The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘manchester’

We went along to see Monkey. Journey to the West by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn at London’s O2 Arena in North Greenwich last night.  We had seen a documentary earlier this year about the making of this new Opera and were fascinated by the creative process behind its making.  Having missed it playing in Manchester and being too busy to see it at the Royal Opera House in London we were pleased to have bagged a couple of tickets ahead of them being released to Joe public.  I’d listened to the Album some weeks ago and couldn’t quite buy into it.  I had therefore thought with the context of the show, it might all fit together and the penny would finally drop.  Unfortunately it didn’t really. The talent was obvious to see from the start both in the way the Opera had been written and the brilliant graphics used throughout.  The acrobatic players were themselves clearly excellent in what they do and could easily have being mistaken for a Cirque de Soleil cast.  However it never quite seemed to come together in a way that connected with the audience.  It was a bit like going to see Cirque de Soleil only without the gasps of awe and clapping from the audience you usually get when amazing feats of human acrobatics play out in front of you.  The audience at this show sat predominantly silent throughout.  The only time there was a connection was when the main character playing Monkey sat on the edge of the stage with another cast member, taking a sip of water and asking his colleague in English, if he wanted a drink; his colleague replying with another question about whether he wanted a smoke in return.  Monkey commenting “it’s England they don’t smoke here”, before returning to character and climbing back on stage.  A momentary burst of laughter from audience at this point reminded me there were several hundred people behind us watching the show.  The best scene played out in the second half of the show following the interval, when for a moment it nearly came together; the music, the acrobatics, the characters and the amazing graphics, but this soon passed and the ending came without much of a crescendo. We only knew to clap when the curtain started to fall.

An interesting experience all in all.  It was technically brilliant but unfortunately lacked any passion resulting in little connection between the players and the audience.  It was an Opera with high IQ but little by the way of EQ.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

We started out at the Spirit Bar on Saturday evening with some friends we were visiting in Manchester.  After shopping all day and spending more than I planned, I was ready for a drink.  We placed our order at this cavernous gay bar and were served by a couple of young inexperienced twinks, who didn’t understand the importance of consistency when serving customers the same drink.  Nonetheless we paid and then headed up to the outside roof terrace, where we sat overlooking Canal Street below.  When we left I noticed the leather beds were now occupied by a few (clothed I might add) people, chilling out to some good background music.  The place looks quite trendy and the door man was friendly enough so I guess this place is a safe place to spend some time hanging out.

Pryordurkin rating 2 Stars.

Manto was the very first gay bar I ever ventured into when I first visited Manchester some 10 years ago.  I instantly remembered the place which is split over two floors and operates as a nightclub.  We popped in for a drink with friends on Saturday evening quite early on and having been served up our drinks (a round for five people coming to less than £10) we sat outside on Canal Street to watch the world go by.  Apart from the three drunk beggars who approached us (one touching my head, which was not a good move!), the experience was very pleasant indeed.  As we sat, one of the bouncers came over to swap our glasses for the plastic cup affairs you get these days.   This was not a problem though as it was clearly for very good reasons and the bouncer was very pleasant indeed.  The bar itself could probably do with a bit of a face-lift as it looked a little like a student rag bar in places, but apart from that we enjoyed it.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 Stars.

Formerly known as Via Fosse, this bar on Canal Street in Manchester, proved to be a great place to relax, unwind and have a drink while people watching with our friends on Saturday.  A gay bar that is straight friendly, it is best described as Adams Family meets Changing Rooms with its bright colours and Gothic styling.  Situated over three floors, there are lots of small nooks and crannies to chill out in.  On the lower floor we sat in very comfortable sofas while watching the energetic happenings up on the ground floor.  Watch out for the toilets; not the cleanest but supervised by someone who makes you feel guilty if you don’t fork out a £1 per visit.   The owner is a sixty odd year old guy who can often be found manning the door. 

We recommend you get there early as it does get very busy later on and the bouncers don’t look like the type you argue with.  We had a great time in the place though;  it had a nice safe warm and welcoming atmosphere.  Give it a go.

Pryordurkin rating 3 Stars

With four friends we found ourselves eating out at the Zinc Bar and Grill in Manchester on Saturday evening.  Situated in a strange place called Hanging Ditch within The Triangle, the place was busy when we arrived.  At first we were told they had no space for the six of us, but on checking whether we could book a table for later, they suddenly found one free.  We climbed the small number of stairs from the bar up to the restaurant level and sat down amongst many other free tables! At first the waiter was a little icy, but warmed as the night wore on.  We ordered up our drinks first, selecting a range of beers, soft drinks and a couple of bottles of wine, all reasonably priced.  I was pleased to note linen table napkins and nicely polished glasses on the table, so all looked well. 

We ordered up our food.  I went for the roasted red pepper and tomato soup (£4.60) as a starter and the char-grilled rib eye steak (£15.50) for my main, while Paul went for the Thai prawn cakes starter (£6.15) and the Thai green curry main (£13.50)  Our friends went for a number of other dishes including Fish and Chips (£12.95) and roast lamb (£16.95)

The starters were all served up reasonably quickly except for mine.  Everyone waited a little while for mine to arrive before starting to eat, but in the end Paul had to remind the waiter we were still waiting for a starter to arrive.  They apologised and it then soon arrived (fresh from the microwave no doubt).  There were mixed views around the table as to the quality of the starters.  My soup for example for lifeless and needed a good deal of seasoning to spice it up.  Paul’s Thai prawn fish cakes were rubbery and could have been successfully bounced off the floor.

Having cleared our plates, the mains quickly followed.  This time, all arriving without the need to prompt!  My char-grilled steak was excellent.  Well cooked, seasoned and flavoursome.  I’m told the Fish and Chips were very good as well (although a few more chips would have been welcome).  The Thai green curry though was a bit of a disappointment around the table.  There was no traditional Thai heat and the addition of grated coconut left Paul puzzled. 

As for the restaurant, the toilets were down some stairs, a left turn, a right turn, down some more stairs and then along a corridor.  Not good for anyone disabled or in a hurry, but generally clean.

All in all, a trendy place to hang out with friends with food served up at reasonable prices.  The service was fine in the end and we paid the bill that included a 10% service charged automatically added.  The average being £30 pp which was good for a two course meal with drinks.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

T: 0161 827 4201

There but for the grace of God… We are off to Cyprus later this month and at the time of booking tried to get seats with XL Airways from Manchester to Paphos. At the time, they were fully booked so we opted to fly from Gatwick with EasyJet. I never use a credit card if I can avoid it, so if we had booked XL Airways tickets would have lost out.

A short drive from junction 27 on the M62 between Leeds and Manchester is the Dove Cottage Nursery and Garden on Shibden Hall Road, Halifax.  Specialising in hardy herbaceous perennials and grasses Dusty wanted to visit to pick up some particular plant that is only available here and in one other nursery in the UK.  They don’t sell candles, smelling paper or serve meals for the over 60’s.  They simply specialise in plants and seem to do it very well.  Run by Kim and Stephen Rogers they have a small family business on their hands which caters for the true gardener.  While I have no idea about plants, Dusty seemed very impressed with the variety and quality on offer and ended up spending a small fortune while I sat in the garden having a coffee from the automatic machine housed in the new wooden hut.  Not a doily in sight!

Rating: 4 Stars.  Worth a trip if you like decent plants sold at very reasonable prices with personal advice from the owner.    Telephone 01422 203553