Ostara is dead, here come the panpipes

Commentsfromafar says..“ The times I went there I always enjoyed myself. That said first and foremost Chorlton is a destination to have a drink and socialise with your mates. If you want to go for a good meal you generally go elsewhere in the city. Janda's decision to go for something more casual and a bit less formal is spot on. From a business point of view, if something is not working, it is better to spend money on changing things than spending it on a business that is not giving a good return. I will look forward to visiting.”

Gordo says..“ Hit that one on the head, poor position and really uncomfortable interior. Everything else stupendous. the day I went with you Jonathan (i rememeber that savoury pudding, chicken it was, the suet pastry was lush) if we hadn't have been able to sit outside on a warm day it would have been nowhere near as good an experience. The Lime Tree is in a lovely spot, trees, lovely houses and a bit like yer mum, blousy, cosy, softly lit and welcoming as a building and interior. You can take anyone there from your irritating nephew to your grandad, they will all feel at home. So, it gets its visitors from near and far and doesn't have to rely on local residents only. And, lets be honest, they are a bit of a dungaree demographic aren't they? That includes you Jonno as well!”

Steve says..“ "dungaree demographic"....spot on Gordo...went to Chorlton for a stroll with the wife and new nipper last Saturday. Dropped into the Unicorn Grocery for the first time...hessian dressed tree huggers everywhere! Superb fresh veg though..got some lovely fennel and Sicilian lemons. Chorlton is a great place for food shopping.”

M30 says..“ Very high-handed comments from the management - blaming the punters for their failed business venture smacks of sour grapes. As with regard to the location being wrong - it's hardly Blackley or Openshaw is it? ”

sz837r says..“ Looking forward to post-mortem reports on other recently closed Manchester restaurants or was this report return purely because of its location ?”

Anonymous says..“ Has anyone noticed that there's a recession on?”

Uhhuh. says..“ The reason that Ostara failed is beacause it was utterly lacking in warmth and charm.A grey soulless box there was not anything about it that hinted you could have a relaxed or enjoyble meal there. Odd that the owner also has Dulcimer which is quite the opposite... Nothing to do with the prices I don't think...it just looked awful..”

Uhhuh. says..“ PS The South American idea is just never going to work.Sorry.”

Editorial says..“ sz837r this was an important closure because it was so sudden after opening and because we thought the food was very good. If any of the other restaurants in our list of top Manchester restaurants closes we'll let you know, and if we can find out we'll let you know the reason why - wherever thet are.”

Cas says..“ M30, you're alive! Anyway, don't blame the customers that's just spiteful. I think South American food is in short supply in the area and I love it, so get going on that.”

Hmm says..“ hmmm... if you search ostara's reviews then many are less than favourable. I ate there when it opened a couple of times and was very happy with my meal but this place went pretty rapidly downhill. Loooong waits for food and the place was freezing!! Hope the new place is a sucess for them though.”

sn says..“ @Uhhuh. idk, don't you think those four dishes listed as examples by ManCon sound quite appealing? they read quite Chorlton ish to me ;-) (and chorizo in a quesadilla works very well.) if they can get a good ceviche ironed out, they could make hay.”

Anonymous says..“ I was always bemused by Ostara. I think Lee has a point about people not wanting to go above a certain price threshold (certainly not when you've got the likes of Pi, Croma, Yakisoba etc for those midweek 'don't feel like cooking' quick meals out), but for someone who's created the very cosy and welcoming Dulcimer to bring us the downright austere looking Ostara always seemed strange. I live about 200 yards from Ostara, but never tried it which I think speaks volumes about why it failed...it just seemed to fail to make a connection with it's surroundings and local clientele. Looking forward to Charango opening - hope it's a success. ”

Anonymous says..“ Living in Chorlton the cahnces of me trying Mr Janda's new place will be about zero after being branded a cheepskate just because he didnt provide a restaurant that apeals to people.”

carabu says..“ I avoided this place because of very bad worth of mouth. Could it be that Ostara failed because it was a bad restaurant or at the very least inconsistent. If it was so very amazing, it would have surely survived alot longer - however ignorant you seem to think Chorltonites are.”

