Looking out over the calming Manchester canal, you could be forgiven for forgetting that you were only seconds away from the busiest bus route in Europe.
That is the effect Oxford Road’s Kitchenette has, the place is airy and contemporary with a really friendly and chilled out vibe.
The menu offers ‘upmarket junk food’ and is eclectic with an interesting mix of fun American classics and a selection of Asian delights scattered in there for good measure.
STYLISH SETTING: Kitchenette is ideally located on Oxford Road
Although to some the menu may seem confusing, there really is something there that will get everybody’s mouth-watering.
And looking at the selection on offer, one is almost overwhelmed by choice but definitely hungry.
Since opening in July, Kitchenette has begun to build up a loyal legion of punters who enjoy the interesting food, stylish setting and the top notch waterside location.
The restaurant has been a hit with theatre goers, city workers and students in the know as no other restaurant in the city centre pulls off fusion food styles so successfully.
DIVINE: This Baked Alaska offers all you could want from a dessert
Kitchenette this time last year was Felicini’s, the upmarket Italian restaurant in the heart of Manchester, but these days things are a more out of the box.
The restaurant’s look, feel and clientele have all changed and the restaurant has been able to evolve and adapt to changing tastes as it finds its feet.
When it comes to starters, the crab tacos are definitely worth trying.The tacos were beautifully presented in a chic and simple manner, like many of the things coming out of the kitchen to smiling faces.
This restaurant may have a more ‘chilled out feel’ than its predecessor, but when it comes to style, they really do deliver.
BACK TO BASE-ICS: Kitchenette pizzas are ‘the best in town’
The hirata buns are stuffed to the brim with a selection of slow roasted meats and kimchi pickle that give eaters a taste sensation in just a few bites.
The beautifully crisp, rustic pizzas are bursting with flavour. Cooked in an authentic stone oven, the vibrant colours and interesting toppings make for a really good eat.
A personal favourite is the pork hash, which is accompanied by roast sweet potato, egg, spinach, parmesan, spicy sriracha and lime sour cream – the added chorizo getting people hot under the collar.
When it comes to desserts, the fusion style of cooking really comes out to play as people can go for old, sweet, rich, classic American flavours like the oreo cookie and peanut butter milkshakes or you could venture out your comfort zone and try something you’ve never had before like the Lemon and Yuzu Meringue Pie with toasted rosewater marshmallows and pistachio crumbs.
MEATY BUNS: This Asian-style dish is packed full of flavour
Staff tell us that the baked Alaska is very popular and it’s clear why. Sickly yet moreish, the beautifully creamy ice cream covered in cookie crumbs topped with a charred Italian merengue as light as air, is divine.
The slinky, little eatery has been going from strength to strength. On a crowded street, bustling with businessmen and women, the fun fusion restaurant offers something different.
A place where hearty tastes of the US collide head on with dishes that deliver on their eastern promise, the Kitchenette is definitely one to watch.
