Greater Manchester is still in Tier 3, which means that for now, our restaurants can only operate as takeaways.Compared to pre-Covid times, there are many more operators set up to deliver takeaways so the choice and quality of what you can get delivered is much higher, with more and more places announcing takeaway options with each set of restrictions.
So, that means we don’t have to go without our favourite dishes for too long. And, more importantly, it means that we can continue to support independent restaurants in Greater Manchester.
We’ve rounded up some of the best options from across the city, with a mix of restaurants, cafes and street food traders that can now be ordered online.
City Centre
You can order Salvi’s Neapolitan dishes to takeaway
As you know, we’re heading back into a national lockdown this week. (And, if you didn’t know, where have you been hiding?)
This means that all hospitality venues, leisure businesses and non-essential retail will have to close from 00:01am on Thursday 5 November.
Well, where restaurants are concerned, it’s last orders and out the door by 10pm this Wednesday.
We know the score, we’ve been through a lockdown before and we’ll come out the other side but independent hospitality businesses need your support more than ever to keep going through the second round of enforced closures. And over the next four weeks, we’ll keep you updated with lots of different ways to support our city’s indie operators.
With the limited warning that restaurants have been given, many have found themselves with lots of stock to clear before the end of Wednesday and are putting on offers to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. Others are keen to get as many people, safely, through their doors as possible before they go.
So if you are heading out for a final meal before the new restrictions come in, we’ve rounded up some of the best offers available at Manchester restaurants today and tomorrow.
Elite Bistros (Hispi and Kala)
Parent company of Manchester bistros Kala and Hispi, have brought back a version of August’s government scheme, called Elite Out to Help Out.
Until Wednesday, diners can get up to £10 off person person on food and non-alcoholic drinks at Elite Bistro restaurants.
Unlimited prosecco for just ONE POUND with a substantial meal
Peru Perdu
Peruvian restaurant, Peru Perdu are hosting a Pisco Disco this Wednesday – celebrating one final night in style before lockdown.
There will be 2-for-1 Pisco Sours, £2 draught beer until the kegs run out, plus takeaway wines (25% off) and 2-for-1 takeaway cocktails like espresso martini or kula negro.
To book a table, visit peruperdu.com or call 0161 549 000.
2 for 1 cocktails, £2 draught beers and more deals at Peru Perdu
Elnecot
Bring empty milk bottles (or another container with a lid) to Elnecot and they’ll fill them up with beer for just £2 a litre.
They’re of course also open for brunch, lunch and dinner 10am to 10pm Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the back of the infamous slicegate, family pizza restaurant (don’t think about calling them a bar), Common have created a new ‘substantial’ meal deal
Before 6pm Tuesday and Wednesday, you can get a cheese slice and a drink (choose from ⅔ pint house lager, IPA or a glass of wine) for £5 from Nell’s Pizza at Common.
There’s half price food at The Northern Quarter Restaurant all day plus, 50% off takeaway bottles of wine.
That means 50% off the A la carte menu and express menu ‘as a thank you for all of your support during out time back open’.
Simply ring and quote ‘TNQ50’ on 0161 832 7115
Half price food at TNQ
Pico’s Tacos
Pico’s Tacos is offering nachos for a fiver, plus there’s 3 tacos and a margarita for £15.
Available at their sites in Altrincham Market and Mackie Mayor until they sell out.
No bookings, walk-ins only.
New Wave Ramen
Steaming bowls of authentic ramen are just £10 at New Wave Ramen as part of their ‘closing down sale’.
Open in Mackie Mayor from 12pm and 9:15pm. No bookings, walk-ins only.
£10 ramen bowls at New Wave Ramen
Honest Crust
Get any pizza and dip from Honest Crust for just £10 until Wednesday. There’s also two pizzas, two dips and garlic bread for £20, two pizzas, two dips, olive, seasonal salad and garlic bread for £30.
Available at Altrincham Market, Mackie Mayor and Picturedrome Macclesfield. No bookings, walk-ins only.
£10 pizza and dip at Honest Crust
Tender Cow
Tender Cow have a range of different offers available at their three sites. At Mackie Mayor, enjoy £6 burgers all day. At Altrincham Market it’s two steaks and two sides for £30. And, at the Macclesfield Picturedrome, kids can enjoy 6oz steak with triple cooked chips for a tenner.
