Chez Mal Manchester — Restaurant in Manchester

This place has gone down hill since it became chez mal from Smoak.

Bad points After our orders were taken there was no interaction by any member of staff throughout the meal. I had to get up and go find a staff member to ask for a steak knife. No one checked in to see how our food was. After the starter it took approximately 30 mins for them to clear the table. I ordered my steak Medium rare. What arrived was a well done, tougher than nails lump of cardboard. It was also cold as if it had been left on the serving counter for a good 10 mins before being brought to the table. Given how long we had been waiting for food and there wasn’t a staff member in sight I decided to not complain as I really didn’t want to wait another 45-60 mins for another one. A couple were seated at a table next to us as we were eating our mains and seemed to have constant service. A woman kept coming to their table every 5 mins to check on them but not once thought to ask why I wasn’t eating my steak and had my phone torch on it examining it from every angle. It shouldn’t matter who you are, service should be a standard for every customer.

Good points The nice waiter in the red waistcoat who seemed completely ran off his feet. Paid attention to us when seating us and taking our order. Unfortunately I imagine they were understaffed and he didn’t get chance to come back until the bill was being paid. Would not let us pay a gratuity because of the steak. The starters of the tiger prawns and calamari were very good as usual.

This is my second time here since it became Chez Mal and both times have been rather disappointing. Probably will not be making...

I wasn’t sure whether to to write this as bad reviews or not fun for companies. However if I could give no stars I would. We went for our 1 year wedding anniversary on 14th October we thought it be nice as we had been the year before and it was lovely. But no it was soooo bad the service and food was awful. Even though we showed our online reservation we were told ‘I’ll seat you but your reservation isn’t there’. Which was rude. we got and ate our starter ..at this point I said to my husband ‘isn’t it odd no one has come to ask if everything was ok’ They came and took the plates away with literally no eye contact no words just plates gone. I ordered the T bone steak rare and it arrived well done. My husband ordered medium his was also well done but he said he would deal with it. I had to flag someone down even though they had seen I was sat not eating …and I have to stress here the waiter agreed it was well done but didn’t seem to care just I’ll get another. It came and it was again well done …. Again I showed my steak and told him it’s not even medium not a tinge of pink nothing ..How can a chef not know how to cook steak rare surely that’s easier than medium or well done! he agreed it was well done however offered no replacement, just I’ll take it off the bill. My husband had finished eating I took a couple of bites but I didn’t want it. Anniversary meal ruined. Still cost us £90 for a...

Why was the Soup not warm enough? This place used to be really impressive a few years ago. What has happened since? Is it a change of chef or management? Mushroom Soups for starters were only just warm. We’re in the colder seasons now so this was poor. You don’t need to be a trained chef to know if soup is hot enough or not - it’s a basic requirement. Limited menu, not enough choice. Main courses were disappointing with a £15/£17 price tag. The waitress failed to recommend side dishes (at an additional £4 cost) so the chicken was literally just a chicken on a plate with a little garnish. There wasn’t enough lamb in the curry either, and too much liquid. Sticky toffee pudding was this meal’s only saving grace, it was nicely presented and warm. So the two stars are for dessert only. What a shame, we were disappointed in what should have been a memorable evening before lockdown begins. This place needs to improve when it reopens. I don’t want to go...