Anonymous says..“ I am sad Ostara is no more in terms of food - it was really delicious and what Chorlton needs i think. But i agree with the rest of the comments - the decor put me off completely - not the prices. Uncomfortable eating to say the least. also. no marketing - I recently heard Ostara did breakfast - and would have been a regular customer had I known before as Chorlton is lacking in good breakfast hang-outs. For what it's worth - I shudder at 'themed restaurants'. Don't like the sound of the new idea at all. Just need to soften the space and carry on with the good quality cooking I reckon. ”

David Fox says..“ Three observations - 1. A food led place (i.e. a restaurant) being opened by people with wet led experience (I love Dulcimer) is a learning curve. Quality of food is only one aspect of the experience. Ambience and price point really matter. 2. You can get really good value meals in town outside a Fri/Sat evening. Local restaurants need to recognise that and price accordingly. I remember Primavera on Beech Road - £10.95 for 2 courses or £12.95 for 3 Monday to Thursday. People to not have loads of dosh to spend. It needs to be priced at a "discretionary spend" to get people eating more frequently. Choose dishes intellegently to reflect the price (i.e. pay extra for steak). Be busier with people spending £15 a head Mon-Thu than a few at £20+ a head. Its a tough market out there! 3. Chorlton is not Islington/any other trendy London suburb. With a few exceptions most bar's/restaurant's in Chorlton are lifestyle businesses - lovely if you live there, tough if you own it - little margin for error. Use it or lose it.”

sn says..“ @ David Fox, if you are the Tampopo Mr Fox, offtopic, but how is your Fulham branch doing? good luck w everything! i never tire of telling southern mates about how Tampopo is a more diverse, superior Manc version of Wagamama, essentially ;-)”

Anonymous says..“ Where has the Ostara chef gone? If I was the Horse & Jockey management I'd sign him up ASAP. The Jockey is trying to do the same concept as Ostara but Ostara's food was infinitly better quality and value. ”

Anonymous says..“ P.S. Went to the Jockey at new year and the food (bar the superb chips), was still poor. What is the point of a ribeye steak that is about 3mm thick? ”

John F says..“ Personally i'm gutted to see it go, the quality of food for the price was, imho, an absolute steal, breakfasts especially were legendary and you could eat it without being surrounded by scores of toddlers a la lead station. That said it would have been served better had it been located on the old Marmalade site, hopefully this new venture will be a runaway success and allow the Ostara concept to return there at some point in the future, I for one miss the scallop and bacon stater already!!!”

Bob says..“ In my humble Chorltonian opinion the problem with Ostara was the slowness of the service....I don't mind paying for good food, I do object to waiting so long I forgot what I ordered in the first place....”

Anonymous says..“ How very short-sighted it was for the owner to be so short-sighted in his judgment and criticism of the Chorlton community. A bad workman blames his tools - a poor judge of the community he sets up in clearly blames anyone else but himself. Maybe better packaging, situation and a bit of attention to the current economic climate rather than such a snobbish get-out clause is what he needs in realising success within the food industry. There are plenty of other successful restaurants and eateries in Chorlton - who haven't gone under. In years. Offended, Chorlton.”

chorltonunite says..“ “Chorlton people just won't pay for good food in restaurants. They will pay a certain amount and no more and that's not more than £15 for a top quality steak even if it is organic.” for this comment alomne i will do everything in my power (not much) to stop people going to anywhere runn by this ****er.... ALTHOUGh - dulcimer is alright ”

julian says..“ The trouble is/was, Ostara always looks shut and offputting. Why would you pay a premium price to go somewhere that was not welcoming? Perhaps if they had made more effort at enticing people for that first meal, then they would have succeeded. The sign barely told that a restaurant was there. ”

KATIELOU says..“ I went to Ostrara once. For the record it was not the prices that put me off going again but the atmosphere (big, cold, souless), the slow service and the small portions. Totally disagree with owners comments re: price - I reckon there are plenty of people in chorlton who will spend good money to eat decent food. But I do agree with the early weekday comment- I bet pretty much all manchester restaurants struggle to make much money early week and think thats one of the reasons the quality of the restaurant scene here is inferior to London. ”

PJ says..“ Sorry to confirm to the owners but Ostara failed because it had no atmosphere, looked visually unattractive from the outside (what would attract you in), had poor service ( long unexplained wait), and that just doesn't equate to top of the local market pricing. Its never just about the food guys.”

tofulover says..“ i didnt eat there becuase the three times i tried they had no vegan options ”

Anonymous says..“ Oh dear, this guy has not done himself any favours has he? He wants to re-open in the same spot after having allienated half of the local community”

johnthebrief says..“ You've just put them back up in my estimation, Tofulover.

