VENISON bhuna. Say it out loud. Ités funny.

Duck, quail, pheasant, rabbit, partridge, venison - who would have predicted that Manchesterés best game establishment in 2004 would be a halal Northern Quarter café with 11 stools? The opportunities for surprise within food and drink are limitless, which of course makes it all so rewarding.

I went for the Venison bhuna, plus a quail to keep it company. The meats were joined by a rich, spiced-up, mouth-buzzing spinach side, naan bread and a simple salad. Together with a bottle of water (Hunterés doesnét sell alcohol) it cost me around é12. I would have been full for a fiver.

The Venison bhuna was the best, the distinctive dark flavour of the little Bambi coming strongly through the sharp, dry sauce. The quail, in a separate dish, was less good, the meat a bit too fall-off-the-tiny-bones for my liking. Not that I left anything behind. Not that I didnét enjoy the deep, complex taste of the little bird in comparison to ubiquitous, dullissimo chicken.

Most of the meats are charcoal barbecued, which adds an extra and popular quality. People come off the street to take away whole birds from a barbeque the size of a pool table. A full partridge prepared in this way would cost é12. Fancy something else instead of a turkey this Christmas?

Of course, despite the ingredients, none of this is fancy food in the least, nor will it ever win any awards for finesse, but ités great fun - like a lot of other stuff around here.

The High Street/Thomas Street junction is currently my favourite crossroads in the city. Tot this lot up: kitsch Oklahoma coffee shop, the Chinese Arts Centre tea house, smooth Bluu, cool Socio Rehab, the glorious Market Restaurant and now eccentric Hunterés. Sitting on a stool pondering this, I recalled the ten days recently spent in the large Spanish town of Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca. There is more choice of food and drink at this little nexus than there was along 30 miles of extended costa concrete over there. Maybe someone should open a hotel at this junction and run packages. Thereéd be no problem with the late night munchies either - Hunterés opens until 3am on the weekends. So thatéd be pheasant madras before the milkmanés stirring. Ités so wrong, ités right.

Look out for the arrival of a shisha bar upstairs at Hunterés soon, complete with hookah pipe. In which case, letés hope any total ban on smoking in bars and restaurants doesnét happen too quickly.

The full review of this restaurant is available in issue 541 of City Life magazine which can be ordered below.

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