As a fellow baker, I am always very critical. Not much to…read morecriticise here! From the moment we walked in and saw the fabulous photography on the wall to the minute we left with £15 worth of cakes I was a happy bunny. The lady who served us (a character all by herself!) was very helpful and packaged our cakes nicely so we got them (all) home in one piece. We over indulged in the white ganache tarts, caramel death by chocolate, a selection of chunky chocolate topped chocolate muffins, and a shortbread heart amongst some others. For my particular taste the ganache was slightly too runny, but i had a spoon so it was all good. The chunky chocolate topped muffins were varied from chunks of toblerone, crunchies, white choc etc. and were very tasty and moist, like proper chocolate cake should be, The shortbread was super - perfectly baked with a good amount of jam sandwiched in the middle. There wasn't much bread left on sale but it was about 3pm so we decided to go to the Barbakan.....

At 8am on the drizzliest most depressing of Manchester mornings this place never failed to put a…read moresmile on my face. I started off going in here to buy some breakfast when I'd overslept or when my bread was mouldy. I would always get a deliciously fresh croissant. They are freshly baked every morning on the premises and only cost 50p each - cheaper than a slightly crisp round the edges Tesco equivalent. If you buy a coffee then a croissant comes for free (before 11am I think). This is not a pretentious deli. It's certainly no Barbakan. It can't really afford to be in the location it is in (among takeaways and next to Aldi and Iceland). However, it does do very tasty sandwiches which are very popular with the office workers from nearby British Gas. The management are absolutely fantastic. The guy is always ueber-cheerful even if it is drizzly, depressing and 8am, and the woman (his wife?) is also friendly. They often gave my housemate a free pot of soup with his sandwich at lunchtime and seem to genuinely enjoy everything about this business, which rubs off on the customers. The only negative point is that they don't open until 8am, which meant I could only go there if I was already late for work!

I came, I saw, I conquered that banoffee cheesecake. I tell you, the sheer volume of treats they…read morehave here... Take a closer look at Deli on the Grove and you'll come face to face with a hybrid, a beautiful and dangerous one, kind of like the creature in that scary movie Splice. Only... less frightening. When I encountered this place for my second visit one rainy, grey weekday lunchtime following the depressiveness that is the nearby SafeStore (seriously, drag!) I witnessed a first. A Deli lunchtime. Yep, the queue was snaking, *snaking* out of the door. Those sarnies sure are popular! And no wonder when I heard orders being taken - everyone was making up their 'wich bespoke, choosing the bread and the ingredients. When my turn came I was served by the loveliest and friendliest of young girls, and amongst all the available sweeties (Vienna almond cake, take note Andreas R, New York cheesecake, pastries, puffs, tarts and sponges as far as the eye can see) the banoffee wonder stood out for me. I had to partake. So it was wrapped expertly, gooey mess that it was (I'd have screwed that up for sure), and served up alongside my kick-ass awake-til-4am black coffee. I happily whiled away half an hour picking away at my cheesecake and reading OK. Guilty. But what a lovely half an hour - my noggin was truly rested afterwards. Anyway, clearly you want to know about the cheesecake. Disclaimer: ELH's pet hate is refrigerator cheesecake masquerading as real cheesecake. Anyone can mix Philadelphia with icing sugar and throw it on top of some crushed Digestives. Baked, please. This didn't disappoint. Banana check? Ripe and flavourful. Toffee sauce check? Rich and ridiculous. This cheesecake was epic, and I continued to pick away at it on the 84 bus (which stops right opposite), despite my lack of cutlery and the fact that I never eat on buses. That's how good it was. SafeStore boredom begone - any excuse to nip to Deli afterwards and grab a delicious salad pot, a bespoke butty or a naughty cake. And have I mentioned how awesome their coffee is?

Seeing as though they've won some award given out by the observer I thought it rude not to check…read morethis place out. The place is beautifully decorated and they showcase their cakes in rows behind glass cases. It all feels very French, pretty and clean in there. The gentleman serving me was so friendly and he wasn't in a rush to serve me and send me on my way. I chose a cake which had layers of puff pastry and vanilla cream. It was placed in a fancy box and I was on my way. I had my 1 year old with me so by the time I got home the cake looked a little worse for ware. However it didn't detract from the taste, the pastry was rich and buttery but the cream was just sweet enough and light to make it work. I can't wait to try the chocolate salted caramel one next time.

