Sweet Mandarin — Restaurant in Manchester

Referring to a visit early July 2016...

Last time I went to Sweet Mandarin was six and a half years ago (even ordering the Sweet Mandarin book on Amazon back then), so when I noticed an offer on Groupon it all came back to me and I decided to give this restaurant another go…

The interior is nothing spectacular but the friendly and welcoming staff immediately make it a pleasant experience upon entering. Between the four of us we had some starters (sharing platters and Salt & Pepper Soft Shell Crab) and we ordered two out of three Signature Dishes, namely Lilly Kwok’s Chicken Curry and Mabel’s Claypot Chicken. We also had Firecracker Chicken, batter-free Sweet & Sour Chicken and a Fried Rice dish.

The starters were nice - not exceptional - but portion sizes were rather small unfortunately. This was the first hint towards things being overpriced really. A 750ml bottle of water at £5.50 is also rather steep we thought… the wine however was reasonably priced, while the beers weren’t. Actually, the reason we didn’t try the 3rd signature dish listed on the menu - Cantonese Style Filet Steak - is that it was a whopping £18.95… to put things in perspective, the stylish TNQ Restaurant across the road charges less for their pan fried sea bass.

Back to the food… the mains were definitely good though and we couldn’t really fault these. Maybel’s Claypot Chicken definitely was the highlight and this is the dish I will remember from this restaurant experience.

If it wouldn’t have been for the Groupon voucher however I feel that this meal might have left a bitter taste in my mouth since the prices seemed overinflated… I didn’t mind the 10% service charge but I did mind the fact that nothing seemed to justify the artificially high prices. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good but except for Maybel’s Claypot Chicken nothing really seemed better than what I have experienced at many other Chinese restaurants. The presentation of the food was actually rather poor and very basic, while the paper napkins, basic cutlery and wine glasses certainly did not reflect the prices.

It feels as if this restaurant has ridden a wave of media attention (Gordon Ramsay’s F Word, Dragons Den) which might have allowed the owners to increase their prices but now the restaurant wasn’t busy at all on a Saturday evening, even with the help of Groupon vouchers… I guess the locals know.

I would rather have been able to give 3.5 stars. Three stars would not do this restaurant justice, while four stars feels a little...

Came here for our Daughters Birthday as she is celiac and they offer a good gluten free menu. To avoid any possible confusion or potential mix up with our meal choices, we all decided to just pick from the gluten free menu and it was great, very nice indeed! I’ve eaten some gluten free meals before and I could certainly taste the difference with some of them, but here, it tasted lovely and just like what we would taste if we ordered from the standard menu. We did order quite a lot of various dishes so we could sample a wide, varied selection and all the food came correct and in good time. There were no mistakes made when our server took our order and we did not have to wait long at all for our food to come. A side note relating to the staff here, there were two servers on duty when we came and both were super friendly, super attentive and a credit to the restaurant. It wasn’t exactly busy when we came, but they didn’t stop helping the clients that were in there eating. As stated, we ordered quite a few different dishes, so too many to list them all, but all I can say is everything from the noodles, salt and pepper chips to the chicken and duck dishes from the gluten free menu were very, very nice. It’s quite a small compact restaurant but is well presented, clean and tables are economically laid out. It’s also well located in Manchester, just a short walk to the Arndale Shopping Centre. Another big plus for me is they employ a paper towel dispenser in the toilets for drying your hands after washing, rather than the very unhygienic hot air blowers. Something small and insignificant to most people, but a big plus for me. If you’re a fan of this style of cuisine and are looking for a good gluten free place to eat, then you won’t go far wrong...

Very Disappointing. The website makes this place sounds amazing, with the proud owners mentioning Gordon Ramsey many times... but the food is takeaway quality. I assume the owners have either sold on the franchise or only now sell the pre-made ingredients. On arrival I mentioned the Groupon we had for Sweet Mandrin and were seated near the window. I was told to order by number. When I asked for a dish by name I was told by the waiter he needed the number from the menu We ordered Chinese tea which they served in a pot with espresso cups!? After 10 minutes we were served re-heated salt & pepper pork ribs that were cold on the inside. Soggy 'Dim Sum' dumplings which looked like they were steamed from frozen. The award winning salt and chili squid was ok but I've had better pre-made battered squid from Costco. Also why present food on paper & polystyrene plates? The mains were disappointing also. The Ramsey HotPot was mainly cheap (choy) vegetables with a few slices of chicken and I counted 2 slices of Chinese sausage and one sliced Chinese mushroom. The beef noodle dish was smothered in too much soy sauce which made it very salty. The staff were scruffy. Our waiter had white paint on his arms (serving food!?); and didn't know the names of the dishes he brought to the table. But he was polite and we left a good tip. Unfortunately I couldn't recommend Sweet Mandrin, which is a shame because I wanted to like it. It may be Gluten Free; but it's poor Chinese Food. OK value with the Groupon, but not a bargain. Especially when we had such high hopes from...