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Friday, 28th June 2002

M.E.N. Review: Man-Zen Oriental Restaurant

WHATS in a name? Well, a very great deal judging from the way companies have thrown cartloads of cash at rebranding exercises. One2One is now T-Mobile, British Steel changed to Corus and so on.

Some re-brands then spend another shedful on reversing the process. British Airways painted its fleet's tailfins in meaningless patterns and painted them all out again and Consignia is being consigned to the waste basket by the Post Office.

Perhaps craziest of all, the accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCooper paid consultants £75m to come up with a new name: Monday. I know PriceWaterhouseCooper Consulting hardly rolls of the tongue, but Monday? Don't they know people don't like Mondays?

And to think these people are supposed to be in the business of advising other firms how not to spend their money.

Which brings me to Evergreen. Evergreen is supposed to last forever. It didn't. Maybe Westlife and Pop Idol Will Young have something to do with the leaves dropping off. At any rate, Evergreen, the long-established Chinese Restaurant in Hale's main street is no more.

Enter Man-Zen Oriental Restaurant to take its place. No, I don't know what it means, either - could be Evergreen for all I know - but since what really matters in the restaurant game is location, location, location, the change of monicker, together with the venue's change of ownership, probably counts for a lot less than a change of address would have.

And in the main street of this village of many restaurants and serial diners-out, Man-Zen truly has location in triplicate. The place is large, as before, but the décor has become more hip; stylish black, gold and garnet red with artwork suggestive of, rather than beholden to, the Far East. Very tasteful, very chic.

The initial thought that the change would also usher in more of a pan-Asian menu, however, is not really carried through despite its considerable length. The fare is still firmly rooted in China - Cantonese, Pekingese and Szechuan dishes are all reasonably well represented - but the odd interloper creeps in here and there (Tom Yam Gai soup, char-grilled satay, Thai fishcakes and Thai crispy chicken making token appearances). There is, however, a wide array of fish and seafood choices and vegetarians are very well catered for with 32 items across the range of dim sum, starters, soups and main courses.

We started with soft shell crab with chilli and garlic (£4.50) and steak rolls stuffed with garlic and coriander in black pepper sauce (£5.50). And if you think that's a lot of chilli, garlic and sundry other fiery spices, you're right.

And we didn't flinch at similar robust flavours with the mains either. Never let it be said that Chinese food has to be bland. The soft shell crabs were delicious, crispy (well you wouldn't want them too crunchy now, would you?) and their fine flavour did not submit to the chilli and garlic's keen, clean bite. The steak rolls were good, too - also slightly crisped outside, then succulent in their rich peppery sauce.

For the main courses we explored part of the comprehensive fish and seafood choice which includes lobster, sea bass, Dover sole, monkfish, scallops, king prawns and cod. We shared (one of the great bonuses of Oriental eating is that you don't have to swap plates) wok-fried halibut steak with spicy Szechuan sauce (£9.90) and fresh squid with chilli and garlic (£6.80) with a serving of soft noodles with bean sprouts and spring onion (£3.20).

The plentiful squid came fried in a light batter and was dryish - benefitting, in fact, from the rich and subtly peppery Szechuan sauce that accompanied the halibut. This came as a steak that fell into thick, meaty chunks, though one had to beware of the odd bone. Filleting fish with chopsticks is a highly practised art.

The wine list is an up-to-date trawl through the popular spots of both old and new worlds; house selections are Spanish and Australian, £9.50 the bottle, £2.50 the glass and a Tiger Beer is £2.50. We had a fresh fruity Aussie chardonnay for around £12.

Cooking : Pan-Chinese rather than pan-Asian with exceptional fish and vegetarian choice.

Style : Modern with touches of gilded grandeur.

Plus : Appealing wine list.

Minus : They're too eager to pour it.

Value : Par for the course at this level; we paid a shade above £50 including drinks and a 10 per cent tip.

Man-Zen Oriental Restaurant is at 169 Ashley Road, Hale, Altrincham (0161 928 1222). Open Mon-Sat 5.30pm-11.30pm; Sun noon-10pm; Sun buffet noon-5pm. Designated no smoking area.

Reviews posted on onionring.co.uk

Zena, Stockport (19/11/2010) says....