No bookings, walk-ins only.
£6 burgers all day at Tender Cow in Mackie Mayor
Dive Bar and Grill
This Wednesday, Northern Quarter bar and grill, Dive is hosting one last ‘Closing Down Dinner Club’ with 2-for-1 drinks during happy hour – 4pm to 6pm.
Plus, delicious food from the grill, video DJ Vinnie B playing the best in 90’s, 00’s, 10’s & 20’s RnB and Hip Hop.
As the restrictions in Greater Manchester tighten once again, pubs and bars across the city region have been ordered to close unless they serve a ‘substantial meal’.
In what’s been a endless stream of changes for hospitality businesses, many were faced with an ultimatum, start serving food or close.
The ‘substantial meal’ rule was seemingly up for interpretation with no steadfast description of what it actually meant.
It left venues and punters with lots of questions. What exactly is a substantial meal? How many drinks can I order with a meal? Can I order a drink while I wait for a table? And so on.
On top of this, with the restrictions announced on Tuesday and coming into force at midnight on Thursday, there was some lingering uncertainty around the level of support on offer for businesses if they do close.
Blackjack brewery who run the Smithfield Tavern on Great Ancoats Street have now closed their pub as they don’t have a viable kitchen space. The pub has been struggling since reopening due to the reduction in footfall in the city centre.
Over the last lockdown, the pub had a refurb, with a new roof and new booth seating, but they haven’t been able to welcome many of their regular customers back to see it.
That’s a wrap… for now! We want to say a BIG thank you to our amazing staff who always ensured customers can drink as safely as possible and also to the customers who have supported us since the re-opening!
Rich from Blackjack said: “We look forward to the other side of this and being open at The Smithfield. We only had a short timeframe for people to come in and see the new place.
“The Smithfield has a very varied customer base with slightly older drinkers and people like that. Quite a few of them might not have actually been out yet, either being cautious or just not gone into the city centre. We’re quite looking forward to getting them back and people actually seeing the Smithfield as it is because, personally, I think it looks great.”
Fortunately for Blackjack, they also run Jack in the Box, beer bars located in Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market, which are allowed to stay open thanks to the venues’ other food operators.
Like last time round, they are doing home deliveries of their beer in bottles, cans, as well as 5 and 10 litre bag in boxes. Beers can be ordered directly from the brewery’s website: blackjack-beers.com.
Blackjack also run Jack in the Box at Altrincham Market and Mackie Mayor
Petersgate Tap in Stockport is a small pub in a converted shop building in the centre of Stockport.
Owner Alan has closed the pub for now as they don’t have a kitchen set up. They are still considering the possibility of starting to serve food but have decided, with the confusion around what makes a ‘substantial meal’ and how long someone can stay to drink while eating, that it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Alan said: “It’s not a level playing field is it? Because the last time we were in total lockdown. I would welcome a second lockdown to be honest. I think a lockdown is best, you know, to trigger a break in the spread if you like. This sort of tiered approach to us is more like sticking plaster type solution.
“We are a Tier 3 pub, that doesn’t serve food, we’re effectively in lockdown but that doesn’t apply to everybody.”
We’re back open today for takeaways & home delivery for the foreseeable. Our hours will be as follows Wed-Fri 2-6 Sat 12-3 Closed all other times but we will home deliver any day but Sunday if required. Thanks for all your messages of support.
During the previous lockdown, Alan converted the top floor of the pub, which was formerly used as a function room, into storage so they could sell takeaway beers. Now they have had to close again, they will once again be operating as a bottle shop, taking orders in store and online.
Alan said: “So now, we’re able to swing right into that straight away. That investment by us we’re hoping will now pay off in terms of the fact that we’ve already got stock, people can walk in and buy beers off the shelves. You know, the takings are going to be way down but, with any luck, with the support that was announced, it will keep us afloat.”
Beers can be bought to takeaway at The Petersgate Tap in Stockport town centre or via their website: petersgatetap.com/shop.
As ever, in the absence of clear information and insufficient support for businesses on a national level, Greater Manchester’s hospitality community has pulled together to support each other, with many food operators and restaurants rallying around those pubs and bars who want to stay open.
