Simple combines a cosy restaurant and bar to create a space that’s perfect for hanging out with your mates. With its friendly staff and good quality, reasonably-priced food, it’s long been a Northern Quarter favourite.

The Venue
You’ll find Simple next to the Beatin Rhythm record shop on Tib Street. It sits upon a row of shops and units on a slightly elevated gangway, which means it's slightly obscured from the main road. Lots of neighbouring businesses have come and gone over the years, but Simple remains a popular and busy hangout. A smattering of tables and chairs sit outside on the metal walkway and, in the evening, the bar’s lights shine brightly through the large glass front windows. Inside there’s lots of dark mahogany furnishings, with a mix of high tables and stools, slick booths and comfy leather sofas. Jeweled chandeliers dangle from the ceiling and grand mirrors hang on the walls alongside funky floral wallpaper. It’s slick and modern in style without being pretentious and is split nicely into two informal sections – a snug restaurant area and a laid back bar, where you can relax with a few drinks and have a bite to eat.

The People
Simple is popular with the after work crowd and you’ll regularly find folk from nearby offices and retailers from Afflecks Palace heading over for drinks after 5pm. It also gets pretty busy at the weekends when they have DJs on after 9pm. It’s quite dimly lit giving the space an intimate feel, and a little more light wouldn’t go amiss in the restaurant area. But the place really does have a great buzz about it and the staff are super-friendly which adds to the warm vibe.

The Food
If you like comfort food in nice big portions, you won’t be disappointed. Think good, hearty American-style grub, and plenty of it.

To kick things off you can choose from dishes like chicken wings and soup of the day. The burger starter is a great idea – three well-seasoned miniature burgers arrive with various toppings and you get a couple of real hand cut chips on the side as well. This is great value at £4.95. And the crab cakes are decent, too – their slightly gooey consistency is delicately spiced and they are great with the sweet dipping sauce.

For mains there’s a range of sandwiches, burgers and salads. More substantial meals include corned beef hash and good old macaroni and cheese (£6.95). The thyme and pepper pork chop is particularly good. It combines succulent meat and crispy crackling with gravy and creamy mash (£8.95). However, it does come with coleslaw, which seems a strange accompaniment and doesn’t really go with the rest of the dish. A few greens would be much more preferable. Make sure you look out for the specials board if you fancy something a bit different. In particular, the wild mushroom and walnut tagliatelle with crème fraiche is light and extremely tasty (£7.95).

For desserts you can gorge on pancakes, waffles and sundae ice creams. But the true star of the menu is the cheesecake. Velvety in texture and rich and creamy in taste, it melts in the mouth and has to be one of the finest cheesecakes in Manchester. However, if you can’t make your mind up, why not go for the trio of puddings. This contains warm chocolate brownie, gorgeous cheesecake and light waffle with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream - great value at £7.50 and perfect for sharing.

The Drink
You can choose from Becks Vier, Staropramen, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Guinness and Gaymers Cider on draught. Prices start around the £3.50 mark for a pint. Various bottles of beer and cider are on offer, ranging from Brahma to Koppaberg Pear, and it’s worth checking out the wine list – the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand might be on the pricey side at £6.25 a glass and £17.95 a bottle, but it’s of premium quality and bursts with ripe, tropical fruit. Cocktails are popular and start at £5.95, their mint julep is a nice twist on a mojito as it uses bourbon instead of rum or cachaca.

Hot drinks come in the shape of posh coffees and organic teas, and there’s fruit juices and ginger ale for those in need of a refreshing soft drink. If you fancy a cheap tipple head down to Simple during happy hour - 5pm-8pm, Monday to Friday. You and your mates can share a bottle of house wine for £6.95 or get two for the price of one on certain cocktails.

The Last Word
Simple, a bar that’s been around longer than most of its Northern Quarter neighbours, remains a great little independent with a buzzing atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

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