Plus a new bar for Seven Bro7hers and a veggie favourite gets a makeover
Next week is the last week of outdoor drinking and dining before we get to socialise without our coats and hats on again, hopefully.
This week's food news is short and sweet but full of good things.
Box on the Docks expands for summer on the Quays
Bookings are now open for the popular Box on the Docks (BOTD) summer season at MediaCityUK. The 30 sheds, greenhouses, pods, and boxes were a hit last year for bringing safe socially distanced dining to Salford Quays. This year BOTD will be back hosting DJ sets, pulling pints from local craft breweries, and serving up the best food from the region. Manchester favourites Grandad’s Sausages, new kids on the butty block Bada Bing Sandwich Deli, and Withington community doyens of dough, Batard Bakehouse will take tri-weekly residencies. With plenty more to come over the summer months. Book Box On The Docks to enjoy bangers, bakes, butties and beer in your own box - belting!
(Foot)Bull & Bear
Not content with being Marcus Rashford's best mate and running a restaurant in a hotel owned by members of the class of '92, Tom Kerridge will be mixing football and food again this summer. Kerridge's Bull & Bear will be feeding football fans as part of the Stock Exchange Hotel's summer football programme. Key Euro 2021 matches will be televised in The Vault with fancy food and drink packages available courtesy of the Bull & Bear. A welcome change from getting soaked in lager.
A spruce up for Sanskruti
A name that comes up again and again as one of the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Greater Manchester is Sanskruti. This unassuming little gem in Fallowfield serves an entirely veggie and vegan Indian menu and is invariably packed full of happy munchers. But its decor was always on the, shall we say, humble side. The good news is, it's undergone a complete overhaul while open for outdoor dining only and will emerge all sassy and fabulous for the reopening of its interior (which is also now double the size) on 18 May with brand new tables and chairs and "Indian inspired decor". You can book Sanskruti now for outdoor or indoor dining. Ideal for National Vegetarian Week (10-16 May).
Get this in your grill
San Carlo's Fumo on St Peter's Square has changed its name and has a new menu to go with it. Emerging like a phoenix as Fumo Bar and Grill, the ubiquitous small plates are gone and a more traditional starts, mains and desserts approach is back. We're frankly sick to death of small plates, so this is good news. Italian classics like pasta, pizza and seafood feature as well as Instagrammable showstoppers like Fumo's famous black truffle risotto with mushrooms served in a whole wheel of parmesan. That's not to mention the new robata charcoal flaming grill which will be flinging out steaks, burgers and whole lobsters. Bookings are open now from 17 May.
A killer tequila
Ramona, fast becoming famous for Detroit pizza and margaritas, has bagged the UK's first-ever serve of El Tequileño tequila. General manager, Andy Marshall, took a trip to Tequila town (our kind of town) in Mexico to source the best tequilas and experiment with margarita serves. El Tequileño Blanco was the winner in his book - the locals swear by it - and will be the "house pour" at the bar. It’s made from mineral-rich volcanic water blue agave plant that takes about seven years to mature. We're told it has "a unique herbal taste with a mellow, natural sweetness and a hint of citrus". House margaritas on the menu all include El Tequileño Blanco tequila, featuring the Ramona (El Tequileño Blanco, Cointreau, lime oleo, salt), the Margot (cucumber, lime, mint and yellow chartreuse) and the Tommy Rosa (hibiscus, agave and lime). Bookings at Ramona are now open.
Seven Bro7hers take MediaCity
The Seven Bro7hers lads never stop, not only are they constantly coming up with new ideas for beers from recycling old cereals to taking inspiration from their favourite childhood snacks for a birthday beer range, their empire is ever-expanding. Good job there are plenty of them to do the graft because they are opening yet another bar on 17 May, this time over in MediaCity. Joining their brewery and bars in Ancoats and Middlewood Locks comes this third bar at MediaCity and we'll be in there to check it out the second the doors open.
Espres-so let's talk
Cocktail purists might not think the espresso martini is in need of a shakeup, but local rum brand The Public Spirit reckons its take on the classic will have you spirited away. Say “dasvidaniya” to the vodka, the salted toffee flavours in The Public Spirit’s original spiced rum make for a much more exciting imbibement.
The Manchester-based spirit specialist has curated an espresso martini kit with everything you need to create the extraordinary serve at home. Coffee cans from Allpress Espresso and coffee liqueur from Mr Black sit alongside a full bottle of rum for £42 - with a portion of every sale going to support the fantastic work of mental health charity So Let’s Talk. We’re feeling chari-tipsy already.
