TV21 has long been a haven for geeks, whatever their type – it’s also long been the home of the North West Burlesque Society, so when I received an email entitled ‘Goodbye TV21’ I was worried!
Thankfully, it’s all in the name of a revamp and as the standby light went out on TV21, Bar21 stepped out into the limelight.
Rowan Molyneux, fellow lady geek and beer lover, went to have a look at what the revamp means.
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With food, booze, and enough film memorabilia to keep any geek happy, TV21 has served the Northern Quarter well for the last five years. Now it’s been re-furbed and re-launched as Bar21, with a brand new cocktail menu, new American/Italian food offerings, and some rather snazzy new décor – but don’t worry, Alien and Predator haven’t gone anywhere, and geek quiz night is still on every Tuesday!
On the 17th of July, Bar21 threw a huge all day party and invited the good people of Manchester to come in, have a snoop at the re-furb, listen to some music, and sample some of the new food and drinks on offer. Well, I’m not one to turn down an invite to a party! With the band in the corner playing songs from the silver screen, we settled down at a table by the window, and were treated to a selection of snacks and drinks samples from their new menu.
First up, we tried some antipasti, featuring Italian cheeses, pastrami and air-cured beef in mini pastry baskets, chorizo, and root vegetable crisps. These were rapidly followed by sliders, one with Monterey Jack and bacon, and one with parma ham and Dolcelatte cheese. The latter is not a combination I would instinctively plump for, not being a huge fan of blue cheese, but with Dolcelatte’s milder taste it actually worked rather well. We were also given samples of Old J Spiced Rum and cola, with a wedge of lime. I’m a huge fan of Old J, with its toffee and vanilla notes, so it’s fab to see it on Bar21’s menu.
Next, we nibbled on slices of sourdough stonebaked margherita pizza. The base was lovely and light, full of flavour, and the whole thing was very fresh. Following this suitably summery offering came ribs, coated in Jack Daniels Honey BBQ sauce. Sticky, sweet, and messy; we were very glad when the attentive staff brought us over some extra napkins! The ribs were followed by buttermilk fried chicken, with a crispy coating. The chicken was very juicy, but I could have personally done with a little more seasoning. I think when the full menu’s on, the chicken is served with a dipping sauce, which would add that required extra flavour. However, a lack of flavour was certainly not an issue with the next dish: chargrilled chicken wings, coated in a sticky chilli glaze. Tender and punchy, with a decent hot kick, these wings are hands down my favourite thing on the menu. What can I say? I’m a sucker for spice.
By this point we felt like we must have eaten our way through their entire kitchen! With our waistbands groaning, we turned to the samples from their draught beer range… First out was Carlsberg. Oh, well. You can’t have everything. Next, some rather cold Doom Bar, which I assume is the ‘guest ale’ their drinks list mentions. It would have been nice to see a local beer on the bar, considering that Manchester now boasts around 50 breweries, but hopefully they’ll consider this when deciding on their guest beer rotation. The third beer, however, was a pleasant surprise: Grimbergen Blonde, a 6.7% Abbey beer, sweet, strong, with a slight spice and breadiness. Nothing earth-shaking, but it’s a decent, straightforward Belgian blonde. If Belgian beer isn’t your bag, or you don’t fancy something quite that strong, they also sell bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Now we were full of food AND beer, and just about ready to fall asleep. You can just see what’s coming next, can’t you? …pudding time. We were served up a very boozy tiramisu, and a lime tartlet, topped with whipped cream and a strawberry. Now, I’m not much of a desserts gal, but I do have a soft spot for both coffee and lime, so I bravely soldiered on. Despite my pending food-induced narcolepsy, they were both pretty delicious.
By this point, sitting replete in a daze, we were in dire need of something to wake us up a bit, and what better way to be woken up than to be invited to a free cocktail masterclass? We made our way downstairs to their basement bar, which heavily reminded me of my student days haunting Fab Cafe. Under the bartender’s expert tutelage, our group mixed up a Dark n’ Stormy (Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer, with a little lime), an original Sazerac, a Strawberry Daquiri, a Dry Martini (made with Tanqueray 10), and, despite my deep-seated resentment towards making cocktails (too many nights flailing around behind a busy bar without a decent cocktail area set up), I even rolled my sleeves up and made a Cosmopolitan! The masterclass was a great way to get us more involved with the new cocktail menu, and it was also a good laugh, so hats off for that.
Thanks to Bar21 for throwing the party, putting on music and the masterclass, and inviting us along to sample the new menus. Here’s to another great five years! Next time I’m on Thomas Street I’ll be popping in for an Old J and ginger, and who knows, I might even get a crowd together to give the Tuesday night Geek Quiz a go…
As with all partygoers, Rowan and her guest were able to enjoy the samples of food and drink from Bar 21 for free.