GRAND PACIFIC: MANCHESTER

06/06/19

*AD: Gifted - this was a press meal and I received a complimentary meal and welcome drinks (but paid for all other drinks) for an honest review.*

Why you should visit:

For the stylish tropical surroundings (as you know, I love all things tropical)
Try unique and delicious cocktails
Choose from a varied selection of Asian inspired dishes
Treat yourself to a delicious dessert - make sure you save space!

Grand Pacific is a restaurant and bar that I have been fortunate enough to visit previously, both for cocktails and for their delicious and stylish afternoon tea, which you can read about here. So, when I was asked to try out their new lunch menu, I was happy to take them up on the offer and dine there once again.

DECOR:

It’s fair to say that the decor at Grand Pacific couldn’t be more me. After climbing up a sweeping grand staircase to the second floor, you enter a tropical paradise, which is the Grand Pacific restaurant and bar. Dark colonial style furniture is mixed with tropical leaf prints (hello House of Hackney), brass accessories and lots of palm trees, which creates a relaxed yet sumptuous feel that immediately makes you feel at home.

With a vast oval bar greeting you on arrival, you know that Grand Pacific mean business with not just their food, but their drinks selection too. Having sampled cocktails there on a few occasions, I can affirm that they are absolutely delicious, and on this visit they didn’t disappoint. We ordered a Grand Pornstar, a very moreish oriental twist on the classic, and a Dizzy Rose Gold, which arrived sparkling and shimmering to match its name.

DINING:

We were visiting to try out the new menu and with so many delicious sounding Asian inspired dishes to choose from, it was difficult to know what to order. So to begin, we decided to go for a sharing platter with the Grand Pacific ‘Thali’ Plate (£9.95 pp), which included Sesame Chicken Wings, Prawn Tempura, Forbidden Rice Balls, Glazed Chicken Skewers, Bakwan Sayur (vegetable fritters), Chicken Karaage and Duck Gyoza. We both really enjoyed it all and it was a great way of trying out some of the new starters and deciding what we liked the best (chicken skewers for me and duck gyoza for my Mum!).

For main course, we both ordered fish, as we wanted something a little lighter after a big starter! I ordered Tempura Szechuan Sea Bass (£17.95) and my Mum chose a new dish, Baked Salmon (£17.95). The sea bass was a lot bigger than I expected and came with two fillets, which were soft and flaky with a crisp and light batter. I wasn’t keen on the cold sweet potato sauce and cucumber salsa, which the sea bass was accompanied with, however. The salmon was served in a banana leaf and was served alongside a noodle style vegetable salad with a satay dressing, which was similar to a slaw and worked well with the perfectly cooked salmon. We ordered some Gunpowder potatoes on the side (£3.75), which were different to any I’ve tried before and were a little disappointing, with the portion also on the small side.

We probably didn’t need pudding but the selection was too tempting not to try. My Mum went for a classic, with the Chocolate Fondant (£6.50), and I ordered the newly introduced Iced Peanut Butter Parfait (£5.95). The parfait was wonderfully creamy and the Caramel Miso, Chilli & Almond Brittle which came alongside it was the perfect pairing. The fondant was exactly as it should be, gooey and oozing in the middle, and the honeycomb and caramel additions made it a match made in pudding heaven.

DEBRIEF:

We both enjoyed our lunch at the opulent Grand Pacific, with the standout dishes being the sharing starter and the desserts. Having previously visited for afternoon tea, we decided we’d prefer to return again for that, but the ‘thali’ plate is definitely a great option to share over cocktails. Perhaps with a delicious pudding or two to follow…