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
New Oxford Street Restaurant
Kitchenette has arrived in Felicinis on Oxford Street, opposite the Palace Theatre. This is a new restaurant invention from the same people as Felicinis, who are also the same folk behind Mud Crab at Grinch we reviewed last week here. The editor got dewy-eyed over a staff member but thought the food lazy. Kitchenette looks like it might be more sparky, especially with dishes such as a soft shell crab burger with smoked bacon for £12. There are also griddled waffles and homemade oreos. It's a very broad menu. Confidential will go and check it out soon enough, although it may take a while to get through the four million dishes.
Kitchenette menu
Glorious walkwayLeese's Folly
Work is getting underway over Leese's Folly. This is the glass intrusion plus metal gates that are going to be strung across Library Walk, between Central Library and the Town Hall Extension. These will cost more than £3.5m, ruin one of the prettiest pedestrian through-ways in the city and all for no reason. Central Library will still have its main door and there's a three lane wide carriageway of access between the buildings at basement level. The Council are forcing this waste of money through despite countless objections.
Sleuth wishes the Council would sometimes listen to the voices of people who care about the city but stand outside their bureaucracy. Sleuth has a name for this ridiculous spoilation of a much-loved space: Sir Richard Leese's Folly (Folly: in architecture a building of no practical application often built for vanity).
Leese's Folly (graphic showing Library Walk blocked off with glass intrusion but cunningly not revealing the proposed iron gates and fence that will bar evening entry)
Sleuth's Most Laidback Mannequin Of The Week
This week's award goes to Dorothy the mannequin at Ryan's Vintage on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter. As usual with mannequins, the naturists of the life-sized inanimate human form, she could do with covering up a bit, especially if she's going to assume that posture. Barry, the mannequin across the shop, couldn't stop staring.
Dorothy takes a breather
The Man With The Wet Trousers
Sleuth attended the Bacardi Party, a food and industry party at Albert Hall on Peter Street on Wednesday. Bedlam. Followed by more bedlam at Liars Club which should rename itself Bedlam. Niamh of the Confidential office summed things up with the statement, "I was very good, I was home by 5am." Her gran might disagree with that statement although she made it into work for 9am which was impressive. Sleuth particularly enjoyed this fine use of a hand-dryer at Albert Hall. The origin of the action is lost in the mythology of mad nights out - maybe it was an exceptionally hot hand-dryer and the man was protecting his pinkies? Still an intriguing image all the same.
A bartender's guide to hand-drying
Five Guys To Open Manchester Sort Of...
Five Guys, the American burger chain that has been much talked about in the south of England, is moving to Manchester sort of, well, to the Trafford Centre really. It claims, given the range of toppings for its burgers, there are 250,000 possible combinations. Shame it didn't come into the city centre but then again we are bursting at the seams (like our hand-dryer dried trousers) with burger specialists here. Still mall-culture eh? Is this a case of you can take the American out of America but not America out of the American?
Five Guys burgers - now in over 1,000 outlets worldwide
Sleuth's Curious Enquiry Of The Week
Sleuth got this press release this week: 'Hi Jonathan, Hope you are well. I just wanted to touch base with you to see whether you have any plans to write a contraception piece in the near future?' No. Sleuth didn't want his base touching with this sort of enquiry.
Rumour Of Shocking Deficiency In Hale
Sleuth is going to check this out but hears there's a shocking deficiency in Hale. The good citizens of the south Manchester suburb, after enjoying a convivial night out, have no port in a storm in which to retreat when the munchies take hold. Well according to a bunch of people Sleuth met from the well-to-do township this week. Hale has no kebab shop or evening take-away. Sleuth’s going to check that out next week and if so he might be making a business plan.
Sleuth And Mr F Sidebottom
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, concierges, soft shell crabs, Sir Richard Leese, five guys, trouserless barmen, wanton mannequins, base touchers and all the people in Hale looking for a take-away and asked: "We want to find a mural of Frank Sidebottom in Manchester, yes we do, we really do. Can you help us?"
"Why yes," says Sleuth, "that mural would be on a shop in the Northern Quarter on Oldham Street which features mannequins lounging on settees."
And to prove this he showed the policemen, concierges, soft shell crabs, Sir Richard Leese, five guys, trouserless barmen, wanton mannequins, base touchers and all the people in Hale looking for a take-away, this picture.
Frank on the wall
