A revolutionary new approach to drinking and dining comes to Manchester.
Independent review by viewmanchester.co.uk

The Venue
Set back from the square next to the Great Northern complex, Taps, with its glass frontage and inconspicuous sign, sits fairly unassumingly beneath its more glitzy relative, the Epernay Champagne bar (they’re owned by the same people). Once inside, the decor is a little less understated than the exterior but it is still fairly minimal and chic: cream walls are strewn with mirrors and dark wood trimmings. There’s a small bar to the right of the main entrance, and as you walk through the place, you come across numerous contemporary-style benches and leather-lined booths. Each complete with their own beer pumps.

That’s right, Taps’ USP is to do away with traditional bar service, replacing it instead with computerised beer pumps on each table. Once seated, the taps are activated by a member of staff, initially giving you a two pint allowance per person to ensure no-one over does it, or is taken with the urge to stick their head under the pump and drink the place dry.

The People
Having only just opened, Taps is yet to develop a defined clientele, however, from its high-end prices and its position underneath both the swanky Epernay bar and the luxury apartments of the Great Northern Tower, you suspect that the average Taps patron will tend to be the more affluent Mancunian. That said, the curiosity factor of the venue will certainly bring in a wide variety of customers, at least to begin with.

The Drink
Each table is furnished with an Amstel pump (£3.20 per pint), along with a second variety of beer, either Heineken (£3.30 per pint) for those who want to play it safe and stick to lager, or Vedett Extra White £3.70 or Duvel Green Label (£5.20 per pint) for those with a penchant for Belgian ales. If you feel like pushing the boat out and trying something a tad more unusual, there’s Liefmans fruit beer (£5.20). Admittedly the prices are a little higher than your average local pub, but then how often does the landlord let you pour your own beer?

Once the beer starts to pour, you can track your progress on a small LCD display embedded in the table, monitoring both how much of your allowance you have left, and how much of each beer you’ve already quaffed. A bonus of this unique approach is that drinks are charged by tenths of a pint, so if there’s something you’re not quite sure about, you can always give it a try first without taking the plunge and buying a full pint. One of the drawbacks, however, is that with only two pumps per table, you don’t have much to sample, although if there are enough of you to take over a couple of booths, you can at least get to taste a wider variety. In addition to this, you can book a specific table for your visit to ensure you don’t miss out on your favourite tipple.

If the prospect of free-flowing beer isn’t doing it for you then Taps also offers an extensive range of bottled beers from around the world, along with a broad wine list (house wine: £12.95 a bottle) and a selection of cocktails (from £6) to work through. However, if you’re not taken with the novelty of being able to pour your own beer, you’re probably in the wrong place.

The Food
Despite its seemingly beer-centric offering, Taps very much positions itself as a restaurant and a bar. The only thing about their aspiration to be a dedicated restaurant as well as a bar is that it might be slightly off-putting to those who are looking for something a little different in their choice of watering hole but not necessarily something to eat. Having said that it might also have the added bonus of deterring some of the lairier elements that roam around Peter Street at night.

The menu leans towards that of a brasserie or gastropub, ranging from a roast aubergine dish for £9.95, to salt marsh lamb rump (£12.95) and whole lemon sole (£14.95). There’s also a frites menu (dishes served with chips, for those who’ve forgotten GCSE French), offering the likes of half or whole roasted poussin (£7.95 and £12.95, respectively) and mussels, which you can customise by choosing your own base sauce and topping (£6.95 for 500g; £11.95 for 1kg).

If you’re after something a little lighter, Taps’ appetisers and antipasto dishes are exceptional value for money. You get more olives and sun-dried tomatoes for £1.95 than you would for the same price in a supermarket (which is a rarity, especially in restaurants), and the frites (also £1.95) are delightfully moreish, especially when coupled with the homemade aioli mayonnaise (an extra 95p).

The Last Word
Considering both the quality and the relatively reasonable price of the food, as well as the obvious appeal of self-service beer, Taps is sure to be a hit.

Visit TAPS at

TAPS Manchester
Great North Tower,
Watson St,
Manchester
M3 4EE