Manchester’s Mad Men-inspired bar The Pen and Pencil has a new evening menu, and last week I went along to check it out. I’ve never actually been before, but I’ve heard a lot about this place and as soon as I walked in I could see why it has become so popular. It has a great laid-back vibe and cool industrial Manhattan decor with bare brick walls and exposed metalwork. We got a great seat on a long low table with comfy wide cushioned benches, but there are also nice bright window seats and cozy booths. And the creative advertising agency theme (inspired by Mad Men) can be seen with the retro adverts on the walls, and it works really well with its location in the Northern Quarter.
It’s a bar with a great cocktail menu, so I made sure I got to try one as soon as I arrived and I went for The Long Pink Stick which was pretty and pink (as the name would suggest). Made with gin, elderflower cordial, raspberry syrup, and Fentimans Rose Lemonade, it was extremely refreshing on a hot day.
I’ve checked out the daytime menu a few times because I work in the area, and it sounds pretty exciting. It is New York themed and covers off both brunch, with steak and eggs; avocados and pancakes; and lunch, with burgers and sandwiches. However I’d gone along to try out the new Supper menu (served after 5pm), which has small plates to share like tapas or large plates. There were around 12 options for each plate size, and even though that’s not too much choice I did still have a dilemma over what to go for. The NYC-inspired menu includes some classics – burgers; the “Buns of Anarchy” sliders (with a choice of fillings);steak and ribs, plus some quirkier options – Seafood Ceviche; Harissa Aubergine and Lobster Bisque.
In the end I went for a classic – New York Strip Steak. It came chargrilled to my liking and served with amazing skin-on-fries, a portobello mushroom and cherry tomatoes. I had a choice of sauces and went for peppercorn, which was delicious and creamy, and I was grateful to receive a generous portion so that I could dunk my fries in it. I thought this was a great steak dish – very tasty and quite reasonable at £13.50.
And Craig also went for a classic – the half rack of sticky ribs. As you can see, this was quite massive, and I thought for £7.50 this was excellent value. You’d hardly need a full rack! Again there was a choice of sauces (he went for BBQ Cola) and it was served with skin-on-fries and fresh apple mustard slaw. His verdict? The meat was soft and tender, literally falling of the bone; the sauce was tasty; and special mention goes to the amazing slaw!
Overall I think this is a great venue for after-work drinks and food, and I would definitely like to come along to try their brunch as well. I can see why it has become popular and I hear it gets very busy at the weekend, but I preferred it nice and quiet as it was during our visit. I also think they should seriously consider putting together a dessert menu, because I would definitely have been up for that!
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