Food News: New Japanese, Italian, Asian Restaurants. MFDF Gala Dinner Pics

Confidentials 14 October 2013

Pucker up for Italian food

The Kiss has come to Manchester. Or rather Al Bacio – the latter word means kiss in Italian, the expression 'al bacio' means perfection. The new restaurant occupies the old San Rocco (which arrived in Manchester during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in AD 128) on South King Street, and although another mid-range Italian, is under new ownership from owners who are actually Italian rather than from somewhere within 700 linear miles of the boot-shaped penninsula. There’s a spick and span interior behind this fine facade. We’ll be in to review shortly.

Al Bacio

Al Bacio menu

Musa the mighty Malaysian chef spreads his wings

Norman Musa, the very unshy chef of Ning on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter has been busy. He’s released his own range of Flavours of Malaysia products available from the restaurant – click here. These include chocolate and ice cream to ground spice mixes and pureed ingredients. Items such as milk chocolate with pandan, dark chocolate with star anise, rose syrup with coconut water and basil seeds, chilli paste, fresh turmeric root and galangal can be sought from Norman. Musa is also about to release the third edition of his book Malaysian Food.

Norman Musa planning his busy week

Beer and curry for Reds

There’s a newish Asian option on Salford Quays called Shahi Masala, a representative of the same company in Rusholme. This one offers 'sophisticated Indian cuisine with signature dishes including the tasty mixed grill, king prawn tandoori masala or fish masala with tamarind yoghurt sauce’. Nice. The sign on the outside is less sophisticated offering ‘Match Day Special: 4 Pint Pitcher (of Cobra beer) £11’. Manchester United is of course just up the road. You have to follow your market.

Footy curry

Sakura future for Japanese food in West Didsbury

Perhaps a little more distinctive than Shahi Masala is Sakura House which has opened at 192 Burton Road, West Didsbury. This Japanese restaurant is getting rave reviews from Confidential readers who want us to review it, citing ‘delicate flavours, good menu, and an exciting addition to the area’s food scene. Dear readers we’ll be in very, very soon. Especially after being sent this picture.

Scrummy scran

The Steins of Spinningfields

The Long Bar in Spinningfields, with its military-looking exterior, is changing to the Beerhouse for Christmas. There’ll be real ales from the UK and proper German lagers sold in litre steins. If you have a friend called Frank you will be able to take a picture of him there and tweet it as Frank and stein. People will laugh for generations. Soon you’ll have as many followers as Stephen Fry.

Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards: The Evidence

Finally here are some pictures from the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards last week (winners here), an event that included songstress Lucy Hope on splendid form. There are all sorts of people shown below, some fairly well-known in the industry, some not. They include Gordo in a speech after his seventeenth wine being Churchillian and delivering a call to arms for the North West, its restaurants, pubs, bars, food and drink. Everybody was so stirred by this they marched forth and invaded the Liars Club and then the Eagle pub and drank until dawn raised a weary eye over the Pennines and shamed them home. Or to work. Thanks to Lottie Moore for the pics.

MFDF Awards