CityLife

Linen

Linen is well-styled, but a few details require refinement

Linen
City centre
June 2010

Average three-course cost: £33 (deals available)
Tap water: Yes

Overall: 4/5
Decor: 3/5, Service: 5/5, Food: 4/5

Three-year-old restaurant Linen is housed in casino Manchester235, which openly aims to recreate the ostentatious glitz of Las Vegas, with luxury 24-hour gaming and lots of fancy lighting.

But the two locations actually have some real history in common. Despite today’s veneer of spectacular fakery, Las Vegas started life in the early 1900s as a humble railway town and shipping point.

Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, industry had just produced a major transport interchange known as the Great Northern Warehouse. Built over the Manchester and Salford junction canal, it boasts the longest facade in the UK – the grade II-listed Deansgate Terrace, constructed to hide what Victorians considered the site’s ugly inner workings.

Unexcitingly, a car park now takes up much of the space inside – but there is also a multi-screen cinema (AMC); several bars and shops; and gaming cavern Manchester235.

Though not restricted to members, the casino does retain a private feel, as visitors can’t simply walk in. Once we’d entered, ‘booked in’ at reception, gone through another set of doors into the casino, up two escalators, across the gaming floor, through a bar, then finally up some stairs to Linen… it had been quite a journey.

We began with drinks in Fusion Bar, beside the restaurant. Our visit was on a weekday evening, so it was understandably quiet.

We therefore thought the bar might take a hotel-style approach and opt for a relaxed ambience until things heated up. But no. Instead, a clubby pop soundtrack pumped out in the dimly-lit space, competing with screens blaring TV news.

Like the disorientating lack of windows and clocks, the music is probably there to maintain the rhythm of gaming. But while it might be motivating at busy times; in empty ones, it is simply eerie - and mildly stressful.

Despite a pleasant bartender and sleek design, it was not the ideal atmosphere in which to savour the advertised champagne cocktails, while anticipating a fine meal.

By contrast, Linen has a pseudo-Edwardian feel, with dark wood, creamy fabrics, careful touches of chintz and exposed building structure.

An attractively-lit chef’s table and ‘boutique wine cellar’ are the jewels in the crown of a well-proportioned dining room, with large tables and bowl-sized wine glasses evoking a sense of grandeur and occasion.

A shame, therefore, that the chirpy tones of Lily Allen echoed through from the bar.

Also seeping in was some casino styling – namely purple neon lighting in transparent tubing around the supporting columns – which seemed a jarring misstep.

The service, however, was excellent. Every member of staff we encountered was friendly and knowledgeable – and attentive not only to us, but also to detail. Despite the quiet custom, every single table was adorned with a lit candle, which lifted the atmosphere.

On any day but Saturday, the cost-conscious diner can enjoy a selective menu of two courses for £10 or three for £15 – or even three with unlimited wine for £20 – but on this occasion we opted for the full a la carte.

The cuisine is largely modern British, but with a variety of international touches, from risotto to South Vietnamese curry to Moroccan tagine.

While studying, we ordered Castillo de Clavijo Rioja Crianza 2005 (bottle £26.50, 175ml glass £6), deliciously smoky with hints of vanilla.

I began with smoked haddock, superbly presented on nutmeg spinach and finished with a quail egg and crispy pancetta (£6). The fish was a little too salty for my palate, but it was perfect in texture, as was the soft poached egg.

I was a little jealous of the superior size of my partner’s dish; wild mushroom and truffle paté with scotch chutney and walnut bread (£5.50) – so generous that it arrived on a board instead of a plate. Like the fish, the paté leaned further towards salt than we liked, but the truffle ensured depth of flavour.

For my main course, I chose roast veal with spiced dauphinoise potato and chilli and chocolate jus (£21), following quick confirmation from our waitress that the meat was British in origin. Served on the bone, it was well-flavoured and thankfully not overwhelmed by the chocolate, which is more commonly seen with venison. The dauphinoise was enjoyable too, though the spice seemed unnecessary, with chilli already present.

My partner’s 6oz fillet steak with chunky chips, portobello mushroom, confit cherry tomato and peppercorn sauce (£21) had been presented with care, with tomatoes on the vine and silky sauce in a small jug, allowing for choice. The steak, ordered rare, was perfectly cooked.

We were quite excited about desserts – and rightly so. My sticky toffee pudding (£4.50) was moist and lighter than most, sitting in warm toffee sauce and topped with vanilla cream (meant to be ice-cream, but this was changed on request without a flinch). My partner’s lemongrass and ginger cheesecake (£5.50) was prettily presented as a singular portion, somehow managing to be clean and rich at the same time.

Despite our enjoyment of the food and hospitality, doubts remained about the complete experience.

Restaurants are undeniably tertiary to casinos, with gaming and drinking taking priority. However, in Vegas, many are destinations within their own right – several with Michelin recognition. The most successful examples, such as Guy Savoy at Caesar’s Palace, exist in their own opulent bubbles, determinedly removed from the gloomy beat of the gaming floor.

This is something that Linen could emulate, if not quite match. And without the same dependence on synthetic gimmicks, as it has something Vegas doesn’t – a visible history. We’d been thoughtfully seated by a window and, drawing back the netted drape, looked through the dusty panes down on to Great Northern Square and surrounding buildings of varying ages.

Celebrating these warehouse windows - and creating a more genuinely refined experience from start to finish - might give Linen the setting that its food and service deserve.