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The Dinner Detective: Giraffe

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26/ 1/2007

I'M a terrible shopper. I try, I really do try, to see the carefree joy in a good splurge, especially in a shop which screams those three little words at you: "It's the sale!"

But, after 15 minutes in a queue, or rifling through the seventh rail of stuff that's not my size, I start to twitch, sweat and look for the emergency exit.

It happened again recently in our very own Las Vegas of retail, the Trafford Centre, on the annual post-Christmas schlep for bargains.

But, instead of setting off the fire alarm, I escaped into a new edition to the cathedral of commerce, Giraffe, on the upper level of The Orient.

It is the first time this lively, fun chain of world food restaurants has stuck its long neck out up north after quickly spreading throughout the more salubrious areas of London.

Its vision is global food and world music with an eco and people- friendly slant (no GM foods and no smoking). The Trafford Centre is well served for mid-range chains with the likes of Pizza Express, La Tasca and Tampopo already here but there is room for Giraffe to graze alongside these big beasts at the not-so-fast food watering hole.

Bright, cheerful decor with no-nonsense but comfortable Ikea-like seating and slogans on the walls that Bono would be proud of: "Love eat live forever" and "a fresh view of the world" hammer home the green (orange) brand but the ethnic (Cuban, Latin, African) music kind of brought it neatly together.

The menu is enormous, with brunches, salads, "global burgers" as well as full meals. It was a good thing the waiter first served up a selection of crayons and paper for our kids while we tried to take it all in.

I was pleased to see a Brooklyn New York lager (£3.25) on the drinks list because this great malty, dark brew is rarely seen outside bars but, following a definite restaurant trend, the beer selection is rather light, being outweighed by smoothies, soft drinks and cocktails.

Some "pan-Asian" places fall into that "Jack of all trades, master of none" category and Giraffe's world food has even more ground to cover. But our starter, a family-sized large Mezze Plate with warm naan (£11.95), boosted my confidence that their friendly brand of globalisation has got it right.

A deceivingly modest selection included lamb skewer, charmoula chicken skewer, grilled oregano halloumi and harissa, with other dips of hummus and tzatziki, a dollop of tabouleh and a couple of falafel.

You couldn't fault it, with the North African harissa deserving of a special mention - deliciously fiery without being overpowering.

They do a Market Fish of the Day and served up a Sea Bream in a cucumber and lime salsa with mash (£13.50) while opposite sat turkey enchiladas. It wouldn't have been my choice in the post-Christmas come-down but was different and loaded with black beans, chorizo sausage, sour cream and the like.

The tangy salsa set off the bream well and it was washed down by a pleasant pinot grigio which my jaunty waiter Ruan (appropriately South African) merrily told me off for pouring. "Calm down!" he ordered. "You're here to relax - that's my job!"

The children had a good value meal with dessert and a drink (£5.50 each) but the eclectic and original main menu wasn't really reflected in their choices. One small thing to work on.

Desserts are also fairly run-of the mill but my crushed Swiss mountain chocolate cheesecake (£4.75) was pretty good - not too cloying or sweet.

Our safari for four to Giraffe cost £86.85, including 10 per cent service charge. The bargain of the day.

Giraffe

 

136 The Orient, Trafford Centre,

Manchester M17 8EQ

Tel: 0161 747 2100

Website: www.giraffe.net

 

STARTERS: cheapest: Hummus with naan and vegetables, £3.95

Most expensive: Large Mezze Plate with naan, £11.95

MAINS: Cheapest: Udon Noodle and Veggie Stir Fry, £6.95

Most expensive: Sea Bream £13.95

DESSERTS: Cheapest: Ice Cream tub: £2.25; Most expensive: Apple-Berry Crumble with ice cream (£4.95)

 

Open: Mon-Sat, 9am-midnight; Sunday, 9am-11pm

 

Unlike restaurant reviews in some newspapers, the Dinner Detective eats out incognito and always pays for his meal. That way, the Dinner Detective gets the same treatment as the readers, giving an honest review of the service you might receive.