Annies is a new(ish) restaurant located on Old Bank Street, which
connects St Ann's Square with Cross St. You may have heard of Annies because a
famous soap star apparently owns it. (A colleague tells me that the owner is ‘Fizz’
- whom I seem to have a vague recollection of as being the fit one from
Eldorado.)
Soap actors that have gone onto to ‘star’ in reality TV
shows haven't come across the best in recent years - I'm thinking Bet Lynch on
Celebrity Big Brother and the old one from Loose Women who liked getting her
norks out in the hot tub and, most latterly, the scaredy one on the ‘Get Me Out Of The Jungle’ series.
Soap Stars that go into restaurant biz, it seems, are a
good thing? The excellent Parlour in Chorlton (see here) and Castle Hotel in
the NQ are both co-owned by a fella once on Corrie.
Annies too is a lovely space - the upstairs bar and lounge
area features plush comfy seats in red, tans and leather. A great place to
chill and take a load off whilst out shopping. The longue seating continues
downstairs.
The lower floor also boasts a bar and the more formal
restaurant space - imagine a Wetherspoons but with a few funky touches: bowler
and top hats made into lampshades; Lowry prints and various 'luvvie' posters
and frames containing information on famous Annies.
The first to arrive for lunch, I was swiftly presented with
the set menu (the only option between 12 & 2pm). The menu featured 'homely
classics' with a choice of 3 starters, 4 mains and 3 desserts.
The soup of the day was ‘Tomato’ which further hinted that
they prefer to keep things simple and traditional. The other options were Welsh Rarebit or Ham Hock. I fancied
the ham but was told they were out so I plumped for the rarebit.
What irked slightly was that the next table of customers
were informed that there was no hock available and that the alternate option
was black pudding spring rolls - I don't know why I wasn't privy to this
information.
Never mind, the rarebit soon arrived and it was very tasty.
A decent Lancashire cheese and nicely spiced.
The restaurant soon filled up with many a lady that lunches
– and my Steak & Ale Pie
arrived. More homely fayre – my mum’s is better but I’ve had worse. They’re not
going to win any awards here for food but it was on a par with a good average
pub. Nothing was ‘incorrect’ – it was just basic. The chips were decent.
Looking around the room, the Fish & chips looked good
and were a popular choice.
I decided against a dessert - I wish, in true soap style, I could
leave on a dramatic cliffhanger… the best I can do is to say I may go back for
the Fish & Chips... to be continued?
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