A lost restaurant loved in the noughties for its jungle décor "that came to life" was an "adventure" to visit in Manchester.
One of the early fixtures at The Trafford Centre, the Rainforest Café now feels such a distant memory that many of us often wonder if it actually really did exist, or if it was just a fever dream. The jungle-themed restaurant chain was founded by Steven Schussler and launched in America, with the first location opening in 1994.
By the late 1990s, the chain opened its first international location in London - and a site in Manchester soon followed. Part theme park, part restaurant, the Amazon-inspired attraction was based in The Orient and housed tropical foliage, a talking tree and animatronic animals.
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Whilst enjoying meals like the spaghetti-based Wallaby Wok or Jurassic Chicken, it wasn't unusual to hear a thunderstorm noise or cascading waterfalls in the distance. But you didn't have to have a youngster in tow to enjoy the atmosphere or the food.
Customers will remember staff, known as "safari guides" waiting on their tables and being bewildered eating a meal in the surroundings. And whilst it is still remembered fondly by all who went there, The Rainforest Café at The Trafford Centre has been gone for almost 20 years.
In August 2000, reporter Janet Tansley went to The Rainforest Cafe at The Orient with her husband and son to review the restaurant. She said that "visiting the Rainforest Cafe in The Trafford Centre, Manchester, is an adventure."
The article reads: "Here you leave the retail jungle behind for a taste of the real thing. Elephants trumpet, gorillas beat their chests, and a lazy leopard swings its tail. It's all you can do to look at the menu - who needs to eat when there's all this to take in?"
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Food at The Rainforest Cafe was described as "essentially American/Caribbean, ranging from the traditional to the positively exotic." After enjoying some soft drinks, the family ordered the Seychelles Seafood Pasta, Caffe Steak Sandwich and Jurassic Chicken.
And Janet's son was constantly in awe of the "thunderstorm" which occurred every 25 minutes and the animals "coming to life" ever 15 minutes. Janet said: "Instead of chewing, his mouth was constantly gaping open in awe."
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For dessert, the group also shared the Gorillas In The Mist Banana Cheesecake, as well as some ice cream in a wafer basket. Janet wrote: "The bill was somewhat steep at £44.85, but the quality matched the price. "
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But after a couple of years, The Trafford Centre's Rainforest Cafe was cruelly taken away from us around 2003. The site later became a Nandos branch.
Last year, the MEN asked readers on their Facebook page what they miss about the Trafford Centre that they'd like to see make a return. Helen Boz said: "Rainforest café , we were lucky enough to go to the one at Disney Florida couple of years ago all the memories of Trafford centre cane flooding back."
Judith Owen wrote: "Rainforest café- such a special experience when my kids were younger." And Jacqueline Day commented: "Miss the rainforest café. Never forget the first time I walked in the orient before it was open to the public, it was such a stunning sight to see the ceiling sparkling, the pretend shop fronts."
The London branch in Piccadilly Circus closed this year and rebranded as Jungle Cave. But the brand still exists America, with a few other Rainforest Cafe's also dotted elsewhere around the globe.
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