In this edition: free burgers, new bars and spoon whittling
ATRI-YUM
(28/07) Looks like the new owners of the Corn Exchange are to add a new bar into the mix following the iconic building’s near complete £30m transformation. Thirteen new (and some old) restaurants – including Wahaca, Pho and Gino D’Acampo’s - have opened in the Grade II-listed building since renovation works began last year, now bosses are forging plans to launch ‘The Atrium’ beneath the vast domed ceiling slap bang in the centre of the development.
For what it's worth, we've been hearing whispers of a central champagne bar for some time now…
The atrium during construction last yearOCTOBER'S ORIENTAL ODYSSEY
(28/07) Yu, the top end, top whack, top wok in Alderley Edge has invited some of the North West’s finest chefs to collaborate with Executive Chef, Victor Yu, at their Odyssey of Taste event in October.
Each chef will join Victor in the kitchen for one night only to provide guests with a bespoke menu, created especially for the evening.
Nigel Haworth, Chef Patron of the Michelin-starred Northcote Manor in the Ribble Valley, will open the event on Tuesday 4th October. Steven Smith, Chef Owner of The Freemasons at Wiswell, the Good Food Guide’s No.1 Pub two years in succession, will pick up the mantle on Wednesday 5th October. Lisa Allen, Executive Head Chef at Northcote Manor, and winner of Great British Menu in 2010, will follow with her event on Thursday 13th October.
Call Yu, Alderley Edge on 01625 569922 to book.
WHISKEY A GO GO
(28/07) In conjunction with the upcoming Manchester Loves Cocktails Festival, taking place across the city from 8-14 August, Tariff and Dale are planning a five-course whiskey and cocktail matched dinner. Guests of ‘The Art of The Old Fashioned’ will be joined by Woodford Reserve's national Ambassador, Nate Booker who will be making a special appearance hosting the event.
Dishes include Pork Belly with Woodford Reserve Glaze and Dehydrated Pork Skin as well as Bourbon Glazed Beef Short Rib. Tickets, which include five courses, three cocktails and three whiskies, are £35 for those with MLC wristbands and £50 for those without. Wristbands are available to purchase from lovescocktails.com or can be bought at Crazy Pedro’s or the MLC hub.
The Art of The Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve will take place at Tariff and Dale on 11th August at 8pm
MILLER THRILLER
(27/07) And in the most English piece of food news since Gunns Bakery in Sandy won 'Best Bedforshire Clanger' at the Waddeson Manor country fete, The Good Food Guide has named Mrs Miller's restaurant at Hazel Dene Garden Centre in Culgaith, Cumbria as the best local restaurant in the whole North West (see here for the best neighbourhood restaurants in Manchester). No us neither, but we're informed (by a Confidential employee that has thrice been to Culgaith) that Mrs Miller's food - 'honest, simple food using old and modern tecniques' - is beloved in Lake Districtdom. Expect a full scored review from us in the near future.
You can pick up a copy of the 2017 Good Food Guide from 5 September.
THEATRE OF BREAMS
(27/07) MANCHESTER-based restaurant group, Individual Restaurants, are to follow the impressive million pound makeover of their flagship Piccolino restaurant on Albert Square with an equally grandiose new opening in the centre of Chester.
Following an extensive £8 million restoration job (dubbed ‘The Dining Quarter’) by American private equity firm Carlyle Group, the restaurant group are gearing up to launch the Opera Grill - ‘an internationally inspired grill' serving meat and seafood – in the former Methodist Church on Pepper Street (opposite Piccolino Chester).
The £3m investment will create a whopping 400-seater split-level restaurant, boasting two restaurants, three bars, a stage area for DJs and performers and a south-facing all-year sun terrace.
NY... LDN... HB
(26/07) We see Danny Fox, once of the Living Ventures and Individual Restaurants groups, is gearing up to open a new restaurant in Hale Barns. Fox’s eponymous 120-cover restaurant will occupy the site of the old Co-op in Hale Barns Square and offer steaks, fish and wood-fired pizzas. Fox told Altrincham Today the new space would look ‘very classy, very slick, very New York, very London’… all in spitting distance of Pets at Home.
Fox opens in the first week of September.
BEVVIE BROS
(26/07) We see work is finally to begin on the new Ancoats craft beer bar from Salford-based microbrewery, Seven Brothers, with eyes on a September opening. “The venue will be split level with a capacity of around 200,” one of the brothers, Keith McAvoy, told us earlier this year. “The feel and vibe will be familiar to those who’ve attended our Brew Back Friday events at the brewery, stripped back with live music and film screenings.” Fronting onto Cutting Room Square, the new bar will join Rudy’s Pizza, the Cutting Room bar-café and the proposed Goose Fat & Wild Garlic restaurant on Little Italy's resurgent piazza.
FREE BURGERS, FREE BURGERS, FREE BURGERS
(26/07) Northern Quarter’s Infamous Diner are giving away 365 burgers from midday on Wednesday 27 July – one for each day the retro American diner has been open.
They’ll also be hiding three golden tickets amongst the lot, with prizes including a hotel stay, an ice cream adventure tour, and the chance to win free burgers for the next year.
