Dinner at Dakota Manchester Review
Manchester has such a fantastic foodie scene and it seems to be getting better year on year. With Michelin star restaurants, food-halls and street food experiences, you really don’t have to go far to get something tasty to devour. I love discovering new places and our recent dinner at Dakota is certainly one to write home about (or at least write a blog about!)…
{Press visit/Food review – I am under no obligation to post. With all things foodie, I only tell you about places I genuinely love and think you will too}
Dine Dakota Style
First things first, give this 2 minute video a quick watch as it’ll put everything I’m about to say into context…
My Dakota Manchester Review
I’m sure the IGTV talks for itself, but for the sake of a proper review, I have to tell you that Dakota Manchester is doing everything right in the food and drink department. The hotel itself oozes cool and style from the moment you walk in and tucked away behind Piccadilly Basin, it feels, sort of exclusive. Like a bit of a well kept secret.
Well the secret’s out! You need to go!
Our dinner at Dakota started with a bottle of English Sparkling wine (yup, way cooler than Prosecco!) enjoyed in the bar, which was surprisingly bustling for a Wednesday night, as the gals all turned-up for our well-overdue evening out.
We sipped our bubbles and excitedly caught-up with the latest before being guided to our table…well actually, it wasn’t a table, it was our own private room! In fact it was perfect, as our dining room was still very much part of the restaurant and benefitted from the atmosphere, but it afforded us some private space and plenty of room for giggles and chat!
Dinner at Dakota
You might have caught a glimpse in my IGTV above, but we had our own bespoke tasting menu created by the chefs at Dakota Manchester, to drool over. It was even personalised for WeBlogNorth and each of our special dietaries (and there were a fair few!), were catered for delightfully.
Here’s what I ate:
Amuse Bouche
Bread and Venetian Dip
King Scallops
Oriental Ribs & Pork Crackling
Apple Sorbet
Fillet of Beef
Short Rib of Beef & Watercress
Lemon Tart
Meringue & Passion Fruit Ice Cream
Tea & Coffee
I can tell you, each and every part of this impressive menu, was even more spectacular then it sounds. The stand out dishes for me were the bread and venetian dip (that’s right, something served before the meal even started, was absolutely mouth-wateringly moorish) and the fillet of beef, which melted in the mouth and was accompanied by a full-bodied jus.
We were looked after by the F&B Manager Tom, who paired our dinner with delicious wine (the Italian Gavi being my favourite) and graciously posed for photos and boomerangs for our table full of bloggers. Tom talked us through each element of what we were eating, including suitability for special dietaries and gave us a really personal experience, adding to the success of the entire evening.
Dakota Manchester – final thoughts
It is without a shadow of a doubt, that I’ll be going back to Dakota very soon – I sense a date night with the hubby coming on (and in fact, possibly an overnight staycation, as the hotel looks amazing!) and it’s also the perfect place to take visiting family or for a birthday meal. In fact, any excuse and I’ll be back.
Dakota is a place you can get dressed-up, spend the evening and leave satisfied. As a group of women, it felt very Sex and the City and I can imagine it would be suitably romantic (and actually rather sexy) for a date night. The food is certainly all kinds of sexy!
I can’t wait to head back to Dakota – have you been?
If you liked this, you might like some of my other restaurant reviews: 1761 Manchester, Grand Pacific, Gusto and Tre Ciccio.
