#AD / Slug and Lettuce in Spinningfields

I’ve never been inside a Slug and Lettuce prior to this review. If a restaurant is a huge chain and appears to do American or English food, it tends to slip my mind. I was therefore very grateful when they invited me for a small Cocktail Masterclass as well as some food as this gives me an opportunity to try a place that I had not thought of. Thank you to my dearest blogger friend, Lacey of Laceyfitspo, for inviting me to this. There are a number of branches of Slug and Lettuce in Manchester alone, but this review will focus on the Spinningfields branch. *

Interior of Slug and Lettuce

Slug and Lettuce interior

The inside of the Spinningfields branch is bright and airy with the bar area to the front of the restaurant and tables for dining towards the rear including outside seating facing the canals, perfect on a sunny day! 

Cocktail Masterclass

Cocktails sign

We were greeted with a glass of prosecco to start off with! The cocktail masterclass involves making two cocktails, in our case a classic mojito and a cosmopolitan!  As part of their Original Cocktail School, it is £25 per person including a buffet and a bomb rally. There are 5 cocktails to choose from and 3 bombs. They also do a variation for guys, although not sure why this is marketed as such. Drinks are drinks without gendering them. The difference between the two is that the 5 cocktails you choose from are completely different and you get a Haig Club Clubman instead of a glass of prosecco.

Slug and Lettuce drinks

We were guided by one of the staff on how to make each one.All the ingredients and tools were supplied at the table we were all sat at. The class was fairly instructional with each person having their own glass and prepping each step one after the other. If you are after something less formal, this may not be the class for you. I’ve not made many cocktails, so actually enjoyed this approach as I was better able to remember how to make one. I also had problems working a lighter in order to toast the lime peel needed for the cosmopolitan, thankfully someone did this step for me!

The Food

After the class, we were guided to the restaurant side so we can actually sample the food on offer. Here I will briefly go through everything since there is a lot to cover!

Small plates

The following food items can be found on the small plates section of the menu. These vary in price from £4.29 – £4.79, but you can also choose any 3 for £10 or 5 for £16!

My favourite from these is the BBQ chicken skewers! The chicken is very tender and the mixture of mango, pineapple and BBQ sauce just screams Summer. The batter on any of their small plates are very light so don’t detract from the flavour of the ingredient inside. If you are vegetarian, I recommend the jalapeño slices for their fiery kick. The Virgin Mary Ketchup is excellent also, so getting anything with that is good!  From their allergens document, vegans can only order the tempura vegetables but I suspect you can order other veggie dishes if you skip the garlic mayo/sour cream and ask for the Virgin Mary Ketchup instead.

Sharing boards

Some of the above small plate options can also be found in their sharing boards: veggie, meat and fish. These cost £14.99, £15.99 and £16.99 respectively, check their menu for full details. As part of each board are sliders, which we also got to sample.

These are perfectly proportioned and I like how the buns aren’t brioche! (Anyone else tired of brioche buns?) Proper sesame buns and fresh tasting ingredients!

SIdes

The sides are all good. If you don’t like chips, they also do skinny fries for the same price. The batter on the onion rings is not greasy and quite light. Again with the small plates, all these are vegan if you skip or swap the garlic mayo.

Sweet and Petite

All these desserts are £2.99 and you get at least a two bites/wedges/etc. depending on what you order. They also have an offer where you can order 3 for £7 if you really can’t make your mind up!

My favourite out of these are the cookie crumb profiteroles and the nutty bites and coconut macaroons! The profiteroles have a burst of chocolate inside, so make sure you pop a whole one in your mouth, don’t bite into it! The nutty bites are lovely if you like pistachio as much as I do, and the coconut macaroons are light. The strawberry scone are also a bit hard to eat as ideally you should eat it in one bite, but it was a bit too much of a mouthful for me. Some weren’t keen on the lemon and lime wedges as they found it too tart, I personally enjoyed that level of tartness, so just something to be aware of. Unfortunately, none of the desserts are vegan or gluten-free.

Overall rating and comments

8.5/10, -1 for the genderising of a cocktail masterclass. -0.5 for the difficult to eat strawberry scone bite and for the lack of vegan or gluten free desserts. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Slug and Lettuce and will definitely consider it next time I’m out.

Would visit again?

Yes, I think I would if I happen to be in the area, or catering to a group of varied eaters.

Information

Website: https://www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/spinningfields 
Address: Unit 5, Block A, Irwell Square, Manchester – Spinningfields, M3 3AN

Have you ever eaten at Slug and Lettuce before? Which small plate or dessert appeals to you?

Leave a comment below!

*I was invited by Slug and Lettuce to this event and thus did not have to pay for my cocktail masterclass or my meal.