Find out more @InfamousDiner
NEW DAWN FOR THE LAWN
(25/07) It was never supposed to be permanent operation, but The Lawn Club in Spinningfields (pictured above) has announced it is to close at the end of August following two successful years.
The temporary structure began life as In Bloom in the summer of 2013, before winterifying its interior to become Hibernate over the colder months. Plans are now afoot for the space on Hardman Square to become ‘The Field’ – a ‘cutting edge' new green space and four-storey pavilion of bars and restaurants designed to complement the adjacent nineteen-storey No.1 Spinningfields tower. More here.
CHEFS TAKE A HIKE
(25/07) Fifteen northern chefs, restaurant owners and hospitality experts will be donning their walking boots in October, to embark on a four day trek across the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia in a bid to raise £100,000 for Action Against Hunger's lifesaving programmes around the world.
During this tough and challenging trek, the team will cover 80km of rocky trails and steep escarpments, at altitudes of up to 4400m. Each trekker, including chefs Mary-Ellen McTague, Andrew Nutter and Lisa Allen, has their own sponsorship page. Click on this link to see the full list of participants, choose your winning horse and feel free to support them in their fundraising efforts by making a donation.
BUILD YOUR OWN PUB
(25/07) Over the past few months, we’ve been following the progress of The Pilcrow, a traditional public house in Sadler’s Yard entirely built and run by the local community. This venture has brought together groups of people, through a series of workshops run by craftspeople; glaziers, leather workers, joiners and coopers, who want to learn the bare bones of building a pub from scratch. Volunteers have been carving wooden beer pumps, whittling spoons and even tapping away and copper table tops. They have a building and have applied for a license, now they're looking for staff. They need an experienced Manager, Assistant Manager, Supervisor and Bar Staff to share their vision.
Interested parties need to send their CV and covering letter to hello@thepilcrowpub.com by 30th July. Interviews will begin on 1st August.
DIDSBURY'S SWEET STREETS
(25/07) A new bakery, patisserie and gelateria called Caramello opens at 762 Wilmslow Road in Didsbury Village this week. They will sell a range of artisan cakes, pastries and gelato all freshly prepared on-site by two pastry chefs; Merzak Mammeri and Hannah Widdowson. Merzak has over twenty years experience working in fine dining establishments, while Hannah is a previous Masterchef young pastry chef of the year winner.
Owner, local entrepreneur Mr. Sadiq, has also worked with his chefs to create their own bespoke, exclusive Italian blended Caramello coffee which they will serve on site with plans to offer it freshly ground for customers to buy and take home.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE PALACE
(25/07) After a multi-million pound refurbishment, Manchester’s Palace Hotel has just announced the much-anticipated line-up of its new kitchen team. Following the appointment of ex-globe-trotting DJs turned restaurateurs (Volta, Electrik), Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford (aka The Unabombers), the hotel have just announced the appointment of three ex-Lowry Hotel chefs: Steven Wilson (middle) as Executive Chef, Paul Speakman (right) as Banqueting Head Chef and Alex Worrall (left) as Refuge Head Chef. All three have had several years of top level experience working in some of Manchester’s top restaurants as well as under various eminent chefs all around the world.
MFDF GALA DINNER AWARDS
(25/07) The Manchester Food and Drink Festival Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony is to be held in the brand new Palace Hotel in October. MFDF, which will take place from 29th September – 10th October is the UK’s biggest urban food and drink festival, and one of the city’s most anticipated events. This year, seventeen awards which recognise the best of the region, will be handed out at the Gala Dinner, including Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
Check out the nominations for each category here and cast your vote.
DRINK THE HEMING WAY
(22/07) Tariff and Dale, nominee for Bar of the Year in this year’s Manchester Food and Drink Awards, really do like to find any excuse for a drink. On August 21 they will be celebrating the birthday of American writer Ernest Hemingway, no stranger to booze himself, with an evening of Daiquiri-based delights.
Entry to the event, sponsored by Bacardi, is free and all Daiquiris, including The Hemingway Daiquiri (White Rum, maraschino, lime and grapefruit ) and Tariff and Dale’s own special 'Figure of 8' Daiquiri, will cost £5 each. Expect to sip a large number of the ice cold Cuban concoctions along to the atmospheric sounds of early 1900s swing and jazz. It’s funny though, according to Wikipedia, Hemingway’s birthday was actually in July. Like we said though, any excuse....
BOOZE TO YOUS
(22/07) If you prefer to stand there and let the booze come to you, you might be interested to know that online restaurant delivery company Deliveroo is about to start delivering booze as well as food. They have teamed up with brands such as Majestic Wine and Brewdog to be able to get cold ones to Manchester’s local workers and city dwellers within twenty minutes. Download the app and you will soon be able to order cold cocktails from your favourite local restaurants without moving more than a finger muscle.
COAL IS COOL AGAIN
(21/07) In a strange reversal of trends which has seen Manchester’s better industrial heritage buildings being refurbished and turned into posh restaurants and hotels, we find the concept being turned back on its head once again. Lola’s Cocktail Lounge on Tariff Street has applied for a premises licence variation in the Northern Quarter and want to change the name to The Coal Yard. We’re wondering if this will cause a heated debate.