The words "fine dining" and "vegan" are mutually exclusive.”

SuperMick says..“ hang on. Where were all those Chorltonians that so fiercely support local businesses and local produce? You know, the ones that were up in arms about the new Tesco because of the damage it would do to (the over rated) Barbican (still trading)? By their reckoning, the only type of business we wanted was exactly what Ostara was offering. Good value, local, organic. Where were they all? Probably at home smoking some non-local weed.”

peteo says..“ location, location, location........”

william says..“ Off topic, but seeing as it's been mentioned a couple of times, i'll ask. There have been rumours around (since the opening of Oddest) that Simon Rimmer is mulling over a possible new restaurant in the Marmalade location. Can anyone confirm this?”

Chorltongary says..“ I eat out at ostara on a number of occaisions and the food was always excellent (and I didnt think it was particularly expensive). The trouble was the place was an atmosphere vacuum. It was cold and drab and the seating was uncomfortable and that is most probably why it failed.”

NoMoreInsideJobs says..“ These Chorltonites are a chippy lot aren't they ?”

Anonymous says..“ Just want to echo the comments about poor service - I went twice, the food was fantastic when and if what you ordered actually arrived. I'm very happy to pay for quality food, but only if I have a pleasant evening as well.”

simon says..“ When I went the food was lovely but the wait was appalling (1 hour for pate starters when a restaurant is not at all busy is pretty poor). This type of service was experienced by everyone I knew who went and that's why it quickly ran out of repeat business. ”

Marvin says..“ I thought the food in Ostara was fantastic, so good I returned three times and recommended it to countless friends. And that was despite the fact that the interior felt cold, the temperature was cold and the noise of chairs scraping on the floor was horrid. It was simply the decor. ”

Scottie dog says..“ It was good but not good enough. The service was slow and the food though good was over priced. People will pay those prices but you have to consistently deliver more to justify the extra money. The location was wrong, and as others have mentioned the interior was cold and uninviting. To put it simply it was better to go to Croma (surely Chorlton's best restaurant - it's always busy) for a better atmosphere and service and more importantly half the price (especially in these times of recession.)”

Anonymous says..“ Went once, the food took ages to arrive and the beef was very tough and dry. As if it had been sat under a heat-lamp for ages or was just old. Very poor. ”

Isabella says..“ Thing is, everyone thinks they can run a restaurant, the same way everyone believes they are a food critic. Running a bar aint the same as running a restaurant. It sounds like a whole host of things conspired to make this venture fail, looks like there was not enough thought put into the planning. The same could be said of a well-known 'bling' city centre restaurant. Spent 4.5m on every thing that glitters but forgot to plan for a dish washing area. Ho hum, stick to the day job guys ”

Anonymous says..“ I loved Ostard but I must make a quick couple of marketing points. 1) Too many different menu's available at different times or even at same time. e.g Set Menu, Main menu, Lunch menu, Voucher Menu, Brunch menu. Too confusing! 2) No one menu clearly on diasplay from the road out the front as if to say "This is who we are and we're proud if it" 3) The week they opened they covered the name by putting up the canopy out the front. Despite the banner Ostara became the nameless restaurant. Still not sure of the name in the first place. 4) The branding just wasn't strong enough. Ostara didn't quite know what it was. The food will be missed though!”

Anonymous says..“ Yes the point about no visible menu is a good one, people aren't likely to walk inside a restaurant to find out what kind of food it serves (especially one as unwelcoming-looking as Ostara) - word of mouth is fine but passing trade is useful to0!”

brookie says..“ Ate there on a saturday night - food excellent (mouth watery belly pork!), great value, atmosphere was buzzing. But said at the time said 'no way would I want to eat here if it was quiet'. Soulless, cold, unwelcoming. Point about not displaying menu outside is spot on. I have befuddled memories of a south american restaurant in Chorlton where Bar is now. Anyone remember it? What goes around comes around.”

