Rumours swirling surrounding pigs, smelters and a new venture
As far as rumours go, they don’t get much meatier than one we came across today. Is our source bringing home the bacon or are we being told porkies?
We’ve heard whispers, or should we say oinks, from certain little piggies in the industry that the heads behind Ancoats Detroit pizza slingers Ramona and coal-fired chicken neighbours, The Firehouse, are eying up a new operation involving the nose to tail cooking of pigs.
The porky plot thickens with further rumours that the new restaurant venture will operate out of a former smelting warehouse in Manchester
An industry insider has told us that chefs associated with Joel Wilkinson, Adelaide Winter and Dan Mullen - the creative team behind Ramona and a rollcall of other Manchester indie stalwarts - are on the hunt for amounts of pork by the tonne. The pork is set to be the main star of a new nose-to-tail restaurant.
Hard-ons for lardons?
The porky plot thickens with further rumours that the new restaurant venture will operate out of a former smelting facility in Manchester - our guesses are Ancoats or Ardwick - with the specifics of the industrial space inspiring the move into pork and crackling. The Firehouse already has excellent form for chicken so the thought of the Ramona heads getting together in the best interests of pork has mouth-watering potential.
Pork would also be a smart choice. Relatively easy to cook, delicious slow-roasted, pulled or shredded, you only need to look at the mind-boggling success of the Christmas markets to know that Manchester loves a hog roast and a restaurant making the most of former industrial architecture, especially with the theme of heat and fire, is another attractive proposition.
The next big move for Manchester independent royalty
The move has the potential to be another massive opening for Joel, Adelaide and Dan who developed Ramona and The Firehouse in collaboration with commercial property developers Capital&Centric.
The creative team have already had a massive impact on Manchester. Launching Trof NQ in 2006 in the Northern Quarter, an offshoot of their original Fallowfield cafe, they've gone on to mastermind ventures in various forms including Deaf Institute, Albert's Schloss, Gorilla, Albert Hall and most recently Ramona and The Firehouse.
We've certainly got our fingers, toes and tails crossed that it's more than a rumour and we can't wait to put meat on the bones of this story as further details arise.
Read next: The best bloody burgers in town? The Butcher opens in the Arndale
Read again: Is Sexy Fish no longer on the hook for Manchester?
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