Fahrenheit At Gentings Casino Reviewed – Luck Be A Ginger Tonight

So we’re going gambling and dining – the Gay (Sam), Ginger (Chris) and I (Chadders) dressed to the nines for a bit of a James Bond styley (sort of) night out.

“The restaurant is set back from the main gambling tables and frankly, you wouldn’t actually know you were in a casino.”

Having left house keys, car keys and anything else we might have been tempted to put on a roulette wheel at home (the Gay’s shirt is normally off anyway about 3am in G.A.Y) we went into the night to enjoy the newly refurbished casino.

Fahrenheit is so called because it has a Josper oven which allows it to cook with charcoal giving a smoky BBQ flavour and a great heat, we even got to see it and meet head chef Rebecca Richardson and her team.

Gentings have obviously poured a lot of money into this venue. In the last few months they have moved and re-built the restaurant, cocktail bar, private function room and a VIP room. The aim is obviously to make this as much about a good night out as it is about gaming.

The restaurant is set back from the main gambling tables and frankly, you wouldn’t actually know you were in a casino. There are 68 covers made up from comfy booths and chic tables, all with white linen and glittering cutlery and glass.

We were looked after by Stephanie, a lovely lady who knows her restaurant inside out and who recommended flat breads and olives to whet our appetite, made on the premises in the famous oven. They were melt-in-the-mouth gorgeous.

Ginger by this time had acquired some sort of toothpick (actually from the olives) he was swizzling in his mouth to get into the casino vibe and looked a bit anxious.

The a la carte menu is ambitious and extensive, bistro style with a hint of Asian inspiration and a lot of emphasis on the grill dishes from the Josper. It is also incredibly reasonable with starters from £4 and mains from £9. If you have a loyalty card, you can also pick up points to use at the tables.

I started with Duck Confit and Champagne Parfait as I’m partial to a bit of pate and this was a delicate, refreshing parfait, with the champagne jelly trickling deliciously down my throat. The Gay had scallops with chorizo. He adored the scallops but felt the chorizo was a bit tough and over-powering. Ginge had the ‘Genting’ shellfish tasting plate which he enjoyed but had starter envy and wished he’d chosen the scallops.

We washed this down with of course Prosecco for me and the boys switched between beers and wine. Prices again wonderfully reasonable and what’s more the cocktail bar is open until 4am, for those looking for venues in the wee hours.

It was onto mains and time to see what the Josper could deliver and we weren’t disappointed. My steak and triple-cooked chips were delicious and cooked perfectly. The Gay opted for Josper roasted lobster and monkfish loin with a coconut broth, which was a generous portion of both fishes in a simply gorgeous broth – in fact the Asian inspired element of this menu is just superb and when I go again I will be going down the Thai route.

This was borne out by the Ginger’s crispy aromatic duck breast in a red Thai curry sauce, that was utterly divine.

By this time the lovely Leggy had hot-footed from her date and joined the table to help us with the puddings.

My cheese platter was beautifully presented with the cheese at the right ooze factor, Leggy had chocolate praline fondant that she coo-ed over and Ginge had ice-cream, to clear his mind for the gambling.

Then it was onto the tables for a go at Roulette – this is great fun and doesn’t require the concentration of poker or black jack. Needless to say we didn’t win, but we came out just about even and had a lot of fun.

I think this is what Gentings has to offer. There’s great food and service but also you can enjoy a flutter and have a different night out. They have great packages available from dinning and gaming, to learning how to play.

At £14.99 per person for two courses, a glass of bubbles and £5 chip, what do you have to lose? In fact my choices are from that menu.

They are also putting nights on in the function room and you can hire it for everything from hen dos to Xmas parties. But the surprise is, you can also just go there and have a fantastic meal.

On the I Love’o’meter

We would gamble on another date and it has marriage potential.

CONTACT

110-114 Portland Street (top of Oxford Road, just by the tram), Manchester

0161 228 0077

www.gentingcasinos.co.uk