NorthernGeezer says..“ Why oh why do restaurant owners think opening up under another name and providing a different cuisine works??..........................confuscius he say " yer cant polish a turd".”

Descartes says..“ Hm, Confucious didn't say that.”

Chorlton Boyo says..“ Anyone who thinks Croma is Chorlton's best restaurant is a turd nugget. Leo's, Yakisoba and Asian Fusion are far better than Croma and their cardboard pizzas.”

Anonymous says..“ Loved this discussion of Chorlton... its a long time since I have eaten there though shop at Unicorn (not in hessian but hi tech mountain gear. But I am tempted now to try a eating tour.”

Anonymous says..“ Ostara didn't work because of the way it looked, cold and uninviting. I'm a foodie and was looking forward to having a bistro/upmarket restaurant in Chorlton but never went to Ostara b/c of how it looked. The bus stop didn't help but wouldn't really have put me off. The prices were ok for the kind of place it was aiming to be. Will see how the new place goes, what chorlton needs it somewhere to dance after a few drinks too.....”

PJ says..“ I for one am gutted. The people of Chorlton complain about Tesco's being opened up and taking away from the "keep it local" mentality, but they prefer to sit in their houses all during the week, eating lentils rather that supporting a restuarant that had all the right intentions. We needed a good British food restuarant in Chorlton, with a bit more support and customer interaction, it could have been brilliant.”

Anonymous says..“ The food was good and the staff friendly but the ambience was non existent. I live in Chorlton and I thought the meal was overpriced for the whole experience. The tables were too close together and the room felt cold and plain. I am looking forward to the next place though. Just dim the lights and get some colour on the walls. ”

NorthernGeezer says..“ Yer right Descartes, he didnt, but he would if he'd come from Chorlton and ate at Ostara.”

duncster says..“ I went to Ostara once on a quiet Monday night, five tables in max. I ordered a starter which arrived in good time. However, the main courses came 40 minutes later by which time my girlfriend was dribbling with starvation.....I would love to pay fifteen pounds for a top quality steak if I knew it would arrive in good time. ”

Fullofbeans says..“ Gutted, despite all the venom in these comments it was a great restaurant and I'm really gonna miss it. Best of luck with Charango Lee I hope its as exciting as it looks from driving past, like the bright new colours.”

Johnny M says..“ We went once and never returned due to total lack of atmosphere and food! 2 course dinner took about 3 hours (they didn't even have to warm the starters). When we got it the food was quite underwhelming. So when we fancy a decent bit of steak we'll go to Leo's down the road, and ....shock horror... quite willingly pay more than £15 for well cooked steak in a charming little italian. I'm a huge fan of Dulcimers and go quite often for a pint or two. As for the location argument, Palmiro is still going isn't it? I'm up for the South American idea, however not if I have to eat dinner in a doctors waiting room as per the previous effort. I look forward to a favourable review from the likes of Gordo.”

Chorlton resident says..“ What Ostara was trying to be is exactly what Chorlton needs and exactly the kind of place we'd love to eat - and pay for. So when it came to organising for a group of friends to eat out in Chorlton I thought it would be great to take them all to Ostara - support a new, local, independent restaurant and at the same time introduce a load of other people to it. The other attraction was the promotion they were advertising. Came to book a table, however, and things start to go pear-shaped. As soon as they realised we wanted to use the promotion they were advertising they were really off and put up every barrier possible to enabling us to use it. They made it so difficult that, in the end, I lost patience and told them we'd take our business elsewhere. Needless to say I shared my awful experience with all our friends who then no doubt didn't bother giving it a try. Don't blame the customers/potential customers if you can't run a business. Look a little closer to home. Can't say I'll be falling over myself to try this guy's new venture. Talk about how to win friends and influence people!”

sofagoat says..“ Went to Ostara a few times and had a lovely time, great food, friendly service, bit minimal on the decor but so what, sorry to hear its closing and hope the new place works out. Don't understand all these pathetic whining twats, get a life ! bet they never ate in the restaurant anyway, 'Chorlton Resident' - You ever tried reading the offer flyer you had in you're hand first ?”

