Restaurant Review - Manchester Airport(!!)

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 22 Oct 2003, 12:28

This is my first ever review which centres on an airport!

The Lancaster Brasserie is located on the first floor of Terminal 1 in Manchester Airport. It is located by a huge window and offers superb views of the apron, and aircraft taxying after landing and also for take off.

I had eaten several times in here. My first meal was in 2001. We were waiting to fly to CDG on Air France. On that occasion I chose a steak baguette sandwich with onions and chips (fries). The steak was served in a hot baguette, and was thoroughly cooked through. The onions had been fried. The chips were a high point - they were Belgian style, and those who regularly read my restaurant reviews will know exactly what I mean by that and need no more explanation!! It was nice to have chips served which had been properly cooked. It was a great meal and we decided to visit the Lancaster again.

On my second visit I had cod and chips (the chef obligingly left out the mushy peans for me). The batter on the cod was a beautiful golden colour, and was fine and crisp. The fish was perfect - nice moist flakes, as cod can be seriously ruined when it is cooked until dry. The chips were the same standard as before - Belgian style. In this restaurant I have always liked to take my time in order to watch the aircraft.

My last visit was in June 2002 after returning from Paris. On this occasion the staff couldn't have been more different!! We were kept waiting to be seated whilst a group of waiters carried on their conversation. The manager eventually showed us to a table. We ordered nachos with a guacamole and a tomato dip. The food was nice enough, but the "service" was not. The same waiters who had been perfectly civil a few days before were now surly and ill-mannered. We filled in a comment card to tell them what we thought, and refused to leave a tip.

Lancaster Brasserie - good food, great views but shame about the service!!!

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 22 Oct 2003, 12:38

Airport restaurant reviews are obviously not popular. I won't do any more!!!

Post by **sn26567** » 22 Oct 2003, 12:45

How interesting! As a regular visitor to MAN airport, I visited last August, when my BA flight to BRU had been delayed by two hours for technical reasons (surprise?). Normally I would have gone to the Diners Club lounge, but it was at the wrong terminal and the MAN airport staff would not let me go. So I settled for Lancaster brasserie.

I had the same nachos with guacamole, and a large UK-brewed Stella Artois. Something sufficiently light in order still to have appetite for the BA All Day Deli.

The food was OK, seating comfortable and the view on the apron superb, but service, as you experienced yourself, was rather slow.

I'll return, but only for the view.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 22 Oct 2003, 12:53

Interesting to hear about the same poor service, when it had always been so good before.

At least if someone wants to read these types of reviews then I will do more - there are people on here who fly alot, I think airport reviews are a good thing.

I will do a similar one on Brussels, but my eating experiences at BRU have never been very positive, so it won't be as good as some of the other restaurant reviews I have done.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 15 Jun 2005, 14:18

We visited Lancaster Brasserie again yesterday, the first time since I wrote this review. The service has imrpoved tenfold, we were greeted pleasantly by the waitress when we entered, who told us that the meals ervice did not start until 12 noon but we were able to order drinks and wait. This is what we did, and enjoyed the view at the same time

VC10 ordered a Cumberland sausage on chive mash with onion rings on the side, and I had fish and chips minus the sloppy peas. The batter on the fish was very fine, and the chips were home cooked style and not pre-frozen things. In fact, the chips would have been very much in place in a Belgian eaterie, they were that kind of style.

As we ate we enjoyed the excellent views of some great aircraft (the spotting yesterday was truly memorable and I will be posting photos when I get them uploaded. I bagged a real gem of an aircraft

)

Humberside · Post by **Humberside** » 15 Jun 2005, 20:50

At MAN I always use the Harry Ramsdens fish and chip in Terminal 1

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 16 Jun 2005, 10:15

I haven't been in Harry Ramsdens for years. Last time was at LHR in 1997 and my Mum complained becasuse the chips were from rotten black potatoes. There's one in BHX as well but that never seems to be doing anything - the plates are always warming in the cabinet but you never see any staff there.

Post by **sn26567** » 16 Jun 2005, 11:35

Yesterday I had an excellent pint of lager on draught at the "Bar 08" in the middle of the airside lounge of Terminal 3. When I have to wait longer for a plane, they have excellent sandwiches as well. They are much better than the food at the neighbouring restaurant.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 16 Jun 2005, 12:35

Bar 08 sounds interesting, if we had an afternoon flight we could try the sandwiches there. But in November we fly on SN2174 so that is a little too early to be having a sandwich beforehand when we have had a cooked breakfast at Bewley's.

I hope we can find something good at BHX in September because so far the places we have sampled there have been very poor

VC10 · Post by **VC10** » 16 Jun 2005, 15:29

Yesterday I had an excellent pint of lager on draught at the "Bar 08"

It does indeed sound quite a nice place.

Now, a pint of which lager did Andre have I wonder?

Could it possibly have been a Carlsberg or perhaps a Heineken???

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 21 Jun 2005, 10:23

Yes Andre, you should realise that most draught lager here in the UK is Carlsberg

Post by **sn26567** » 21 Jun 2005, 10:33

VC10 wrote:Now, a pint of which lager did Andre have I wonder?

Dunno. And I don't really care, as long as I was thirsty and the beer was good.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 21 Jun 2005, 10:36

Wasn't it you who always called Heineken and Carlsberg cat p*ss?

You are hardly a connoisseur of beer if you will go and order a nameless "lager" and then say you don't care what it is!

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 29 Jun 2005, 15:18

Comet wrote:Yes Andre, you should realise that most draught lager here in the UK is Carlsberg

I should have known that trying to introduce some humour onto these forums would be a total and utter waste of time and energy.

What a set of miserable :censored:

Jense · Post by **Jense** » 29 Jun 2005, 15:29

Are you talking to yourself, Louise?