A new bar that offers guests the chance to enjoy cocktails and food while battling each other at a series of games has opened on Deansgate. Mancunian Matters headed down to check it out.
Before anything else, I want to draw special attention to the service. Our servers, Aron and Sami, were so friendly and accommodating, and made the experience fun from the moment we stepped through the door.
We began by trying out an interesting selection of cocktails and mocktails, which were all slightly different takes on the classics. Out of what we tried, our favourites were the ‘Salted Caramel Euphoria’ – an espresso Martini with added caramel – and the ‘Fresh Breeze’ mocktail.
As I’m a pescatarian and the person I visited with a vegan, when we ordered food we decided to make it vegan only. We were curious as to the quality of what was on offer, as often decent vegan food can only be found at dedicated vegan restaurants. However, we were both very impressed – the food was definitely one of the highlights.
Our main was a spiced, plant-based ’nduja sourdough pizza, which included aubergine, pepper and rocket. I also tried Padron peppers for the first time, and was not disappointed at all, and a vegan Vietnamese bao bun on the side.
Once we were done with our drinks and food, we moved onto the main event: the shuffle board. It’s a long wooden board (sort of like a mini, waist-height bowling alley), along which you launch shiny metal pucks belonging to your team.
The first game we played was called Eclipse. The aim here was to get your puck as close to a spot on the middle of the board as possible.
I’ll be the first to admit my aims not always the best. But it didn’t take long before we’d both gotten the hang of it.
I also really enjoyed the hexagon game, where you and the other team battle for territory. This one needed a few more tactics, and we ended up getting super competitive. Other games were either a little bit more confusing, or quite similar to the ones we had already done – but regardless, we still had a lot of fun and it definitely brought out the competitive spirit in both of us.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend giving Electric Shuffle a visit, especially if you’re a fan of places such as Flight Club or Boom Battle Bar.
The rest of the menu and booking information can be found on their website.
Image credit: Electric Shuffle/Red Engine