One such operator is, street food event, GRUB who put out a call to pubs and bars that don’t currently have a substantial food offering to see if they can pair them up with their network of street food traders.
Any businesses out there that don’t currently have a substantial food offering but would like one so they can carry on operating from Friday please email us at jules@grubmcr.com and we’ll do everything we can to source you a street food trader.
Since then, GRUB have been inundated with requests from pubs and bars looking to source a food trader for their venue.
Owner of GRUB, Jules, said: “It just seemed like an obvious thing. We know loads of traders and they don’t need much to pop up. You know, our traders, essentially their set up is designed to be brought somewhere, pop up a gazebo – some of them they don’t even have to have a gazebo – they pop up and just start serving food, so it just seemed obvious that if there are places that need food then we know all the people that can do that.”
“You worry about your own city as well don’t you? We’re so worried about our hospitality community. It’s beneficial for us all if Manchester has a thriving food and drink community. We want as many people to come out of the other side as possible.”
Based at Red Bank Project in the Green Quarter, GRUB have had to make some difficult decisions themselves when it comes to staying open.
Jules said: “At the moment, like everyone, we’re just trying to scrape by and keep going, keep going, keep everyone in our team in jobs, and that’s the most important thing for us.
“Also for our traders, you know, all our traders are self employed, some of them have had no support whatsoever because they weren’t registered in time last year to get the support. So, some of them have literally just had to get by on what they’ve managed to do with delivery services and things.
“Even talking about it is making me a bit emotional. Some of these traders have already had massive losses because their bread and butter is doing the summer festivals but obviously none of those have happened so that’s what normally gets them through the winter.
“So not having had that it’s quite a bleak situation for a lot of street food traders, which is also why we hope that with some of these pubs it can be a really good partnership working together.”
Based at Red Bank Project in the Green Quarter, GRUB have had to make some difficult decisions themselves when it comes to staying open (Image: GRUB)
One pub that has been partnering up with a food business for some time is Piccadilly Tap, which has announced it is staying open.
Located on Station Approach, the bar is known primarily as a place to get a great pint before hopping on a train but it also serves pizza, provided by neighbouring Italian restaurant Bravissimi!. Now, of course, ordering a pizza will be compulsory for those who want to get a pint at the bar, rather than an optional extra.
Amy from Piccadilly Tap says that with each round of announcements, it’s gets more challenging, and that the recent restrictions seem to have put many people off coming into town altogether, with the city centre much quieter than normal.
However, she questions the whether the new ‘substantial meal’ rule would really make any difference in terms of transmissions.
She said: “It’s such a secure, safe environment and with only 3% [of transmissions] coming from hospitality, those figures are really low. And it’s our job to keep everyone safe and fed and watered. It’s a shame that it’s gotten so quiet, I think people are trying to follow the government rules but, as I say, it hits us quite hard I think.
“It just seems a bit disappointing, it’s a bit relentless, it’s one thing after another, but we’re just going to try our best and give this pizza thing a good shot. Fingers crossed.”
Despite the challenges, some pubs and bars are fighting to stay open by introducing new menus or working with traders to start serving food.
The Crooked Man in Prestwich opened again over the weekend with a pop up by sandwich delivery service, SANSAN.
There’s also Sammy’s Cocktail Bar in the Northern Quarter which will now serve bagels filled with salt beef, pastrami and smoked salmon and cream cheese.
And, G-A-Y on Canal Street serving their ‘Not The Ivy, But Substantial’ menu, including burger and chips, pizza and chips, and jacket potatoes for only £2 per dish.
Popular Northern Quarter takeaway Cafe Marhaba has offered up its services to pubs and bars to help them stay open.
Their post on Instagram read: “We think we may be able to provide a pop up service or meal kits which you can put together to provide your customers with a substantial meal.”
Street food traders who have developed a delivery box offering during lockdown, such as Northern Soul Grilled Cheese and Yaoyao Noodles, have suggested to pubs to use these as a way of staying open.
It really does feel like everyone is coming together to support each other.
SERIOUS QUESTION ?
We’re pretty sure we have a full pub style Northern Soul Grilled Cheese opportunity coming available.
Kit, product, minimal labour with a great option for SUBSTANTIAL customer offering.
