Red banquette seating, distressed mirrors, muted tones and a sleek bar create a relaxed setting for an international all-day menu in the ground floor dining room of this chic, central Manchester townhouse (part of the Eclectic Hotels group). The food somewhat uncomfortably straddles several cuisines, so we begin our round-the-world trip with a pretty Peruvian plate of citrusy ceviche, as well as some well-cooked clams nestling between meaty scallops atop a bed of kale and tempura samphire, floating in a salty Thai broth. Mains kept us in Asia, with melty-sweet ‘bang bang’ aubergine arriving intimidatingly stacked with something akin to gourmet peanut butter – delicious, if filling; soya and mirin noodles beneath tasted very like Chinese sweet & sour sauce. Back to Europe, oven-roasted hake was pleasant, drizzled with fragrant parsley butter sauce. Pudding might be apple and rhubarb crumble or chocolate brownie with salted caramel – but we’d got our sugar fix from rather saccharine cocktails. While The Tavern is unlikely to become a super-hot dining destination, the all-encompassing menu, friendly staff and a central location make it a solid choice.