The Beagle, Chorlton

We first visited The Beagle when it had just opened, and felt it didn't really have it's own identity. The food wasn't brilliant and the atmosphere was a bit non-existent. Russ Abbot would have hated it. That's a while ago now, so it was probably about time we gave it a second chance. The minute I walked through the door on Saturday, I knew things were different. It's a bit like the owners of the new house have lived there for a bit now, and stamped their personality on it. They've collected stuff, and it feels a little more lived in. 

It was really hot, so we decided to sit in the pleasant glass orangery at the front of the building, which was also an excellent people watching spot! Menus were brought swiftly, closely followed by the lovely Anneka with drinks. 

I had a good old Fentiman's ginger beer, whilst my husband opted for two of his faves; a Beavertown Bloody 'El and a Squawk IPA. 

Nachos with nacho cheese: I'd battled the seventh circle of hell which was Manchester packed with drunk pre-Parklifers, so decided to treat myself to some liquid cheese. Don't judge me, you didn't get accosted by a boy in a straw hat wanting to know the quickest route to Wetherspoon's.

Homeslice chicken bucket - three pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, four wings, fries, slaw and BBQ and chilli sauces: My husband declared this chicken better than the stuff he had at Pies n Thighs in New York. In fact, he could not recall better fried chicken. This is very high praise indeed from someone who is rarely this impressed by anything! That spicy coating was inducted into my 'what could you just have' bank.

Big beef chilli - beef brisket and black bean chilli, finished with spiced butter and Mexican rice, served in a nacho bowl served with salsa, sour cream, refried beans and cheese: This was so smokey and rich, with big chunks of tender brisket. If you like a flavoursome chilli, I urge you to try this. I'm cursing myself now for being such an incredible lightweight and only eating about half. Look at it... it's shiny and bright and delectable. It made me very happy.

Churros with chocolate sauce: If I see them, I have to have them. Churros are one of my favourite desserts ever. Who doesn't love a doughnut stick covered in cinnamon? Perhaps someone who is dead inside. The only thing that could have improved these would have been a shedload of golden caster sugar when they're fresh from the fryer... That's a true pig talking right there.

I was ridiculously impressed with The Beagle; the food was way better than I ever imagined it would be, but almost more importantly, the service was brilliant. Anneka's boss - I urge you to give the girl a pay rise. We're already plotting a return trip to sample their brunch menu.

Serendipitea, Chorlton

I have a list. Serendipitea in Chorlton has been on said list for a some time. It's not a place I venture to often, but a couple of weeks ago I found myself alone on Beech Road. No, I hadn't come over all 'Wizard of Oz', but I did have a couple of hours to kill. 

It was my blogging pal Bacon on the Beech who first recommended Serendipitea after stumbling across it whilst shopping on Beech Road. Just as its name suggests, I imagine most people accidentally find this pretty little place whilst perusing the other shops. There's no shortage of places to stop for a cuppa along this road, but Serendipitea feels a little different. 

Inside is a mixture of modern and pretty vintage finds. The now quintessential mismatched china is right at home with the fresh roses, upturned crate tables and the quirky floor tiles. It only opens at 11am on Sundays, but if you find yourself a little early, nip into to Epicerie Ludo across the road for fresh bread, pork pies and some rather pungent cheese. 

I had hoped to try some of their fresh baked scones but I must have been a bit early. They are baked daily and the lady who was serving was also making these later in the morning. Damn it.

I settled for a Beech Road Afternoon Tea, which is a blend of precious first flush darjeeling and black Kenyan teas. I love strong tea so this was just perfect: just enough clout without being bitter.

Since scones weren't an option, I plumped for a caramel and walnut blondie. Yes, this looks rather unassuming, however this little slice had the fortitude of a three course dinner. I think I managed just over half!  The depth of this was bob on - any thicker and I am sure it would finish off most rugby players.

There wasn't a huge amount of cakes to choose from, but it was a Sunday when I went. Others included a large slab of Dime Bar cake (remember the armadillo advert? No? Just me then) and rocky road.

I'd say Serendipitea is the kind of place to go if you're looking for a mid-shop pit stop rather than a 'lunch and a slice of cake' kind of gaff. They don't have a food menu per se, but I did notice that they have started doing afternoon tea now. I think I visited on a day where there wasn't as much choice, as when I headed over to their Facebook page (their website isn't up and running yet), I saw a much better selection.

If you enjoy a nice cup of tea, a slice of cake and an hour or so people watching, you'll love it.

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Pi Chorlton

Sometimes only a pie will do. There are days where faffy food just doesn't cut it; days where you sense that your pastry and mashed potato levels are dangerously low. I had made a trip to trendy Chorlton to visit Tiny's Tipple beer shop, and had been given the brief 'somewhere nice to sit' by my parents. We rocked up at Laundrette, took one look at the menu, and did one. It was not dad material. 

I did what I always do in a gastro-emergency - I sought help from Twitter. A few months ago, our friends Kev and Lucie had been to Pi, and raved about their crusted creations. After a quick reminder, our decision was made. Pies and beer... this had been a winning combo once before at Pie and Ale, so we gave it a whirl.

The concept is simple. Four pies, three sides and more beer than you can safely shake a flagon at. It was glorious weather outside, so we sat on the terrace. Pies are provided by London legends, Pie Minister and sides are kept simple (and are happily lacking in eels). I'm proud to say that between the three of us, we sampled most of the menu!

