin dance routine at the end which the audience are invited to join in with is marvellous. The small boy insisted we waddle our way home afterwards and is still busting penguin moves days later!

The show is suitable for children aged 3+ and is about 55 minutes long. The small boy, who is 5 gave this a very big thumbs up!

Mr Popper’s Penguins is on at The Lowry, Salford Quays from Thursday 10th December 2015 to Sunday 10th January 2016. 

Mr Popper's Penguins

Preview: Mr Popper’s Penguins

I love taking the small boy to the theatre, there’s something magical about watching him watch a live performance, seeing him fall into the story and immerse himself in the show. It’s something of a family tradition to go and see a show at Christmas. I think he’s a bit young (he’s 5) to understand the nuances of panto, but this year Mr Popper’s Penguins is on at The Lowry, so we plumped to book tickets for that.

Mr Popper's Penguins

Mr Popper’s Penguins is based on the popular book by Richard and Florence Atwater and of course the Jim Carrey film. The story follows Mr Popper, a painter and decorator by day, he dreams of Antarctic adventures. One day he is astonished when a packing crate arrives on his doorstep, out of which waddles a penguin!

This musical adaptation of Mr Popper’s Penguins is packed full of original songs and puppetry which bring life to a remarkable family of performing penguins. The performance is suitable for children aged 3+ and is 55 minutes long – ideal for small children and their short attention spans.

You can watch the “behind the scenes” video below…

Mr Popper’s Penguins is on at The Lowry, Salford Quays from Thursday 10th December 2015 to Sunday 10th January 2016. 

We’ll be going, so watch this space for our review!