MANCHESTER CRAFTS ON FIRE
(21/07) Now this fine space has been given a new lease of life, London Road Fire Station is all set to host a series of four free public events over the next few months. We Are Made Here will be a celebration of local talent showcasing hand-crafted furniture, clothing, ceramics, prints and more, all made in Manchester. Out in the courtyard they'll be local food and drink producers such as ManCoCo and Track Brewing as well as DJs and bands performing throughout the day and into the evening.
Visit We Are Made Here or follow them on Twitter @WeAreMadeHere
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SCORCHIO
(19/07) If you're anything like us, you'll be needing somewhere in the city centre for a little drinky this evening. Handy we've put this comprehensive list together then - Manchester's 37 Best Outdoor Drinking Spots
YOU'RE HAVING A...
(19/07) GIRAFFE has finally sputtered and died in Spinningfields, angering all three of its customers. The news follows last month's announcement by owners Tesco that it was to offload the struggling restaurant chain to Boparan (the owner of Harry Ramsden's restaurants) in a bid to cut losses,
Attentions now turn to who and what is going to fill the prime spot next door to Carluccio's on Hardman Square... some sushi thing probably.
Bit much Dan...
SO FRESH AND SO GRAFENE
(18/07) Confidential has got its hands on the first few images of Grafene - the new £1m Modern British restaurant taking on the old Brasserie Blanc site on the curious half square between King Street, and Chapel Walks. The 190-cover restaurant - serving small plates, a ‘market-based’ a la carte menu and a seven-course taster menu – comes from the folk behind Losehill House in the Peak District and opens fully to punters on 22 July, featuring an open pastry kitchen, a cocktail/champagne bar and two private dining rooms. More here.
MILKING IT
(18/07) Milkjam - the excitingly sweet mash-up between Charlotte ‘BakeOrama’ O’Toole (formerly cakemaster of Home Sweet Home), Claire ‘Ginger’s Comfort Emporium’ Kelsey, and Nicki ‘Lush Brownies’ Griffiths - will now open on Oxford Street on Tuesday... following a few technical hiccups.
The new 30-cover dessert bar, modelled on New York’s famed Momofuku Milk Bar, promises up to twelve varieties of brownies and blondies (substituting vanilla for the cocoa), magnificent cakes, homemade ice cream and the eponymous milk jam. Keep an eye on @milkjammcr
COSMIC
Michelin-chasing Manchester House exec chef Aiden Byrne Baby Byrne is on fire after bagging a Cheshire Life award, another Manchester Food and Drink Awards nomination and a Top 50 spot in this year's National Restaurant Awards Top 100 (finally getting one over on his old adversary, Simon Rogan, whose French at The Midland placed 79th), all in the space of a month. Now 'The Genius' (so his people tell us) plans to soar yet further this weekend with a 'stratospheric' pop-up at BlueDot - a new festival merging music, science, arts, food and booze taking over Jodrell Bank from 22-24 July (weekend tickets £119, £35 day tickets here)
Byrne will be heading-up the 'Restaurant at the End of the Universe' beneath the observatory's majestic Lovell telescope over the course of the weekend, serving up a £69 galatic banquet inspired by 'the cosmos and futurism', featuring pork crackling, chicken skin and braised beef... er, cosmic.
You can book your Byrne tickets here.
MANCHESTER PICNIC
(18/07) The Manchester Picnic returns this weekend as part of Manchester’s One Big Summer Weekend. Taking over Exchange Square from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 July, event sponsors Co-Op plan to transform the space with a summer garden, live music and street food from the likes of Tibetan Kitchen, Al’s BBQ Shack and Fire & Slice pizza, as well as free tasters from the Co-Op Airstream. More here
KRILLING IT
(17/07) Lancashire’s Seafood Pub Company is set to expand with around twelve new venues over the next three to five years after securing £18m worth of capital investment from Penta Capital – a former backer of La Tasca and Eat.
The brainchild of Jocelyn Neve, a descendant of several generations of fish supplier, the Seafood Pub Co. opened its first pub, The Oyster and Otter, in Blackburn in 2011 (reviewed here) and now operates eight gastropubs across Lancashire.
Neve is expected to use the investment to spread her empire into the Lake District, North Yorkshire and maybe even Manchester.
ALLOTMENT OF THE FUTURE
(16/07) A show stopping 3,000 sq ft Allotment of the Future will fill St Ann’s Square in Manchester City Centre from Friday 22 - 29 July, forming the centrepiece of the Science in the City festival, a week-long celebration of science. Here people can find out about the crops we might be eating in the future, how to make a tasty insect paste, the science of fermenting food and how crops can be grown from used coffee grounds. More at manchestersciencecity.com
B.EAT STREET
(16/07) We've been down to Deansgate's new boozy back-alley, B.EAT STREET, to find out more about the project from the team that brought Friday Food Fights and Junkyard Golf to Manchester...
Beat Street @ Great Northern, Manchester from Manchester Confidential on Vimeo.
