CityLife

Bar Review: The City Arms

BLOKES and pub conversation can be split into three categories. The first is the male/female banter category that is about bravado, flirtatiousness, wit and, ultimately, seduction. The second is the male bonding category, usually the domain of the younger man and the bottle of beer. It's all about stance, clothes and women, and, of course, bravado.

The third category is the most fascinating and the most elusive - the chewing-the-fat category, the one us women wish we could eavesdrop on. It's the male version of a good old chin wag, and seldom spoken about. If you think your man nips down the pub to only talk about sport, then get down to the City Arms, sit in one of the cosy corners and listen to the inspiring chatter all around you.

Perhaps it's the easy-going atmosphere that landlord Sean Platt has nurtured, or maybe it's the intimate traditional surroundings. Either way, conversation is the main entertainment at the City Arms, and it was refreshing to listen to a dozen or so men in small groups pondering on the meaning of life, why their partners can't text properly, the cost of houses in Manchester, the Irish peace process and what makes REM so cool. I even overheard one bloke extolling the virtues of Slimming World to his less svelte mate.

The City Arms isn't traditional in the classic sense. The decor is typically Victorian, with green leather Chesterfield banquette seating, dark wood tables, original fireplaces and stained glass windows, yet is refreshingly light and smoke free.

The small bar at the front is stocked high with a great selection of whiskies from Laphroaig to Glenlivet and a regularly rotating beer choice, including Abbot Ale, Bath Spa, Hyde's, Marstons and Burton to name but a few. One of the mottos on the wall states "English beer is an acquired taste - the pleasure lies in gaining the experience", and judging by the positive reviews that adorn the walls behind the bar, plenty of experience has been acquired at the City Arms.

The pub is owned by the Spirit chain who have put the foodie aspect back into the traditional pub with varying degrees of success - so there is a pared-down menu, concentrating on ploughman's and salads and a few specials. You can get two meals for é6.99 at present.
The City Arms, Grovesnor Street, Manchester. 0161 236 4610. Monday-Saturday 11am-11pm; Sunday noon-8pm.