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
Spirited Wines Is Becoming A Wine Bar Too
Sleuth was buying port for the head librarian of the Portico Library the other day at Spirited Wines in the Barton Arcade - it gets her through the day you know, reading is much better with a drink in the mitt.
Wine's turnAnyway, Sleuth asked about a licensing notice he'd seen a few units down. Turns out Spirited's lease is up at the present place so they're moving down to a bigger unit where they'll be able to open a bar (as well as still be a retailer) specialising in their artfully chosen wines, fortified wines, bubblies and spirits. Sleuth is charmed that first Salut opened on Cooper Street and now Spirited on Deansgate. There's also Hanging Ditch Wines as well. Suddenly after the craft beer revolution it's wine's turn in Manchester.
Spirited's current location
New Bar Restaurant For Princess Street
Sleuth's received word that 54 Princess Street (over by Bloom Street) is to receive a new bar and restaurant. The Urban Cookhouse, due to open at the end of this year, is the first venture by the newly formed Salford-based Violet Hospitality. We're told the Urban Cookhouse 'is a downtown restaurant, bar and lounge serving international street food at the table and shaking up some exquisite concoctions behind the bar.' Good, Sleuth's chops froth at the potential of every new food offering, but Sleuth does wish bars and restaurants with doors, windows, four walls and a roof would stop promising 'street food'. If it's off the street it ain't street.
Urban Cookhouse site
Burgers Have Peaked... The Day Of The Dog Is Here
Speaking of 'street food'. Sleuth spotted this report from food industry consultants Horizon this week. The burger is dead, sort of, but not really. Comparing around 120 restaurants the report found that burgers were down 17% on menus compared to last year, whereas hot dogs are appearing on 86% more menus. The dog is having it's day.
Interesting, Sleuth thought, except it's not because all the gunk that's been towered onto burgers in recent years is now being towered onto hot dogs. The only difference being the beast, which when cowering beneath pyramids of onion rings, cheese, other cheese, bacon bits, oreos, more cheese, jam, a watch and a whole shrew, is fairly indistinguishable anyway.
MCR's Most Tasteful Car Of The Week
The young man in the Maserati at the top of this page thought he was Something Else. So did everyone else. Blue rinse lady standing next to Sleuth on Deansgate turned to her friends and said, "That's so common."
MCR's Most Tasteful Car At Most Appropriate Set Of Lights Next To Most Appropriate Shop
Just look close to the windscreen, how very apt.
We buy gold eh? What about golden cars?
Council Leader And The Good News
Sleuth was at the pat on the back meeting at Central Library this week in which Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and Network Rail were discussing the £1bn of investment in the city centre. They were loving themselves. Disruption now, they said, in the city centre but give it a few years and we'll be dandy with 40,000 more jobs, 50,000 more residents and £5.5bn increase in Manchester's contribution to the national economy. So put that in your pipe and smoke it as you're stuck on Quay Street trying to get to the A6 and cross your fingers they're right.
Sleuth's Beautiful Old/New MCR Architecture Of The Week
As outlined in this story the result of the movement of the Cenotaph to outside the back of the Town Hall has been splendid. A gracious and beautiful space has been created. Well done to all concerned.
Lovely piece of work
Now Get Rid Of That Bloody Tree
Sleuth couldn't believe it. In this article the editor explains how wonderful the new view down Lloyd Street is, powerful with grand architecture on each side, butch and lovely bridges above and then the glowing white of the Cenotaph at the far end. Everybody agreed. Then some malcontent, some person with no sense of beauty or planning planted a tree off centre - off-bloody-centre - which masks the Cenotaph in the view. Take it down, remove it now, says Sleuth, tears in his eyes, fists clenched.
Who put that bloody off-centre tree there?
Cenotaph Without The Bloody Off-Centre Tree
Serve Me A Drink U-Fuk
Sleuth's colleague David Blake went for a sneak peak around the mammoth new Pan Asian restaurant venture, Sakana, to open on Peter Street from mid-to-late October. "And this upstairs bar is where we'll be doing all the tricky cocktail flairing, we've probably got the city's best cocktail flairer up on this bar, real gobsmacking stuff. He's called Ufuk." Consider Sleuth gobsmacked.
Sleuth's Early Breakfast Beer Of The Week
This man loved his breakfast at The Moon Under Water at ten in the morning. He loved washing it down with beer. At ten in the morning. Good lad, although Sleuth always feels uncomfortable if drinking before noon. 12.01pm fine. 11.59am wrong.
Another pint sir, it's nearly 10.30am
Poor Phil Jones
Poor Phil Jones and his contorted game face can't catch a break. Sleuth googled 'Man United Squad' this week. Notice anything odd...
Odd one out
Sleuth's Conclusive Proof Men Are Mad Pic Of The Week
Sleuth was in The Dockyard at MediaCityUK on Wednesday, lovely night, place packed out, the lawns outside packed as well. But what's been happening in the gents? Have beavers been getting drunk in the Dockyard? Or woodpeckers? Or chipmunks? Or just mad men as usual. Why whilst on the loo you'd want to gouge the timber out to this degree, see picture below, is beyond Sleuth.
Who would do such a thing?