Anonymous says..“ So it appears that many things were not right here; the location, the decor, the atmosphere, the service, the marketing, the confusing menus and sometimes the food. Looks like it was a disaster waiting to happen and the fact that it managed to survive less than six months is testimony to that. Make sure you do your research next time - it's not a walk in the park you know, opening a restaurant, and keeping it open. Too much TV in my opinion, everyone thinks they're a chef or a restaurateur”

Lwooze says..“ Really disappointed Ostara has shut, was looking forward to trying it. Looking forward to trying the new place too. . . . but that’s probably the problem in a nutshell – I live within spitting distance of Ostara but still haven’t got around to trying it despite it being there a number of months. . . personally, I will eat in chorlton but look for a more cozy food experience, like Pi, Electrik, the Bar. . . .if we want to eat more ‘restauranty’ food in a more formal atmosphere we go into town, not least because that’s where your diners club, city scene, mancon etc offers are! On a separate note, each time I walked past Ostara I did wonder if it was abit too large to last in chorlton . . . anyone any thoughts on that? ”

Northern Stealth says..“ RIGHT ! this is bulls**t, I'm a close friend of Lee's and greatly admire his commitment to what he does, firstly he's not slagging Chorlton off and being a resident of Chorlton himself why would he ? The points he makes about the prices people are prepared to pay for food are right, why do you think The Atlantic Fish Shop, Chunky Chicken, Abrakebabra have all opened up ? Has anyone not walked around Chorlton looking at all the signs for 2 meals for a £7 etc etc posted up outside the pubs ? Croma's most expensive Pizza is under 8 quid ! For a working class lad to single handedly come this far I think you should give him a break !!!! I know how upset he is about Ostara closing and agrees with some of the comments people have made but why DID'NT YOU ALL TELL OSTARA HOW YOU FEEL WHEN IT WAS OPEN ?!?!? maybe they'd have changed a few things ! For someone to recognise a problem, learn from it and have the strength and balls to change and put everything they've got back into their business is the mark of a man !!!! And if you're reading Lee don't let the negatives get to you there's plenty of support out there and CHARANGO is gonna be excellent.....we all love ya x”

Anonymous says..“ Yep, this is bullshit. I don't know Lee, but I went to Ostara a couple of times and each time it was really good going on excellent. As for the person above talking about a 'disaster waiting to happen' - you're an idiot. A total prick.”

Anonymous says..“ Sorry, what is bullshit here? The restaurant has closed, end of. If it was so 'excellent', why has it closed? There has to be a reason(s) and it's not all down to Chorlton residents”

Northern Stealth says..“ Not sure you've actually READ my comments ? I did'nt say it was all down to Chorlton residents. And as to why its closed, the recession could be a factor with people having less disposable income ? wait for the change then decide for yourself, but actually go there don't just rant on with no real solid opinion. ”

Anonymous says..“ Yes, I have read your comments, thank you, and yes, I have been there. I know there is a recession ongoing - I own a restaurant myself - but this place opened up slap-bang in the middle of it - when you need to be twice as savvy as normal. I wish Lee well in his new venture but it's no good just changing the name and lowering the prices - people will remember what was there before and expect more”

Anonymous says..“ Yes, I have read your comments, thank you, and yes, I have been there. I know there is a recession ongoing - I own a restaurant myself - but this place opened up slap-bang in the middle of it - when you need to be twice as savvy as normal. I wish Lee well in his new venture but it's no good just changing the name and lowering the prices - people will remember what was there before and expect more”

Anonymous says..“ Northern stealth - since you know so much and your Lee's mate why didnt you tell him what was wrong?”

NorthernGeezer says..“ I refer the house to my previous statement on this subject..........yer cant polish a turd, however hard you try. People will ALWAYS see the new venture as Ostara mark 2, especially if the owners the same. However, i wish you well in your new venture, and lets hope we aint discussing the same subject in 6 months time.”

Anonymous says..“ Slagging off the locals when you're about to open a new restaurant in the same location as your previous (failed) attempt..... Smart! Maybe it's this kind of total lack of common sense that led to Ostaria's demise!”