Tiggi's - at the Trafford Centre (All other Restaurants in Greater Manchester in general)

Member Name: cswann

Product:	All other Restaurants in Greater Manchester in general
Date:	02/01/01 (198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great food, lush surroundings, Trafford Centre branch is open longer hours

Disadvantages: Not everyone (me included) is a great fan of the Trafford Centre

There are now several Tiggi's Italian restaurants - the ones I am familiar with are in Bolton, (quite a small place, but can get rather boisterous, you often get noisy birthday celebrations there), and in Blackburn (similar, but with slightly more upmarket décor), and now there's a branch at the Trafford Centre, as well.

The first thing that struck me about the Trafford Centre Tiggi's was how big it is, compared to the Bolton and Blackburn restaurants. It occupies a prime spot on the first floor in the Orient part of the centre, so that if you look out of the windows you even get a decent view - not normally something the Trafford Centre, with its car park / M60 surroundings, can boast. No, if you glance out of the window at Tiggis, you see the impressive classical statues on the rooftops, so it's actually quite easy to imagine that you're somewhere else entirely, maybe even abroad somewhere.

The interior is equally impressive - a large circular dining area, and a separate bar area - with quality, expensive-looking décor, and such things as marble inlaid tables. The style is not so much Italian as Charles MacKintosh - but it's stylish nonetheless.

So, how about the food? It's above-standard Italian - pizzas, pasta, meat and fish dishes. I'd recommend the bruschetta (proper shavings of Parmesan cheese); the garlic bread (flat pizza like, not particularly crispy but delicious, and there's a tomato version too); the pasta with avocado and mushroom is a special favourite, as is the salmon with champagne sauce?
It's in the mid price range. If you stick to pizzas or pastas (there's a very good range of both) you'll probably think it's a very cheap place to dine - less than £10 per head. If you go for a meat dish with the extra vegetables, well, it's not all that cheap - could be £20 a head or so - but you get what you pay for, don't you?
It's not often that I've ha
d a dessert, but I know that their Italian trifle is delicious, and there's a good selection of flavoured ice creams.

In the late evenings the restaurant seems to become a bit of a nightspot, so beware of the dress code (no trainers, no jeans etc).
Otherwise, a very good place for a quiet meal, for family dining, or just a well earned rest from all the hustle and bustle of the Trafford Centre.

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