New Summer cocktails? VIVA checks in at Bill’s Spinningfields. Great isn’t it to be out and about like almost normal and if you’re looking for a fab night out without a too hefty price tag then Bill’s your man.
In fact, the eatery in Manchester’s Spinningfields has launched its new Summer specials and boy are these delicious and great value for money, all in a ‘thank god’ we’re out and also inside kind of way.
Our server said Bill’s is now owned by the Ivy group and you can tell as gone is the shabby chic and hello green velvet, pops of orange, plenty of foliage and a dash of art deco.
It’s vibrant too, with a great buzz and has a day menu with breakfast/brunch until 11.30am, then a range of lunches dishes including yummy looking burgers to healthy bowls and bigger meals such as fish pie or steak and chips, until 5pm. There’s a dinner menu that kicks in after five and a kids’ menu too.
We went just after brunch as Mancs got their hangover cures to test out the new summer cocktails and accompanying new season dishes.
It’s dubbed the ‘Twist & Shout’ menu and has a ‘fab four’ new cocktails including the Bill’s Pink Gin Twist (Beefeater Pink Gin, Fever-Tree Aromatic Tonic & Prosecco), which is one of the favourite cocktails on their menu and was a tangy delight, as was the Twistin’ the Night Away (Beefeater Blood Orange Gin & Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic), designed to be the perfect accompaniment to a summer’s evening. Cocktails start from under £7.
We ticked into tuna tacos, which were fresh, de-constructed and authentic, delicious. And we loved crispy chicken and sesame dumplings which worked so well with Bill’s spicy chutney. These starters (from £3.25) were plentiful, and I can see them working as small plates or going for a sharing platter as an ideal way to wile away a few people-watching hours.
For mains (starting from under a tenner), I opted for the steak and chips from the new summer menu which also includes Coronation Chicken Burger with buttermilk fried chicken, curry mayo and mango chutney, and the vegan-friendly Beet Wellington. The steak was a good and a healthy portion working well with rosemary fries and a side of macaroni cheese that almost stole the show, while a healthy bowl of smashed avo and poached egg with green did what is said on the tins.
Onto pudding (starting from under a fiver) and this was a share of what has now been dubbed the ‘best Brownie ever’, a gooey, chewy wonder.
