SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth
Adidas Manchester Sunglasses
Sports brand Adidas launched their Manchester sunglasses with an end of summer party on the Great John Street Hotel's rooftop playground this week - see main picture above. The glasses, priced at £120, have been designed with Manchester musicians in mind according to Adidas, whose UK head quarters are in Stockport. Sleuth could definitely imagine Shaun Ryder in these. He's known to be partial to an Adidas trefoil and with these he can have one right between the eyes. Otherwise, Sleuth doesn't really understand why they are so 'Manchester'. Still since they'll be sold over the world it all increases the city brand.
Spanner In Australasia’s Work
Spanner On The ToolsDave Spanner, the-Aussie-that-says-it-as-it-is, is now heading up the Australasia kitchen as Executive Development Chef. This is good news. Australasia is an excellent restaurant and with Dave’s experience of Pacific rim cuisine it can only get better.
He’s a proper quote machine as well.
This is him during the interview with David Blake on Confidential about his attitude to team work: ‘I can't stand working with fucking idiots, people who are dirty, or lazy. I can’t stand laziness or unprofessionalism’.
This is Dave on meat: ‘I like working with lesser cuts of meat that really show the ability of the chef. Any fucking idiot can cook a fillet steak. So give me a pig’s head, pig’s ears, trotters, tongue, the lot.’
On Jerusalem artichokes: ‘They cause the most amazing flatulence. They’re not even from the artichoke family so fuck knows why they call them Jerusalem artichokes.’
On would-be restaurant owners: ‘I just see so many people come into this industry with a shit load of cash and think that it’s going to be a money spinner. But they’ve got no fucking idea what they’re doing. They get lead down the wrong path by bad management. There’s a lot of vagabonds in this industry.’
Confidential loves Spanner. A proper character. A proper chef.
The skill of Spanner shown off in his former stint revolutionising Livebait's food
Sleuth’s Street Furniture Of The Week
Sleuth loves the direction Manchester City Council is going with its street furniture: more comfort and flexibility.
New street furniture
Sleuth Best Quote About Manchester Of The Week
'Do not judge these industrial towns by their faces: they are the most alive places in England; they are more interesting than the little dead country towns which we so like to look at: think of Manchester and Birmingham with their concerts, theatres, parks, art galleries, cathedrals. Manchester in one of its crimson smoky sunsets is a sight never to be forgotten for beauty. To someone who likes people as well as buildings, the industrial towns are the hope and life of England.'
So where is the quote from? It's from John Betjeman (later to be Poet Laureate) and was written in 1943 in the Britain in Pictures series of books published by Collins. The books were intended as morale boosters in times of war, underlining what the country was fighting for. Sleuth finds the quote moving.
One of the Britain in Pictures books with the Manchester quote
Sunset with footballers - The CIS Tower in the distance to the right
Sleuth's Unlikeliest Trio Of The Week
Sleuth was at the event marking ten years since the BBC's Restoration programme granted £3.4m to Victoria Baths on Hathersage Road. Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell unveiled a stained glass window and there were other performances and tributes too. One was from the fabulous synchronised swimming team Aquabatix. Sleuth was due to announce these ladies to the assembled guests before they jumped in the water.
During rehearsals he was told that they'd swum for Disney, David Walliams and ex-President Gorbachev of Russia, the man who oversaw the dismantling of Communism. "Wow,"said Sleuth, "what a trio. Gorbachev, Mickey Mouse and unfunny Walliams in the same room. How weird, would have loved to have seen that." "Er," came the response, "we swam for them at different times, not all together." "Oh, right," said Sleuth, disappointed.
Sleuth's Weirdest Guidebook Entry Ever
So Sleuth's been looking through the newish Where to go: Manchester 'the essential insider's guide to city centre Manchester' - £4.95. It's fine enough as a snapshot of the city. But the Useful Info page has got Sleuth confused. Manchester and Salford Tourist Information Centres, yep fine, Visit Manchester, yep fine, Creative Tourist, the guide's producers, bit cheeky since they don't include Manchester Confidential's details and we are very useful to visitors. But Boots, McDonalds, Ryman? What? Eh? In Useful Info? How? A Big Mac, the O2 Apollo listings please and a tour around the Town Hall?
Try McDonalds for tourist info
Sleuth's Beautiful Thing Of The Week
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street and asked by policemen, concierges, spanners, wrenches, crowbars, chairs, President Gorbachev, David Walliams, poet laureates and all the synchronised swimming teams of the UK: "We have a perverse desire to see the most beautiful enamelled lily on a building in Manchester. Can you help satisfy this yearning?"
"Why yes," says Sleuth. "There is just such a beautiful lily in the entrance hall of Victoria Baths in Chorlton-on-Medlock from 1906."
And to prove this he showed the policemen, concierges, spanners, wrenches, crowbars, chairs, President Gorbachev, David Walliams, poet laureates and all the synchronised swimming teams of the UK, this picture.
"And if we want to see any others?" they asked Sleuth.
"I'd check out Boots, McDonalds or Ryman. They're full of useful info," replied the man in the hat for whom this page is named.
The most beautiful lily
Those Aquabatix girls in action
Brooding city sunset from the north east
