Sweet Mandarin

I cannot recommend Sweet Mandarin enough. This is the fourth time that I have visited Sweet Mandarin and I have loved every meal here. I travel from London to Manchester every three months, stay at the Crowne Plaza which is around the corner from Sweet Mandarin which is my highlight of the trip.

The Banquet A with the aromatic crispy duck is particularly good value - just under £25 per head. The chicken and sweetcorn soup is one of my favourite soups and cooked to perfection. The platter of Salt and Pepper ribs (proper meaty ribs), prawn toast, spring rolls and chicken satay is delicious. The best course is the aromatic crispy duck. It really is the best duck I have tasted and I've been to many Chinese restaurants across the country. The mains are plentiful, good sized portions, fresh and full of flavour.

One small gripe is that their wine list is small but they have a good Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which compliments the food well.

This restaurant however is more than just good food. The owners have remembered my name, remembered that I have a nut allergy (and ensure that all the dishes have no traces of nuts), make me feel at home from home and when I'm working away from home, that feel-good factor speaks volumes. Its always a bustling atmosphere and very friendly. They have done a brilliant job creating a lovely restaurant and I would recommend Sweet Mandarin for anyone visiting Manchester.
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Fiona Crosby
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Me and my boyfriend were seated in a very dark tight corner of the room, where we could barely read the menu without getting our mobile phones out. The cutlery was dirty and oddly paired up. But we didn't mind as long as the food was going to be very good.

The food service took forever, i think that they had forgotten about us because of where we were sat. And they seemed under staffed. The staff weren't very friendly as they seemed stressed out by the fully booked restaurant. .

Boy was the food bad, the cucumber for the duck was definately not fresh, it was old and soggy, the pancakes were just warm and biscuit like. The main courses were the worst i had ever eaten and the soft noodles were freezing cold.

We have both eaten in alot of chinese places around town, this was the worst and most expensive.

The best advice someone gave to me was that the best authentic chinese restaurants are the ones full of chinese people. This place definately had no chinese customers, only people who had been sucked in by the fact they were on Gorden Ramsay's F Word.
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Emily
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Went for a friend's birthday celebration. We were approx a table of twelve and the cute owner went all out to make sure we had a great night.

Lots of choice on the menu. We did the whole 'have a bit of everyones' thing and I have to say the majority of the dishes were gorgeous. Best Chinese food I have had - not at all greasy. The only dish that let me down was my own chicken satay. I could barely taste the peanut and the sauce was quite watery to which all my friends agreed.

Still, the atmosphere was great. Fashionable clientele, we were sat next to that moody guy off Waterloo Road who eventually did a pic with us.

They brought out a massive homemade chocolate cake for us at the end of our feast. Very attentive! I have tried to return once since but they were fully booked with a lengthy waiting list so I suggest getting in early!
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Lulu Drinkwater
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 22, 2010

Went to Sweet Mandarin with my boyfriend yesterday and loved it. They made us feel very welcome and the ambience is romantic. Given that I am gluten intolerant the staff were very accomodating and knowledgable about the ingredients used in the dishes and were very helpful in assisting me with my menu choices. I ordered the Hunan Beef and my boyfriend ordered the Mabel's Claypot Chicken. The food was tasty and fresh. Had a bottle of Pino Grigio to go with the meal which was perfect. This is a place that I will go back to again and again - I've found my new regular haunt.
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Miriam and Jed
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 29, 2010

I heard about Sweet Mandarin from the F Word so booked in with a party of 8 to celebrate a friend's birthday and from the booking process to the end of the dinner, I thought the service was efficient and friendly.

Our party had a really really great evening and personally, it was the best Chinese I have ever tasted. We opted for the banquet - the Hot Plate Manchurian Fillet of Beef was exceptional. The aromatic crispy duck was delicious and it was great that they kept bring extra pancakes for us. The food was fresh and full of flavour.

At the end, they even surprised the birthday girl with a cake! The service, food and ambience was superb and I would highly recommend this place.
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Mrs J. Sanderson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 22, 2010

I too went here to celebrate my birthday on Sunday, what a disaster!!!

Where do i start...There were napkins wrapped round table legs to keep them steady, food all over the floor which i actually stood in and was not impressed to see it had stained my brand new shoes.

Next the waiter comes over asks what drinks we would like i advised i wanted more time to look at wine list to which i got the response of "i want to take your drink order" After 3 times of me telling him i wasn't ready he decided to take my partners drink order and leave me without a drink.

Then we ordered several starters and 2 mains, the food came out and it was ridiculous for the amount of money we were going to pay for it. Small portions is an understatement.

THEN...the icing on the cake was when the waitress came over to clear away the starters which she almost dropped all over me and removed our dirty cutlery from our plates and placed them back in front of us to use for the main course. OMG never been so shocked in my life. Ive ate in some of the best restaurants and believe me some of the worst but never have i had dirty cutlery put in front of me to use for the next course.

When asked for fresh cutlery we were given daggers as someone else has mentioned.

The food itself was not the best and i have had better from local takeaways for a quarter of the price.

We asked for the bill, (this was the only time we seen any of them smile) and hover around waiting to be tipped, we didnt tip if you hadnt already guessed lol.

As we left the waiter threw the wallet with the bill in onto the bar as if to say no tip!! what do they expect!!

Extremely over rated, never EVER will i return to this restaurant, i dont know what Gordon Ramsey seen in this restaurant but judging by the other reviews it is not only us who have had a bad experience.
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Natalie
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

After visiting this restaurant on sturday for a mates birthday i was told that it would be a good place to go good food and service.....IT WAS AWFUL i found the service slow and the food was takeaway quality at best which wasnt very good.

I think its surviving on its F word reputation but believe me folks i wouldnt bother .

It was also expensive for what you got and the service was slow and inconsistant

11 people were at that meal and we all agreed it was dire.

SAVE YOUR MONEY AND TIME FOLKS!!!!
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WAYNE
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 18, 2010

The food here was horrible. We ordering aromatic peking duck and a couple of their "specialities". The food was bland and tasteless with most of it getting cold by the time it reached the table. The standard of the food was really bad and I am so surprised that Sweet Mandarin managed the win Gordon Ramsay's prize for best local chinese restaurant in the UK.

Never going back there again.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, January 17, 2010

Took my son and his wife to Sweet Mandarin and we had a lovely meal. Service and food was excellent. I will be back. The service was friendly and warm. The food was just delicious.
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P.Watson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, December 28, 2009

As we were down visting Manchester we booked for lunch after seeing the F Word. The food was the best we have ever tasted - a feast for both the eye and palate. I really thought the salt and pepper ribs were delicious and the best i've ever tasted. I'll be back to sample more from the menu.
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Mr Thompson
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, December 28, 2009