— NORTHERN SOUL GRILLED CHEESE 🧀 (@NorthernSoulMcr) October 23, 2020
A small glimmer of hope is the new support packages for Tier 2 regions which will be backdated for Greater Manchester businesses who have operated under more strict restrictions since the beginning of August.
There will also be financial support available for venues which close as a result of the restrictions, although it looks like this will be much less than first time around, with only 67% paid to furloughed staff instead of 80% for starters.
Despite this funding, there’s still a total lack of consistency and security for hospitality businesses who have jumped through hoops for months to stay afloat.
With a minimum of 28 days for the current restrictions to be in place, it’s unclear as to when we will move out of Tier 3 or if we will plunge further into tighter restrictions with another national lockdown.
Whether venues have pushed to remain open or accepted the fact that they have to close, it’s going to be yet another few challenging few months for hospitality businesses in Greater Manchester.
As many of the venues of told us, the real issue is that, especially in the city centre, it’s really bloody quiet at the moment. So even if the businesses can stay open, there’s a question as to whether it will be viable for them.
So, as ever, we urge you to carry on supporting these independent businesses in whatever way you can; whether that’s heading out for a meal or ordering some beers to stay at home. We’re all in this together.
Do you own a pub or bar which has started serving food in order to stay open? Or are you a food and drink trader looking to offer their services? Get in touch to let us know – maya@eatmcr.com.
Our favourite dish this week was a bit of an unexpected hit among the EATMCR team.
We found it when we visited the Salford tapas bar, Porta. A simple dish consisting of long slices of Picos de Europa blue cheese served with golden candied walnuts and sultanas, and drizzled in honey.
It’s a beautiful contrast of flavours and textures, the sharp hit of blue cheese and the slight bitterness of the candied walnuts, brought together beautifully with the sweetness of the honey and sultana.
This dish just shows you want Porta is all about: the very best ingredients, handled with care and served in a relaxed environment.
The menu here is simple with a few special dishes rotated in like the Spanish black pudding with fried egg. Everything we had felt like best of the best, the best quality produce served the right way. And that’s exactly what we’re after from a place like this.
An independent restaurant, Porta was started by two brother in a cosy spot in Altrincham. The idea they had was to open a simple tapas bar, a place for casual dining where you sit, eat, drink wine and lose track of time.
Now with three restaurants, including Chester and the beautiful and spacious Salford restaurant we visited, which is located in a former Midland bank just down the road from Salford Central in Bexley Square.
For full information and menus for each location, visit: portatapas.co.uk.
Over the last few years, eating meat has gotten an increasingly bad reputation.
Depending on who you speak to, it would seem like the only way to do better for the planet is to cut down on meat, or stop eating it altogether. But is this really justified?
One Manchester company is challenging this perception with a more sustainable approach to eating meat.
MeatCo Manchester provides quality meat boxes, sourced from local farmers and delivered to your door. The brand champions ‘farm-to-fork, nose-to-tail’ eating, promoting the use of lesser known cuts of meat in order to reduce waste. They also use recyclable and sustainable wool packaging believing in ‘no waste, big taste’.
Founded by India Morris and Justine Fitton, the pair grew up around farming communities and understand how difficult it can be for local farmers to compete with supermarkets who drive down the price of meat at the expense of quality.
MeatCo hopes to support local farmers to sell their produce by making it much easier for consumers to get their hands on it. They are currently working with farmers like Peter Holt of Ivy House Farm and Joe Bosworth of Edenfield, both in Rossendale. As the business expands, they will be looking to work with more farms across the region.
MeatCo Manchester was founded by India Morris and Justine Fitton
Currently, 27% of meat reared in Britain is exported to other countries as consumers simply aren’t interested in buying certain cuts. Meanwhile, 26% of meat eaten in Britain is imported to keep up with the demand for popular cuts like sirloin and fillet.
Transporting this meat back and forth inevitably leads to much higher emissions. So simply by buying lesser known cuts from local farmers, consumers are able to eat in a more sustainable and ethical way.
Co-founder, India Morris, who was brought up on a dairy farm in Ramsbottom, said: “MeatCo started to support our local farmers across Greater Manchester and Lancashire throughout a time when restaurants had closed and they lost quite a bit of trade, and to basically push a better way to eat meat.
