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
Bill's Restaurant Serves Candlelit Dinner For Two
In the battle of retail against food and drink, the latter's stuffing the former in the city centre. Late this year Manchester should be able to enjoy Bill's.
"Which freak enjoys bills?" Sleuth hears you ask.
No this is Bill's, the latest chain of...er...burgers meets steaks meets sticky toffee pudding type of food. It's definitely a bit American. A bit. Here's the whole menu.
Bill's has some fun things notions such as the Candlelit Dinner For Two. This involves a 18oz English 21 day aged rump of beef served with skin-on, fat chips seasoned with rosemary sea salt, followed by Eton Mess, plus a 50cl carafe of red wine.
Good for truck driving couples apparently.
The location of the new restaurant is interesting though.
Bill's here - the plans
The Location Of Bill's New Restaurant Will Be At Adolpho Dominguez
Bill's will move in to Spanish clothing emporium Adolpho Dominguez on John Dalton Street. There is room for 160 covers. There is also room for a cracking largely traffic free outdoor terrace wrapping around the lovely London Plane tree. Sleuth has no idea where he'll get his matador outfits now.
The potential terrace and the tree
Sleuth’s Least Desirable Food Offering Of The Week
Sleuth was helping a chum move into a new city centre flat this week. Hungry, they thought they'd try a nearby Salfordian pizza house. Sleuth’s pal had been struck down with a bout of meatphobia and required a veggie pizza. “Hello, we’d like two pizzas, one overflowing with meat and one void of any flesh, what are your veggie pizza options?” Sleuth enquired. “Sorry, I’m new, I'll ask the pizza chef what the options are,” said pizza man. The phone went dead. “I’m sorry for the wait,” apologised pizza man on his return, “but the guy who makes the pizzas is on the toilet.” "We’ll leave it,” said Sleuth.
The Power Of Tourism: The Lowry Up For Sale
Sleuth hears that Rocco Forte (RF) Hotels has put the five-star Lowry Hotel on the market for £40m. According to Business Desk magazine the London group wants to focus on sites with more international guests.
Communications director Richard Power said: "Some 98% of all visitors to the Lowry are from within the UK whereas for our other hotels in the UK the rate would be 20-25% and would have a much wider range of other nationalities to draw on. This means you can get higher room rates and you're not vulnerable to one economy going down." RF Hotels would like to still run The Lowry after the purchase but if the price is right will move out.
Sleuth reckons that's a bit of a raw comment from Dick Power. Basically he's saying, "Let's stick it to the tourists, hike the room rates." Cheeky. The other UK RF hotels, by the way, are in London and Edinburgh. Very different cities.
Lowry Hotel over the bridge on the left - the coach on the bridge isn't bringing enough overseas visitors
Apt Names And The Environment
Speaking of Dick Power, it's been a good week for names. Sleuth was talking to the Biospheric Project folk by the River Irwell the other day (the editor filmed a video there last summer, see below). Lovely people and brilliant idea, aimed at creating a vertical farm in an inner city area of Salford, farmed fish in tanks, bees buzzing on the roof, plants everywhere, orchards on the spare ground below. He was asked to send an email to their communications officer. "And her name?" asked Sleuth. "Tree," came the reply. How apt thought Sleuth.
Apt Names Fail With Barton Moss Protesters
Sleuth was talking to the protesters at Barton Moss recently. He wanted to talk to the leader of the group. "We don't have leaders?" said the spokesperson. The spokesperson was called Frances Leader. How unapt, thought Sleuth.
Sleuth Finds More Tasty Molluscs
Sleuth is on a campaign to eat snails. So in Manchester House he was happy recently when he learnt they had snails. Here they are, fancily wrapped but bloody lovely. Earthy madam, fleshly.
Snails please - somewhere in all that beauty
Sleuth's False Alarm Of The Week: Emergency Service Madness
Why do the emergency services fuss so much these days? On Wednesday some blood was found in a lift of Princess Parkway Metrolink station, then CCTV seemed to show a man with bloody carrier bags and panic ensued, half the tram's system was closed during rush hour, Princess Parkway was partially closed and suddenly the whole south of the city was in gridlock.
Then Confidential got this in capitals from GMP Press Office. PLEASE NOTE, THE MAN HAS BEEN FOUND FOLLOWING THE DISCOVERY OF BLOOD AT THE METROLINK STATION. HE SUFFERED A BURST BLOOD VESSEL IN HIS LEG. Why didn't, thinks Sleuth, somebody just mop up the blood and then the police go looking for the man in question instead of putting thousands and thousands of people's noses out of joint? Ridiculous.
Sleuth, Granadaland And The Colossos Of Manchester
Blank piece of paperThe public consultation of how the city centre Granada site should be developed has started in the garden building off Atherton Street. Sleuth went to the launch. People are being asked to dream dreams about how this large area can be re-worked, by being given a blank piece of paper to etch their ideas upon.
There is one clear proposal out in front at present.
This is Sleuth's idea for a 400ft colossos of himself with a revolving restaurant in his head, a viewing gallery in his hat band, a gym in one knee, an old people's home in the other, a brothel at his belt, apartments at his chest, a blackened nineteenth century mill at his lungs and a roller-disco where his heart is. To add local colour a Manchester bee will be depicted stinging his nose.
Sleuth has accurately costed this. It will cost £120m to build and will generate revenues of £24, 345, 241. 27 per year for the city.
Let's get cracking shall we?
Blue Blue Blue Nights
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, concierges, Bill, Adolpho Dominguez, Mr Wetherspoon, Dick Power, Tree, A Leader, molluscs and all the cars in Wednesday's unnecessary gridlock and asked: "Where can we find the bluest roof in Manchester?"
"Why," says Sleuth, "that would be right at the top of One Angel Square, the Co-op's new headquarters."
And to prove this he showed all the policemen, concierges, Bill, Adolpho Dominguez, Mr Wetherspoon, Dick Power, Tree, A Leader, molluscs and all the cars in Wednesday's unnecessary gridlock, this picture. He also showed them a lovely picture of the CIS Tower at night as a bit extra.