http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18571
Holder of the world record for biggest Irish session held in a pub.

Session every Wednesday, live Irish music every Saturday and Sunday. Friendly staff, cosy atmosphere.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18571 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18547 www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/apr/09/manchester.musicbars). It's home to Acousticfest - Manchester's premier acoustic showcase, which has been running for about three years and has hosted acts from as far away as Australia in its monthly acoustic festivals.
Highlights have included live sessions from Tom Hingley of Inspiral Carpets fame, Mike McGoldrick (BBC Instrumentalist of the Year), Eleanor McEvoy (from Ireland's best selling folk album - Woman's Heart).

Watch out for its A-A Festival from April to August featuring more than 80 acts including an Alternative Glastonbury weekend in June and Dylan Festival in August.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18547 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18407 From clothes, accessories, sportswear, gaming, homeware, beauty and more - you are certain to come home with a car full of shopping bags.

There are also lots of great restaurants, bars and cafes to suit everyone's tastebuds after you've worked up an appetite from all that shopping - from Indian and Spanish cuisine restaurants to cosy coffee bars - you're bound to fine somewhere to satifsy the whole family.

As well as shops, bars and restaurants, the Trafford Centre is also the venue of many events such as fashion shows, dances and other competitions- it's also appeared on Channel 4's '10 Years Younger'.
So if you're looking for somewhere to shop, shop, shop - and then relax, the Trafford Centre could be right up your street!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18407 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18029 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18029 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17814 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17814 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17716
It was fairly quiet when we arrived and we were allocated (in my view) the best table which presented a 360 degree view of the wintry Manchester skyline, rotating big wheel and all. The decor was formal yet cosy, sophisticated but not intimidating - the dark solid wooden tables and chairs contrasting nicely with the floor-to-ceiling frosted windows, with a nice clear panel you could see out of to admire the view, thank you very much.

Being a huge soup fan, particularly in the winter months (and there's nothing I enjoy more than knocking my own up at home) for starter I opted for the Jerusalem artichoke and rosemary soup with chanterelles. It was delicious, smooth, creamy, satisfying and tasted surprisingly healthy too (although I'm sure it wasn't). My friend forwent the starter and straight on to the main course. Pollock, smoked haddock and Loch Duart salmon fish pie, with wilted spinach and of course a side order of fat chips. A suprisingly generous portion, (she struggled to finish) the pie was dominated to her delight by the salmon (all that omega 3) which was perfectly pink and a wonderful texture. I opted for grilled Goosnargh maize-fed chicken,
braised leeks and Cheshire smoked bacon & a grain mustard sauce.

The chicken was tender with a crunchy jacket, complemented wonderfully by the bacon and the mustard sauce gave it a bit of added va va voom. Resisted desert (but of course tried 'just a taste') of my friend's caramelised quince tart and vanilla ice cream, which outshone event the artichoke soup. A beautiful combination of sweet and sour, the caramel gave it an added twist that was very moreish. The ice cream tasted home-made - which I didn't expect - and had a creamy, custardy texture, which was perfect.

With two diet cokes each to wash it down (it was a 'working' lunch after all) it came to just over £30, astoundingly reasonable for something quite so thoroughly posh. Marks out of 10 - 8.9 and with the starter and desert both scoring a winning 9.9.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17716 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16810 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16810 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13272
Decked out in leather sofas and dark wood tables it could fall into the trap of being yet another Bar 38 or Pitcher & Piano but it's all saved by well cooked food and service that just falls neatly into place.

Get in there and pretend you're in St Anne's Square. It's just as far, as owld Will Mossop would no doubt pipe up.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13272 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12956 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12956 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12412
The parks are very enjoyable when hungover the morning after, before a bacon sandwich in one of the many coffee shops.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12412 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12198
But the eclectic music has a strange way of always making you dance. Beatles followed by some ska followed by elvis then some country, doesn't work you say? It does in Mojo.

PS - Make sure you check the map before you go here, as it's tucked down a dodgy looking backstreet!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12198 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12197
You can just go in for a drink downstairs, try the cocktails - they’re lovely.

You can go early doors (5-7pm) and get a pizza for £6 and a bottle of wine for £10, bargain!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12197 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10322 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10322 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8968 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8968 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8953 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8953 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8952 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8952 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8938
The age range here is much lower than the national average, having said that there are plenty of more "mature" people coming here for the excellent restaurants.

Best place to start is with a laid back coffee or glass of wine (perhaps light lunch) at the Assembly. Sit outside on the veranda if you can. It's great for people watching. If you are there in the evening, perhaps try the Lime Tree next door(also has a veranda) which is one of the most sought after restaurants in the city and then I recommed trying the One Lounge bar on the corner of Lapwing lane and Burton road or M20 cocktail bar not far from there down Burton Road. Also the magnificent Metropolitan Pub/Restaurant (opposite). It's one of the most famous pubs in Manchester.

From West Didsbury you can either walk or drive about a mile to Didsbury village. Or take the 23 bus. Didsbury main high street which is also known as Didsbury village (though villagey it is not!) is the more traditional but still very fashionable part of the area. It's much larger than West Didsbury with even more restaurants and shops than West Didsbury, but perhaps more of a traditional family environment with slightly older crowds than West Didsbury. There is still a younger crowd in the evenings and weekends, especially on sunny days, with pretty much all the bars and restaurants having outside seating. I would recommend eating at Felicini Italian restaurant. It's one of the best known in the city. You probably need to book ahead though (as you do for the Lime Tree in West Didsbury).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8938 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8926
After that, you could go further up Tib Street and drink in Centro and then have another pint in the Copper Kettle, a pub whose restoration ran out of money - look at the ceiling on one side of the pub, and then the other. One side was restored, the other remains as it was when the building was almost derelict. However, if you choose to hit Great Ancoats Street at this stage, all there is from there is street and no canal. Instead, after Yadgar, I suggest you go back towards Piccadilly and locate the Mother Mac pub, on a side street off Oldham Street. This, I imagine, will remain like something out of Victorian times even long into another era in which Manchester aspires to make its eastern central section resemble a damper, rainier New York.

From Mother Mac's, you could stock up on samosas at Marhaba, one of the other remaining low-price curry houses in the city centre, or maybe buy some bread and head towards the canal - there's an entrance on to the towpath on Ducie Street, which is the road bearing left as you reach the ramp leading towards Piccadilly Station. Once on the canal, the geese are very 'people-friendly' - in other words, mind your fingers.

Continuing up the canal, you'll reach steps at Great Ancoats Street. Following crowds towards the ground, my final stop is the Bank Of England pub. It's not just a no-frills pub - it's a no-stitching-at-all pub. The toilets are signposted by a male and female pointing figure silhouette shapes, but the male silhouette says 'women' on it and the female one 'male' - everyone turns the wrong direction the first time, like one of those psychological tests where they write 'blue' on a red-coloured board. Once you've survived this delightful obstacle course, remember, you've still got a football match to watch, and the return leg into town afterwards to negotiate. As is often said of Manchester City, it's the 90 minutes in the middle that ruins the experience.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8926