“Veganism is very topical at the moment but there’s still loads of people who eat meat and, like myself, would like to do so more fairly and sustainably. As we work directly with the farmers we know how the animals are treated, killed and prepared.
“We want to encourage people to buy and cook meat they wouldn’t usually to reduce waste and meat exports. For example, in the UK we import certain cuts like fillet steak to cope with demand and export less desirable or less ‘fashionable’ cuts. We want to help people understand that cuts such as skirt steak or lamb breast are really tasty if you just give it a go.”
“MeatCo is here to educate, be transparent and encourage more ethical eating.”
The brand champions a ‘farm to fork, nose to nail’ approach to eating meat
The company launched at the end of August, in what’s been an incredibly challenging time for the food and drink industry as a whole.
If one good thing has come out of lockdown, though, it’s been the quality of food you can now get delivered to your door.
“Consumer habits have changed,” says India.
“Loads of people are now ordering to their doors rather than going shopping every day.
We know that a lot of people our age have done loads more cooking and are becoming more aware of what they buy and where it comes from.”
The meat boxes come in various sizes with a regularly changing selection of cuts of meat in an effort to reduce waste and to introduce customers to parts of the animal that they might not have tried before.
There’s the monthly special box with enough for four meals for two people in a medium box (£35) or four meals for four people in a large box (£65). And for those who live alone, there’s the ‘Livin’ La Vida Lonely’ box which has three different cuts (£18).
There are the ‘Got Beef’ and ‘Lamb Lovin’ boxes which include a selection of cuts from each animal. Finally, there’s the Steak Box with eight juicy portions of steak including a large Tomahawk sharing steak, two of each of Bavette, Picanha and Flat Iron steaks.
MeatCo provide suggested recipes and tips for cooking the different cuts of meat
For those who need a helping hand in the kitchen, MeatCo provides a selection of recipes and tutorials to help cook the perfect steak, or to get to know that new cut of meat.
India said: “It’s all been really good – loads of people are surprised that they enjoyed cooking and creating something different so much. We’ve also had a couple of messages from people excited that they are buying from young (ish) women, which is lovely.
“We have also had a few requests for a monthly subscription which may well be on the cards if enough people tell us they want one.”
The deadline for orders is midnight on Mondays for delivery during the daytime on Thursday.
For more information about what’s on offer and to make an order, visit: meatco-mcr.co.uk.
Manchester-born restaurant brand, Tampopo, has announced the closure of its Piccadilly Gardens site.
The popular pan-Asian restaurant opened the branch just two years ago, alongside its other city centre restaurants in the Corn Exchange and Albert Square.
These two restaurants will remain open as will the restaurant at the Trafford Centre, and the East Street kiosk in the food court.
The enforced closures due to Covid and low footfall in the city centre since have made for an incredibly challenging atmosphere for restaurants
Now, Tampopo’s founder David Fox says he has been left with ‘no option’ but to close the restaurant after attempts to renegotiate rent with the landlord failed.
David said: “I have made the difficult decision to permanently close Tampopo Piccadilly Gardens. I had approached the landlord to see if they would consider a turnover based rent to allow us to trade during this period. This was rejected with no alternative offer suggested.
“They are seeking full payment of rent and service charge, including for the period we were closed.”
Tampopo’s two other city centre restaurants will remain open
Even before the pandemic, it had not been an easy two years for Tampopo staff at Piccadilly Gardens.
David said: “My thanks go to the Tampopo Piccadilly team that have worked their hearts out to try and make the site work. It has been a difficult site to operate. It was in the eye of the storm of Piccadilly Gardens.
“This meant lots of liaison with the council, the police, the rough-sleepers team, the antisocial behaviour team, the street cleaners’ team and the drug squad amongst others. My team will not miss this.
“Whilst there was a will by the council to improve Piccadilly Gardens with a plan to improve the area with investment from the council, the resulting Pandemic has put paid to/seriously delayed that.
“Covid has also hit Piccadilly Gardens hard as it relies on office workers (many of whom were already vacating Piccadilly Gardens pre Covid) and visitors to the city – with many hotels in the area either closed or vacant.
“This makes the Landlord’s decision to not offer any support all the more short sighted.”
Tampopo founder David Fox (Image: Paul Wolfgang Webster)
It is hoped that the most recent government support package will allow Tampopo to retain most its staff.
