Vintage Ambiance, a pastel pink cafe and restaurant from Monton, has opened its second site at Boothstown's Stanfield Centre, taking over the former Mason's Cafe Bar in June. A third venue is planned for Didsbury, with an expected opening by the beginning of November.
A relaxed neighbourhood spot
Described as a 'relaxed neighbourhood spot for brunch, coffee, lunch, cocktails and good vibes from day to night', the cafe has proved popular with locals and visitors from further afield. Owner Senem Aksu and her partner decided to expand following the success of their first restaurant in Monton.
On a midweek morning visit, the breakfast menu was still available, running until noon. It features big breakfasts, omelettes, French toast, waffles, pancakes, and 'early brunchin' dishes such as steak and eggs and scrambled eggs with chorizo. There's also the 'Famous V.A. Bennies' - two poached eggs on a toasted English muffin with homemade hollandaise sauce, with a choice of toppings including tender beef and baby spinach, smoked streaky bacon, smoked salmon and smashed avocado, or sauteed wild mushrooms and baby spinach.
Breakfast highlights
One reviewer's daughter chose the Biscoff and Madagascan vanilla pancakes (£9.50), served as four fluffy pancakes with plenty of topping and whipped cream. The V.A Breakfast (£12) came with smoked streaky bacon, sausage, black pudding, mushroom, balsamic tomatoes, beans, house hash, two eggs and toasted sourdough. The menu specifies Heinz beans. Eggs were cooked to order, and the black pudding could be swapped for extra house hash, described by the waitress as a signature potato side rather than a typical hash brown.
The cafe's character is as important as its food, with a pastel pink interior, floral displays and low lighting creating a cosy, relaxed vibe for daytime catch-ups or evening drinks. A miniature China teacup and pink teapot for one with loose leaf tea costs £3.95, and a caramel iced latte (£5) was noted as a generous size.
Community welcome and expansion
Owner Senem, who took over the Monton restaurant in 2023, eight years after it first opened, said the Boothstown site has been welcomed by the community. "We've had a really good reaction," she said. "A lot of customers said it's what this town needs and are so happy with the change." She added that Mason's tapas was popular, so the new venue offers tapas from 3pm to 9pm, which is "really popular".
Both venues have breakfast and lunch menus and offer live music between 7.30pm and 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday. Monton closes at 7pm, while Boothstown stays open until 9pm. The new Didsbury venue will feature a green, pink and orange colour scheme and a greater nighttime focus, with an evening menu. "We'll have a slightly different concept there," said Senem. "We'll have two floors and the bar will be upstairs. The area has a vibrant nightlife so we'll be offering something different as well as the daytime menus." She added that they hoped to open by the end of October or beginning of November.
