Pi

Another day, another small restaurant opens in Chorlton. This time it is Pi, a little bar-cum-restaurant that does a fine line in pies and pints on the site of the recently-closed Idaho.

Naturally, this being Chorlton, the gastronomic heart of Manchester, we're not talking about sloppy meat and potato pies with a pint of watered-down Fosters. Instead, there is a 'beer menu', boasting eight varieties on draft and fifty different bottles. That's impressive. And then there are the pies...

Let's take a moment to think about pies. They have been around for a while, from the first pies, spotted as etchings on the tomb of Pharaoh Rameses II, to the pies served as sacrifices to Roman gods, to the many pies presented to kings and queens throughout history (often being filled with live birds, full orchestras or naked ladies). We call loved ones 'honey pie'. We sing 'who ate all the pies' to our more portly friends. Pies are a constant part of civilisation, evolving as we evolve, changing as we change...

And if we have developed to be anywhere near as sophisticated as the pies on offer at Pi, we can be pretty damn pleased with ourselves. At Manchester Restaurants Guide we've eaten our fair share of pies and we can say, without reservation, that these beauties (sourced from Bristol company Pieminister) are our favourites.

The short crust pastry is light and crisp, encasing moist, rich and chunky fillings such as West Country pork, smoked bacon, shallots, apples, leeks, Somerset cider and sage (Mr Porky Pie). They are, in a word, delightful. With mashed potatoes, peas, gravy and so on available as side orders, Pi is a really good choice if you're after a hearty meal but don't fancy restaurant prices or atmosphere.