I have never bothered to put a review before but Manzen is worth it. I have been so many times and never been disappointed the staff are so lovely and friendly the food is amazing the atmosphere is lovely everything about it is 100% always try to book if you can its always so busy that speaks for itself but I have been without and they always try there best to fit you in see you tomorrow night.

We have visited the Hale Man Zen regularly on Friday evenings and thoroughly enjoy the early bird menu. The service is fast and responsive, the staff delightful and attentive and the food is excellent. We particularly love the salt and pepper chicken wings, Singapore noodles and sweet and sour chicken, which is done in a lovely light batter - so light you don't think it's there. Very family friendly and we'd recommend it to anyone looking for quality Chinese food with food service and a lovely atmosphere. They even have children's chopsticks!

I went to this restaurant for my mothered birthday meal. delicious food, beautiful decor. Would definitely return here.

Brilliant restaurant, i loved the experience

The restaurant is fantastic, I enjoyed the experience very much and cannot wait to return this weekend with my friends. I have always enjoyed the 'Man Zen' experience, I visit it once a week at least and will most definately be going tonight for my 73rd birthday.

Sophie kaitcer (13/05/2009) says....

We go to Man Zen quite often. The restaurant is beautiful. The food is delicious. The staff are very kind and friendly. Can't go wrong with Man Zen, Brilliant!!!!

What a great place - read the good reviews and decided to try. Really great food, we had the banquet..too much food. mixed starters were gorgeous. Would recommend to all!

Absolutely superb restaurant. The speed of service is very quick, the food is delicious and the waiters are polite and friendly.
The steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onion is the best I have tasted anywhere in the world.
You have to go to this restaurant.

This restaurant is fabulous. I strongly recommend going. The menu is huge and the variety of choices are endless. They are a little expensive though. The waiter service is excellent, and the speed is fantastic. Our starters came in less than 5 minutes, and so did our main meals! I recommend this restaurant to anyone, especially on a saturday night. The atmosphere is great.

Certainly as good as any restaurant in Hale. Food and service are always spot on. They did however bring my wife the wrong main out, but within a few minutes a new, fresh dish came out and the manager came to check we were ok. Mistakes do happen and they dealt with it well. Very good overall and not too expensive.

Not been since the refurb - looks great and is still really good - but as good as Dee Thai? I'm not sure!

Having read a few good reviews on this site and having been past a number of times we finally gave it a go last night. The food was execellent and we didn't have to wait long at all for drinks and the food to arrive. Maybe the waitress could have smiled a bit more but it was probably the end of a long day! Really good overall, would certainly recommend.

Best Chinese food about. Not cheap but really good! Service can be a bit frantic on a weekend night when they are very busy but overall great!

Looked good on the site so thought i'd have a trip out. Lively and busy but excellent service. Banquet was good value for amount of food and quality. Would recommend.

Quality food - sizzling fillet beef is amazing. Busy lively restaurant with good atmosphere.

Well, I have been to Man Zen on quite a few occasions now, and I have to say the food has always been execptional. The waiters, although not overly friendly, are courteous and very prompt. At least you could never consider the staff intrusive!! The service is always incredibly quick, but as my husband as a rule likes to eat and leave (!) that suits us just fine, for some though who wish to linger it may not be ideal. In saying that, on our last visit, we were asked if we would like a gap between courses.
Wine list is very good, and if you just fancy a glass the house wine is pleasant enough, though I must admit I do prefer it when you have a choice of glass or bottle for at least some of the wine list.
Food; is always lovely, though admittedly it is easy to order the same thing time in time out as you know it is so tasty! I can recommend king prawns in the shell with chilli and garlic and the steak rolls are also wonderful!! The seafood menu is also extensive and does not stop at prawns! Lobster, crab, halibut, scallops to name a few of the seafood choices. Varied menu, not overly expensive, but you get what you pay for. Enjoy.

One of the best Chinese meals we have had. The banquet was hugh and every dish was really nice. The service and pace of the banquet was spot on, nice friendly waitress. Not cheap but you pay for quality.

it was a good experience, the duck was amazing and so was the steamed fish, the duck and chicken is halal probably one of the best in manchester.

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