CAU Media City

One of these reviews where 3.5 stars would have been more appropriate… I’ve been to Cau 3 times now. First time was for the Sunday roast which gave us a very good feeling. Food was very nice and service flawless.
For the 2^nd time we went there to try their speciality: steak! while the food was nice (not the best steak of Manchester though) the service was ridiculous. It was a busy night so I could forgive them but they sat us on a table where they had to ask me to move to access another table. when I said ask that only applied for the first time, after the waitress didnt really bother and just pushed me.
Third time (yeah we went a third time despite our previous experience… living a bit too near to Media City…) was better. We got burgers which were ok (for the same price you can have better ones in town).
Not too sure I’ll go back. especially they have a 10% service charge even if you are by yourself so it end up quite dear for what you get (and its a bit frustrating when the service is bad…)! it’s a bit of a shame as it could be a very good addition to this area!

Unfortunately after a tiptop experience here wih their Sunday dinner… back afew weeks later on a saturday night to try out the full wine and dine experience I wasn’t left as satisfied!
All started off well with a nice warm welcome, two lovely cocktails and the mushroom croquetes to start, which were absolutely delicious!
Shortly after we received out starters another table were sat next to us… three tables were quite close together meaning that Max physically had to bend out of the way to let the waiter pass through to serve this table… not exactly the ideal mood-​setter for a relaxing evening meal out!
After our stater plates were cleared we asked the waitress if we could see the wine menu, keen for a nice glass of red with our steaks.
So steaks arrived… when finishing the last few bites the waitress arrived with the wine menu and a weak attempt of an apology! Unsurprisingly we declined to order any vino at this stage!
Determined to enjoy our night we rounded off the meal by sharing a plate of churros and two glasses of dessert wine!
When the bill arrived we noticed 10%service charge added on, which i struggle to justify as a table of two… particularly hard to swallow when service hasn’t been that great!
All in all the food was absolutely delicious and the meat was fab (perhaps they coud work on making presentation a bit more exciting) however I was really disappointed by the service, feeling we pulled a short straw with a very lack-​lustre inexperienced waitress! I really would have expected a bit of an apology for both the disruption to our meal during service and something complimentary to excuse leaving us high and dry on the wine front!
If my review was based on service alone I would go pretty low on the star rating, however the food was fab and meat of really good quality so I can’t go below a 4!
Hopefully after a few months up and running their staff will improve in service!

I was a bit surprised to hear that CAU had chosen MCUK as the location of one of their new restaurants, given how quiet the area becomes when the office workers have gone home.
You probably wouldn’t get many people wanting steak for their lunch either (well, apart from some senior media-​types from the studios nearby, maybe). As it was new and untested, a workmate and I popped in on January payday to check out what there was.
Glass-​fronted and seriously sleek inside, there are comfortable (and shiny) booths to sit at and they could easily cater for sizeable groups.
Service was friendly (but just be mindful of the up-​selling — ask for tap water not still, for example). We both opted for the «CAU classic» steak sandwich which for £9.95 came with grilled tapa de cuadril, tomato, lettuce, salted onion, double mustard mayo and a choice of fries or sweet potato.
It proved to be tasty, though there was only a meagre amount of steak on it so several bites were just of bread.
If you did want steak, their classic cuts range from £13-£23 and the speciality cuts from £15-£39. There are several vegetarians options available here too.
Probably more of a dinner venue then a lunch one — you’d get better lunchtime value for money at The Dockyard.