Along with this financial aid and the option for working meals, there are what David describes as “little glimmers of hope for improved sales across the rest of the Tampopo sites.”
He said: “The challenge we at Tampopo have is unchanged. To make sure every customer leaves with a smile on their face by creating a moments of happiness in their day.
“This is especially relevant in today’s mad world and which great service and food has the unique ability to do.
“My thanks go to every single one of the Tampopo team for all their hard work in delivering this on a daily basis. With the help of our customers we will get through this.”
Manchester’s oldest Italian restaurant has revamped its Sunday offering with the launch of its new roast menu.
Don Giovanni’s new menu is a traditional affair, including everything you’d expect on a Sunday Roast plate, with a little Italian twist.
Meaty options include slow-cooked lamb shoulder, chicken supreme or topside of beef.
For non-meat-eaters there’s mushroom wellington – garlic and herby mushrooms wrapped in thick shortcrust pastry – which can be adapted for vegans or vegetarians.
All roasts come served with caramelised parsnips and carrots, tender stem broccoli and a cheesy cauliflower gratin, which can be made with soy milk and vegan mozzarella for those who don’t eat dairy.
Giant Yorkshire puddings come heaped in the middle of the table along with a large jug of gravy. And if, like me, you always need more gravy on your roast, simply ask the servers who will bring you a refill.
Desserts include the Italian classic, tiramisu, made fresh in-house by their Italian dessert chefs. Homemade Savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) are dipped in espresso then layered with a creamy mascarpone mousse and dusting of chocolate.
If you fancy something a bit more British, opt for chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream, or sticky toffee pudding, which is topped sugar-coated walnuts and drizzled in a warm toffee sauce.
Still keeping it real for the vegans out there, Don Giovanni make their own vegan panna cotta topped with a tart berry compote.
For those of you who prefer to stay at home at the moment, you needn’t miss out as Don Giovanni is also delivering Sunday Roasts.
INFO ABOUT DELIVERIES.
Located at the top of Oxford Road, next to St Peter’s Square, Don Giovanni is serving roasts from 12pm each Sunday. It’s £16.95 for one course of £19.95 for two.
To book a table or order a home delivery visit: XXX
It’s that time yet again when Six by Nico launches its new menu, and this one has been inspired by the flavours of Indian cuisine.
The ‘Bombay Kitchen’ menu launched on Monday 19 October and is available until Sunday 29 November.
You know the drill by now – it’s six courses for £29 and, if desired, a wine flight for £26 with an expertly paired glass with each dish.
The new menu has been inspired by the diverse culture and geography of Mumbai.
Each of the courses is a fine-dining take on local dishes and age-0ld Indian traditions, executed with chef Nico Simeone’s signature flair.
Chef Nico Simeone said “India is famous for its diverse cuisine. There is an amalgamation of food styles, some are authentic, some are inspired and some are discovered accidentally.
“Our Bombay Kitchen menu blends the diverse cooking styles of modern India while revamping classic dishes in a whimsical array of textures and flavours.”
First up on the menu is Aloo Sabzi – ‘aloo’ meaning potato and ‘sabzi’ meaning vegetables in gravy – this is the closest you’ll get to a bowl of curry that you’ll get on this menu.
It comes served a small pot filled with chickpea dahl with small cubes of salty paneer, cloaked in potato espuma (a light potato foam) and topped with kaffir lime leaf oil, toasted chickpeas and cripsy onions.
Full of flavour and indulgent, I could have eaten a few more bowls of this.
The first course is Aloo Sabzi – chickpea and paneer dahl with potato espuma and crispy onions
The second course is Salli Boti, traditionally a Parsi celebratory dish consisting of stewed meat and crispy potato sticks.
My personal favourite dish of the menu, Nico’s version is a rectangle of lamb belly, topped with crispy puffed potato and served with grilled cucumber, curry emulsion and a pillow-soft naan.
The next dish is inspired by the flavours of a popular roadside snack in Mumbai called Corn Bhutta. It consists of succulent pressed chicken thigh, pickled mushrooms, BBQ spiced corn and lime and deggi mirch (a distinctive Indian spice blend made from a blend of different chillies).