This place is complete heaven. Not only is every person who works there attractive and exuding…read more style (even in an apron!), but they're actually French so you really feel like you're stepping into a little piece of France-- until you look out the window and see rainy manchester. So just don't look. Instead feast your eyes on the numerous offerings on display. Macaroons of multiple flavors? Yes, please. The salted caramel, and the pistachio are my favorites. They have little croissant balls that they sell in packs of 10. Numerous kinds of cakes. The staff is really friendly. Last time I was there the baker even gave me a free macaroon--just to let me sample a new flavor he was testing out. If I could bottle the smell of this bakery and wear it, I'd be tempted. The only thing I wish is that they had seating, but it does make me feel better about ordering mass quantities of desserts since I can go eat them in secret. I see what they were doing there.... very tricky, Bisou Bisou.

Absolute horrible service please my vegan vegetarian and religious brothers sisters & friends…read moreplease avoid they vegan and vegetarian but they don't have any concept or precisely they know people sentiments So went for breakfast with my partner for special occasion and ordered vegan breakfast with vegan sausage instead gave us meat pork sausage on asking they said they don't do vegan sausage....we have to send all breakfast back and had to leave but ride and Racist manager made us pay full price we didn't want to spoil our day we paid and left but in future all other customers be aware....

Best cafe & bakery in Levenshulme. All of the bread, croissants etc are amazing, the crube is…read moresomething you need to get as well. Eating in is just as good with all the brunch options that are available, well worth it.

When it comes to drinks, I have tried only mocha, and it was just delicious!Rich and saturated…read moretextures. The shop also features loads of appetising cakes, candies and pastries. Generally I don't like chocolate cakes, but the one from Pattesserie Valerie made me change my mind! If you don't want feel guilty for indulging in chunky mouthwatering cakes, you can choose from small candies (also mouthwatering) for just 60p. Coffee prices are comparable with high-street shops, such as Starbucks. What I found strange is that some cakes don't feature prices.

A friend who lives near Oxford Road recently told me about a new Patisserie Valerie and I felt it…read moremy duty to test it out with her yesterday afternoon. Am a big fan of Pat Val since I first sampled its' delights about 11-12 years ago when it opened 2 doors from my then work in Kensington. When I first moved up north I was gutted there was no Patisserie Valerie in Manchester so was very happy when the big one opened on St Anns Square a few years ago. This is new branch is a very small shop and we were lucky to get a seat. It does the same cakes as the main shop but not as many. We went for a chocolate mousse to share and it was very nice. Quite rich and would not have had a full slice after eating a large lunch. We had a hot chocolate and this is the reason I've marked it down from 5* as it wasn't the same hot chocolate as I usually get in the larger store. It was very nice hot choc with cream but the one in the other shop is richer and thicker and to be honest, was a little disappointed not to have that here. Overall though it is a good addition to the Pat Val family.

One of the reasons why I gained so much weight is because of the sweets, and carbs! Yes, it's true,…read moreI have to admit. I'm a carbaholic! Places like Ho's Bakery doesn't help because they have fabulous Asian pastries. My friend Marvin brought me here, and we bought major carbs for our trip back to the U.S. Small bakery shop, old fashion, but best egg custard in Manchester,

Roll up to Ho's Bakery in Chinatown for good quality Chinese buns to take out. There's another one…read morein Manchester and one in Leeds - is Ho soon to take the country by storm? Maybe. One bun at a time. This little bakery tucked into an old arched building has nothing but freshly baked goodies (a few savoury snacks too like pasties) and for that we love them. I've never tried the bubble tea myself but friends have raved about it - they have all different flavours so it is definitely on my to do list. But I can tell you that their cakes with cream, fresh fruit, things like that are so so delicious. The prices, whilst steeper than a donut in Greggs, are still pretty good for what you are getting so don't let this put you off.

