The Edinburgh Castle Pub 17 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5EP

"Ineffably delectable. I can’t remember a meal I have enjoyed as much. Thank you for superb service, wonderful wine and fantastic food - all for a very, very reasonable price."

"Lovely bar this, great little bar for good drinks and catch up, good friendly service and great setting in the bar area."

"I’ve been meaning to write about The Edinburgh Castle on the edge of Cutting Room Square in this recently revived corner of Manchester for some time, as it has become something of a current favourite. The Edinburgh Castle is something of stand out from a burgeoning restaurant scene around Cutting Room Square – Manchester’s only Michelin starred restaurant, Mana, is a few steps up the road, and there are several other mid- market eateries to choose from on the square. It’s a pub that’s been refurbished in an industrial style, with some softer touches. The semi-circular green velvet curtain keeping the chill from the opening door is one such touch, bringing an element of glamour to what could easily have been too hard a space. The menu is succinct. The lunch menu consists of two snacks, three starters, four mains, four sides and three desserts and is priced at a very reasonable £21 for two courses and £24 for three courses. The dinner menu is slightly more expensive and slightly longer, but still concise and approachable. Having been a few times, I have tried the fish and chips, steak and chips and yesterday the whole roasted plaice on the bone with potato salad and green beans with confit garlic. My dining partner, being vegetarian, ordered the beetroot salad to start, followed by the Cep tart fine. We also enjoyed the five seeded sourdough with whipped butter. The plaice was perfectly cooked on the bone, with a hint of the butter it was cooked in, making for a well-balanced, not too rich piece of fish. It was delightful. The accompanying potato salad was served at room temperature – there’s nothing worse than fridge cold, hard potato salad. It had a hint of dill. A little more would have been appreciated, but that’s personal preference. My dining partner had nothing but oohs and ahs for the mushroom tart. We shared the green beans with confit garlic which were well cooked with a delicate garlic flavour, as they should have been. There’s a lot of restrained cooking going on. The fig and champagne dessert was a deconstructed cheesecake, but none the worse for it, with a perfectly balanced and deliciously tart cheese, buttery biscuit base (thanks Greg…) and ripe figs with little gelatine decorations. A triumph. From previous visits I can tell you the fish and chips is as good as (if not better than) the best you’ll find in Manchester, and the steak is equally as good. I can’t find anything to fault about The Edinburgh Castle, after several visits. Both the food and service are top notch and consistent with it. In short, go. Don’t think about it – just make a reservation and go. I hesitate to recommend it, because I selfishly want to keep it an underrated, unknown gem, but in the interests of supporting a local business and doing the right thing, it gets my vote."