Review of 'Mr. Thomas's Chop House'

I visited this small pub/restaurant on a Saturday evening with the pub completely packed into the rather narrow, long interior. The restaurant is to the back of this very old establishment (quite a traditional place to visit in Manchester). I made my way to a seat at the very back of the restaurant but was still very much disturbed by the crowd around the bar at the far end (separated from the restaurant by a single podium that bar-goers tended to ignore). I began what was to be a VERY large meal with the “Mr Thomas's Unique Crispy Corned Beef Hash Cake” which came without too much of a delay. It was absolutely heavenly with a very generous helping of corned beef hash (for an appetiser) and a very freshly poached egg perched on top. This was followed by my main course of “Mr Thomas's Homemade Steak & Kidney Pudding” (everything on the menu seems to be labelled in a similar manner, perhaps to remind the reader of exactly where they are, as if they could not remember). This was absolutely fantastic as I have never truly enjoyed a real steamed pudding. This was as heavy as you might imagine and left me, particularly after the large appetiser, stuffed to the gills to the point I could not finish my plate (and, as most people who know me could attest, this is a very strange occurrence indeed). The flavour was full though the pastry was a bit stodgy – but this is what I would have expected. A generous helping of both potato chips and peas were provided along with a jug of gravy. I was not able to even begin to contemplate the “Puddings” menu though delights such as sticky toffee pudding definitely were calling me…I had thrown in the towel. A very traditional menu with average, but courteous, service. The surroundings are quite incredible with a definite old-world pub feel to the place (tile on the walls and ceilings, lots of wood, etc).

I would advise trying to avoid any busy pub times (Friday and Saturday evenings in particular) and bring a big appetite (big wallet is optional as the prices were quite reasonable).

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2006-04-14

Cuisine: American/British

Address: 52 Cross Street, Manchester, England

Location: Manchester (England)

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 161 832 2245

URL: https://tomschophouse.com/