I Love Cheesecake!…read more I have indulged in the pleasure of eating many cheesecakes from a variety of vendors, and I can say, hand on heart that, the Manchester Cheesecake Company produces the best cheesecakes! I had the pleasure of trying a (mini) cheesecake from here when he had a stall at the University of Manchester market, which occurred every Tuesday during the Semester. Although, the Manchester Cheesecake Company, was only there fortnightly, Pietro, the man behind the company, quickly became a favourite vendor for the whole of my office. The first cheesecake I tried was the hazelnut chocolate one, mainly because I love any hazelnut and chocolate combo! It was a nice creamy rich chocolate with a Ferrero Rocher on top. How amazing does that sound! Although, it was a little sweet for me, it was still delicious! The next time the cheesecake man came to visit, I thought I would go for a plain cheesecake with a fruity topping, and these cheesecakes were even better! Amazing! I bought the blueberry cheesecake, which contained blueberry within the cheesecake itself! I think this is my favourite! The cheesecake is relatively standard, but the taste is unbelievable! The other cheesecake I sampled (because I bought it for my girlfriend, of course!), was the strawberry cheesecake. This had a nice strawberry mousse in the middle with half a strawberry resting on top. Here is a tip: Let the cheesecake sit in the fridge for a day (if you can!) to let the mousse settle, and then it would be absolutely delicious! The market is no longer on, but my office now has cheesecake delivered every two weeks. Yes the company delivers! The Manchester Cheesecake Company also frequents Levenshulme Market and Moss Side Market. Check out their Facebook and Twitter for more details! If you don't believe how good the cheesecake is, then try it for yourselves. Next time, I will sample the lemon cheesecake and rumour has it, Pietro even does a cookie dough cheesecake! Whatever I try next, I know, it will be immense! Find this blog on mcrphil.blogspot.co.uk

I recently ordered a large raspberry cheesecake for my sister's birthday and it was AWESOME! I…read morehighly recommend this cheesecake company. I called on Wednesday and asked if they could prepare a cake for that Friday and they were very nice about it. All I had to do was email the details of what I wanted to their main email and they sent me a confirmation. One of the best parts is that they actually delivered the cake to my house! I'm a student and I don't have a car so this was a huge help! When the cheesecake arrived it looked gorgeous with raspberry swirls and fresh raspberries on top. Everyone loved the cake and it tasted delightful! I would definitely order another cake from them in the future. It also was great that their prices are extremely affordable. So many cake shops in Manchester charge 30+ pounds for a cake and this cake was only 18 pounds. A very reasonable price for the quality. Order from here, you will not regret it!

When it comes to bread I've eaten freshly baked for over 10 years now. Bleached, blanched, stripped…read moreof nutrients, preservative laced, salted supermarket loaves designed to preserve shelf life went out the window for me a long time ago. Growing up in a home where fresh naan bread was often made, I used to watch in awe as the folks made dough balls from fresh wheat flour, yeast and other fresh ingrediants. Nothing else competed with the fresh off the pan flavour and I often ate them on their own, so good was the taste. The tandoori variety is something to behold on its own as a lot of yelpers discovered in one of the yelp events at Dilli. And so we come to Universal foods. I came across this hidden gem after trying some of their fresh naans at a dinner party few weeks ago. The naans were so delicious and well prepared I had to ask for the secret recipe. How did they get it so right? With a cheeky grin I was told they didn't, opting to cheat and get them from a local vendor. I was quick to note the details and visited Universal the same week. It's a very basic and unglamorous system. You turn up, it's inconspicuous, there's a tiny entrance, a small window, you shout how many naans you want, there probably won't be much of a response, perhaps a nod, few minutes later they'll hand you the freshly baked naan breads. Done. The foodie fresh baked smell will engulf you and induce a smile and you'll walk off into the sunset (Or the adjacent bridge towards stockport road) At 40p a naan it's a steal. I'm definitely coming back. Bear it in mind if you're hosting a dinner party. It goes perfectly with any soup, hummus, or any other innovative dip of your choice. You're welcome.