WHAT have they got that we haven't got? That must be the despairing mantra of restaurant and bar owners who look with all-consuming envy at rivals who, for some reason or other, have become extraordinarily popular while their own places languish.

I suppose that if it were possible to identify the magic ingredient - let alone bottle and sell it - someone would become an overnight millionaire. Perhaps they have.

The prime target of the most jealous looks in Manchester city centre must be the Living Room, which for no easily definable reason became the magnet for celebrities and, in being so, a major attraction for just about everyone else.

And there's more: The Living Room is one of those extremely rare places in which a restaurant and an uber-fashionable bar not only co-exist but also flourish, side by side in the same space. And what an odd space! This was once an American-style diner, for which the long narrow interior was perfectly suited.

Somehow, though, the arrangement of lounge at one end, restaurant at the other with long bar opposed by booth seating in the middle, has worked - and so much so that The Living Room has been named one of the best bars in the world and a Manchester export to the trendies all over Britain.

The template laid down in that awkward Deansgate layout has spawned clones in London's Smithfield and Islington, Liverpool and Birmingham, with London W1, Richmond, Oxford, Bristol and Leeds, among others, due shortly.

This is no mean achievement amid an ambience that's largely gimmick-free, aside perhaps for the video screen behind the bar showing catwalk models parading in their scanties. The decor in creams and browns is subdued and clubby, the soul-blues-jazz music isn't intrusive and the service is well drilled and smart.

And that's about it, really; doesn't seem like rocket science - yet at 5.30pm on a Monday afternoon in early March the place was buzzing - and not just with folks having a quick drink on the way home from work.

Tables in the dining area filled up too (there's a upstairs dining area called The Dining Room open at lunchtimes and in the evenings from Wednesday onwards). There's no pretence about haute cuisine here but somehow, once again, they've succeeded in tickling the fancy of the clientele; our son, who's eaten around, raves about it.

Trendy

Starters, some of which are also available as main courses, set the pattern for a trendy modern British menu, which means employing ingredients associated with both the Mediterranean and far east; as in chicken satay sticks and duck spring rolls, shiitake salsa.

My grilled asparagus and roasted red peppers with butter sauce was simple, fine and dandy, though didn't particularly benefit from the addition of so-so pancetta and a bit of melty mozzarella, which bumped up the price from é4.50 to é5.95. And the triangular platter it came on proved to be a triumph of style over substance - the food kept falling off it.

Mrs K's goat's cheese, onion marmalade and pesto tart (é4.75) was a decent example of this veggie stalwart: crispy pastry and nice flavours lifted by a touch of mint.

Following my policy of ordering simple dishes in places like this, I chose fillet steak with horseradish mash (é15.95), which wouldn't overtax the kitchen and besides, it was my son's recommendation. He was right: the fillet was tender, juicy, well flavoured and served correctly medium rare and the mash was good and creamy.

Mrs K had maize-fed chicken breast (breast of maize-fed chicken, surely) with asparagus, peas, green beans and bok choi with a light, white wine cream (é10.50). This too was basically a simple collation and enjoyable for that.

The chicken was plump and moist under its crisped top and the vegetables were appetising and attractively presented. She pinched some of my mash, I scooped some of her veg and we shared a side dish of sweet-flavoured plum tomatoes layered with slices of mozzarella (é3.95).

We passed on desserts - from the cheesecake/fudge/cake/carrot cake school - finished the generously fruity Seppelt Moyston Shiraz-Cabernet 2001 (é14.95) from an interesting, though pricey, list and downed a latte (é1.50) each to round things off.

Cooking: Populist, modern and simple.

Style: I'm a wannabe celebrity, get me into here.

Plus: Buzzy atmosphere on a Monday night and brunch on Sunday.

Minus: The weekend scrum.

Value: We paid ??63.25 including drinks; stardust commands a premium.

The Living Room is at 80 Deansgate, Manchester (0870 4422537). Open Mon-Wed 10am-midnight; Thu 10am-1am; Fri/Sat 10am-2am; Sun 11am-12am.