Salli Botti – lamb belly, with crispy potato, cucumber and a pillow-soft naan
The fourth course is roasted cod, with an onion and ginger chutney, an onion bhaji, curry leaf, topped with an impressive squid ink tuile and with an onion and ginger broth spooned over at the table.
The cod was beautifully cooked and, when you got a bit of every ingredient on the fork at the same time, the result was really well balanced.
The final savoury dish is loin and belly of pork, served with a square of pressed sultana biriyani, a bright Makhani sauce, coriander and mint chutney, and garnished with a poppadom.
Loin and belly of pork with Makhani sauce, pressed sultana biriyani and a poppadom
The pork loin itself felt a little tough and the dish didn’t tie together quite as well as the others, but the pork belly was soft and juicy and the biriayni with the Makahi sauce was beautifully spiced.
For dessert, it’s Nico’s take on a Mango Lassi, a mango yoghurt panna cotta topped with Alphonso mango sorbet, fresh mango, toasted fennel and a cumin seed tuile. It’s a wonderful mix of different temperatures, creamy and crunchy textures, and sweet and sour flavours.
A dessert inspired by Mango Lassi
If six courses isn’t quite enough food for you, diners can also add on a selection snacks for £5 which includes prawn dumplings, Moilee coconut sauce and sourdough bread with spiced butter.
This Indian-inspired menu is certainly not your average curry night. The menu takes you on a journey through Mumbai’s culinary heritage with reinterpretations of familiar dishes and introductions to some new and unexpected flavours.
Six by Nico’s Bombay Kitchen menu is available from Monday 19 October to Sunday 29 November.
Manchester’s sandwich game has been significantly raised with the arrival of the Katsu Sando.
New Wave Ramen, who opened their space at Mackie Mayor in July, are the first to bring this Instagram-famous sandwich to Manchester.
Although it sounds a bit like Mancunian slang, ‘sando’ is what sandwiches are commonly referred to as in Japan.
Traditionally made using shokupan (Japanese milk bread), they can be filled with an array of ingredients including meat, egg and even fruit.
The Katsu Sando was first made famous in the UK by London restaurant Tata Eatery.
And, ever since we saw their version take over Instagram feeds, we’ve been hoping some one in Manchester would bring this beauty of a sandwich a little closer to home.
Alongside their menu of ‘craft ramen’ and other Japanese dishes like bao buns, the Katsu Sando is latest addition to New Wave Ramen’s ever-evolving menu.
Described as ‘the perfect lunchtime treat’, the sandwich consists of consists of toasted brioche, crumbed pork belly, plum tonkatsu and a zesty yuzu cabbage slaw.
There are limited numbers of this dish available every day, so make sure you get down to Mackie Mayor before they go.
Mackie Mayor is not taking bookings so it’s walk-ins only from 11am to 10pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 10pm on Saturday, 9am to 6pm on Sunday and closed on Mondays.
The nights are drawing in and the festive season is on the approach.
And, even though Christmas is set to feel quite different this year, we’re pleased to see one festive favourite has returned to Spinningfields this week.
With the Manchester Christmas Markets cancelled and Tier 3 restrictions imminent, The Oast House has pressed on with the launch of the Goose Island Teepee.
Decked out with fire pits, faux fur throws and fairy lights, The Curious Teepee is probably the cosiest Christmas hideaway in Manchester.
Manchester’s cosiest Christmas hideaway returns to Spinningfields
With a comforting menu of winter warmers, diners visiting the Teepee in October can enjoy half price food from Monday to Friday.
Starters and nibbles include pork crackling, whole baked camembert and cauliflower wings.
There are also ‘house boards’ including a deli board, a hot board and a vegan board.
Of course, diners can enjoy The Oast House’s famous hanging kebabs with a choice of chicken, lamb kofta, crispy halloumi, salt and pepper pork, and chicken and chorizo.
The kebabs are served with seasoned fries which can be upgraded to chunky chips or sweet chilli chips.
With half priced food during the week, diners can go all out with a choice of desserts including Oreo cookie dough and caramelised banana sundae.
The Curious Teepee is currently taking bookings of up to six people from one household only. It’s not essential to book in advance but it is strongly advised by the venue.
Alongside the existing Covid guidelines for restaurants like table service and tracking customer details, under the new Tier 3 restrictions, drinks may only be served if they are ordered with a meal.
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