Although my husband @AllBeerNoBelly was stuck in work, I took plenty of pictures of the guest ales and had a good nosey through their beer directory. Yep, that's right, a full book. The nice pie man also gave us spicy nuts. What a guy. They were like crack...

Heidi Pie - goat's cheese, sweet potato, spinach, red onion and roasted garlic with minty mushy peas: A veggie pie, yet the preferred option of my carnivorous mother. The filling was flavourful and the crust crisp.

Peahock Pie - pulled ham and broad beans in a mustard and béchamel sauce, with creamy mash and gravy: This was my pie of choice. I detest mustard, but took a chance. It paid off. The mustard was only subtle and added a bit of kick to the ham.

Moo Pie - beef, real ale, onions, carrot, thyme and green peppercorns, with creamy mash and gravy: My dad has a tricky relationship with pepper. It's 'too spicy'. I'm convinced this is only a problem if he knows about it, so I didn't tell him. Bingo. He loved it. A rich hotpot style filling with lots of juice.

A nice little stop off if you've popped into Chorlton, with an impressive range of craft beers and a pleasant outdoor seating area for warmer days. It was an absolute bargain too; for three pies with sides and drinks it was less than £30. We'll be back at some point.

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The Parlour, Chorlton

We love a good Sunday Roast. After hearing good things about The Parlour from every direction, we nipped over to Chorlton, lured by the promise of giant Yorkshires and pink beef. 

If you're thinking Chorlton is a bit 'down with the kids', you're not far wrong really! However, it seems to have been infiltrated with enough pleasant folk from afar that it is no longer a hive of hipsters with Tsar Nicholas II or Kaiser Wilhelm II style facial hair. There were a few minor celebrities in there (think Corrie and Shameless) but the vast majority of people were normal folk enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon. 

The staff at the Parlour are fantastic. Everyone is really friendly and they have genuine enthusiasm when describing the food. We hadn't planned on having starters, but the chap serving us had such passion for the celeriac and white onion soup that we found we had ordered it plus a ham and apricot terrine before we knew it! 

Both starters were outstanding examples of home cooked food. The terrine came with warm crusty bread and home made piccalilly, and the soup was a generous portion of warmth in a bowl with wholemeal bloomer. The soup was so good I actually stole it off my husband. He ended up finishing my terrine...

After the starters we both realised the error of our ways. We had both eaten big chunks of bread with filling portions of either soup or ham. Put it this way, we were no longer starving. Then the roasts arrived. Hell's teeth! Imagine going to an all you can eat roast buffet and someone well taking the Mick. Think Alan with his big plate. This was a huge pile of meat, veg and carbs. The pictures really do give you no idea of the scale or wonder that was placed before us. 

I have no shame in telling you that we did not finish our mains. Mine looked like a small shrew had given it a go, whereas my husband's was a little less embarrassing. If you're a fan of a roast, here's your place matey!  

The waitress who took our plates was sure that we wouldn't want a dessert menu, although she still asked. She obviously knew nothing of my 'separate cake stomach' super powers. We shared an apple tart with custard. This was supposed to come with ice cream, but I was very much in custard mode (like I hadn't consumed enough calories already...). The filling was light as a feather and it came with a wonderful toffee sauce. 

The only thing I would even contemplate changing would be the dessert menu. I would have liked to see something like a jam roly poly or even Christmas pudding on the menu at this time of year. 

We'll be visiting the Parlour again in the near future...

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Tea Hive, Chorlton

A few weeks ago, we were having our morning cuppa before work when something caught our eye on the BBC news. We heard the key words 'tea shop' and more importantly 'cake'. Sold! The BBC reporter was live from the Tea Hive in Chorlton.

We are always really busy at the weekend, so when our plans changed on the last minute we decided to pop over to Chorlton for a spot of breakfast. Breakfast which involves cake.

Picture from www.teahive.co.uk

It's a really pretty little shop with old dressers and baskets packed with home made preserves and pretty floral teapots. The counter is packed with plates of brownies, jars full of scented tea and cake stands piled with a wide variety of home baked goods. Needless to say I liked it here. They were busy as a bugger, but the staff were always polite and helpful and didn't mind a nosy parker like me taking lots of photos like some weird cake paparazzi...

We both decided on a bacon butty on thick doorstep bread. The bread was soft and fresh and the bacon was perfectly crisp. I added brown sauce and my husband had his with cheese. Fancy. They have lots of different teas to choose from, but because there was a bit of a nip in the air I decided on a nice house chai. Not too spicy, just the right amount of heat to warm the cockles. I don't take sugar in my tea, but this was served with honey. Couldn't resist... Turns out it's lovely in chai!

I was not leaving this establishment without sampling some cake. After much stalking of the counter, I picked the almond and cherry cake and my husband had the sunken orange and chocolate cake. These slices are massive! There are no skinny portions here ladies and gents! Saying that, don't share one. You have to try at least two! Mine was a nice firm sponge with real cherries and cream cheese frosting. My only criticism was that I would have preferred more sugar in the frosting. But that's just my preference. The orange and chocolate cake was really dense and moist; the perfect amount of cake clagginess to accompany a hot drink. Lovely.

Go to the Tea Hive for a relaxing morning with good food, tasty cakes and a lovely bit of chintz...

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